Page 61 - @ccess 2 Reader´s Book
P. 61

despised (adj.):
            •  First of all, one should use Indian or         despreciado,
               Ceylonese tea.                                whitewash (n.):
                                                             cal
            •  Chinese tea has virtues, which are            china (n.):
                                                             porcelana,
               not to be despised nowadays — it is           cerámica,
               economical, and one can drink it without      beforehand
                                                             (adv.): antemano,
               milk — but there is not much stimulation      heaped (adj.):
                                                             rebasada
               in it. One does not feel wiser, braver or
               more optimistic after drinking it. Anyone who has used
               that comforting phrase 'a nice cup of tea' invariably means
               Indian tea.
            •  Secondly, tea should be made in small quantities — that
               is, in a teapot. Tea out of an urn is always tasteless,
               while army tea, made in a cauldron, tastes of grease
               and whitewash. The teapot should be made of china or
               earthenware. Silver or Britanniaware teapots produce
               inferior tea and enamel pots are worse; though curiously
               enough, a pewter teapot (a rarity nowadays) is not so bad.
            •  Thirdly, the pot should be warmed beforehand. This is
               better done by placing it on the hob than by the usual
               method of swilling it out with hot water.
            •  Fourthly, the tea should be strong. For       strainer (n.):
                                                             colador
               a pot holding a quart, if you are going       infuse (v.): hacer
               to fill it nearly to the brim, six heaped     una infusión
               teaspoons would be about right. In a time of rationing,
               this is not an idea that can be realized on every day of the
               week, but I maintain that one strong cup of tea is better
               than twenty weak ones. All true tea lovers not only like
               their tea strong, but like it a little stronger with each year
               that passes — a fact which is recognized in the extra ration
               issued to old-age pensioners.
            •  Fifthly, the tea should be put straight into the pot. No
               strainers, muslin bags or other devices to imprison the tea.
               In some countries teapots are fitted with little dangling
               baskets under the spout to catch the stray leaves, which
               are supposed to be harmful. Actually, one can swallow tea
               leaves in considerable quantities without ill effect, and if
               the tea is not loose in the pot it, never infuses properly.


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