The Russians are also adepts so far as the making of tea is
concerned. They use a very good kind of tea, called _caravan tea_, which
is packed in lead-covered packages and brought to them by caravans. This
method of packing and delivery is supposed to have a ripening effect on
the leaves and to give them an unusually good flavor. For making tea,
the Russians use an equipment called a _samovar_. This is an urn that is
constantly kept filled with boiling water, so that tea can be served to
all visitors or callers that come, no matter what time of day
they arrive.
52. Most persons, however, make tea into a beverage by steeping it in
boiling water or by placing it in a tea ball or some similar utensil and
then allowing it to stand in boiling water for a short time. Whichever
method of preparation is followed, the water must be at the boiling
point and it must be freshly boiled. Water that has been boiled for any
length of time becomes very insipid and flat to the taste and affects
the flavor of the tea. Tea leaves that have been used once should never
be resteeped, for more tannin is extracted than is desirable and the
good tea flavor is lost, producing a very unwholesome beverage.
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