When buying loose leaf tea , it should smell fresh and vibrant , check the packet lables to see whether you're buying a blend or simple variety , if buying flavoured tea , check whether the flavouring is NATURAL or a nature identical  SYNTHETIC , for example EARL GREY tea flavoured with  Bergamot Oil is far superior to EARL GREY tea with Bergamot flavouring

BLACK TEAS are graded by their leaf size , from WHOLE leaf to BROKEN and FANNINGS down to DUST , the leaf grade will determine the tea's brewing time , the smallest leafs arre used in tea bags , because they brew very quickly , all grades can produce fine tea , albeit in diffrent styles ranging from light and delicate to full bodied 

All tea is made from the processed leaves and buds of the evergreen 'Camellia Sinensis' bush there are a huge variety of teas , however , generally classified by the size of the leaves and the way in which they're treated , the flavours will vary according to the conditions in which the tea is grown , the soil and climate , the way the leaves are harvested and the manner in which they're processed after picking

The tea most widely drunk in the U.K. is BLACK tea , it's characteristic colour and powerful  flavour come from the FERMENTATION or OXIDATION process by which it's produced , the majority of black teas go into blends such as ENGLISH BREAKFAST tea , commercial blends can contain up to 30 diffrent teas , a few varieties are famous in their own right , such as ASSAM and DARJEELING , flavoured teas , black tea flavoured with ingredients such as Jasmine , Crysanthemum , dried fruits or fruit oils are also available

Tea is grown in INDIA , SRI LANKA , EAST AFRICA ,JAPAN and CHINA , the teas produced by each country have unique properties , KENYA for example produces excellent , bold flavoured black tea that is much used in blends , while well flavoured , bright and strongly coloured MALAWI tea is popular for blending , tea can be used in cooking to soak dried fruit , make syrups for poaching fruit or to smoke fish and poultry

BROKEN PEKOE and BROKEN ORANGE PEKOE ,broken leaf INDIAN and SRI LANKAN teas that make dark , strong brews

Flowery ORANGE PEKOE's , large leaf INDIAN and SRI LANKAN tea containing a proportion of slightly golden tips , if there are a high proportion of tips , the leaves may be called GOLDEN , flowery ORANGE PEKOE

ORANGE PEKOE , these INDIAN and SRI LANKAN teas take longer to brew than broken or small leaf ones , the leaves are long thin and tightly rolled

SOUCHONG , a general term for large leaf from CHINA 

ASSAM ,a Black tea from INDIA , valued for it's rich golden colour and strong MALTY flavour that stands up well to the addition of milk

DAR JEELING , a fragrent , light INDIAN tea that's one of the finest black teas in the world , and is sometimes described as ' THE CHAMPAGNE' of Tea's , FIRST FLUSH (EARLY SEASON) pickings are the most delicate and prized , SECOND FLUSH pickings have a denser , fuller flavour , at the very top end , the tea is sold by the name of specific ESTATES , drink it with lemon so as not to mask the fine taste

NILGIRI , a fine Black tea from the region in SOUTHERN INDIA of the same name , it has a good colour and well rounded flavour and can be served with or without milk

LAPSANG SOUCHONG ,  a large leaf Black CHINESE tea , that has been SMOKE DRIED to produce a TARRY taste , it is best drunk without milk sugar or lemon 

EARL GREY , a Black CHINESE tea flavoured and scented with  Oil of Bergamot , it's best drunk alone or with a slice of lemon

KEEMUM , a Black CHINA tea with a NUTTY , fragrant flavour that can be served with or without milk

JASMINE , a pale , floral GREEN , CHINA tea mixed with dried night blooming JASMINE flowers , it's widely served in CHINESE restaurants to be drunk with food

GUNPOWDER , a CHINESE , GREEN tea with a DRY , quite SHARP flavour , so called because the leaves curl up into ' GUNPOWDER BALLS ' and un furl when hot water is added

FORMOSE OOLONG , a pale golden aromatic tea that's a cross between GREEN and BLACK tea , it's BEST drunk without milk , sugar or lemon

SENCHA , a GREEN tea made from the CAMELLA SMENSIS bush , DEEP steamed , dried , rolled and blended , has a very LOW STEEP time

GENMICHA , a blend of SENCHA GREEN tea and TOASTED BROWN rice

GYOKURO , a GREEN tea in the SENCHA family, however unlike SENCHA , this tea is SHADE grown , under mats 2-3 weeks before harvesting , this affects the tea's colour , flavour as well as it's CAFFEINE level , PREMIUM GYOKURO has been aged up to 2 years before selling

MATCHA , another SENCHA , like GYOKURO this tea has also been grown under shade mats , the leaves are then steamed till faalling apart , pulled from stem and veins then ground

GREEN tea is HEAT TREATED by steam to prevent the leaves from fermenting , after picking the leaves are WHITHERED ( an initial drying stage) , then HEAT TREATED , dried and packed , GREEN tea is delicate and pale , preserving some of the flavour and aroma of the fresh leaves , it is NEVER drunk with milk or lemon

WHITE tea is made from the BUDS of the tea plant , it undergoes minamal PROCESSING and returns hair like fibers found on young buds and leaves , it typically has a DELICATE  , nuanced flavour profile , many flavoured WHITE teas now exist , in part because it's reputation for being high in ANTIOXIDENTS  ,popular unflavoured WHITES include classics like SILVER NEEDLE and WHITE PEONY , as wwell as newer names LADY GREY  and LIPTON's MANGO and PEACH infused WHITE teas

Unlike GREEN , Black or HERBAL , WHITE tea starts out with COLD water 

Starting with your COLD water , the IDEAL temperature to heat your water is between 170 and 185 ° F. ( 76-85° ) C. , after bringing the water to a boil , let it set a few moments , then unlike other teas where you might place the water in first , then STEEP your tea into the water , with WHITE tea you want to pour your water over your tea

STEEPING TIMES : while with the other teas you will normally want to steep from between 3 -5 minutes , WHITE tea has a longer steeping time of 5-8 minutes , because this type of tea has a more mild , subtile flavour you will want to steep it longer , however do NOT STEEP the other teas as long as the TANNINS shall make the tea way too STRONG to drink , * NOTE the GREEN tea SENCHA has a VERY low time to STEEP of between 15 and 90 seconds

Herb teas ; INFUSIONS or TISANES are tecnically NOT teas , because they're not made from the leaves of the tea bush , however , they're made in a similar way to tea , the leaves , flowers , seeds or roots are INFUSED in hot water until the flavour has been extracted , some HERBAL teas are believed to have therapeutic properties , but they are also popular because they do not contain CAFFEINE  or TANNIN

Popular flavours include CAAMOILE , ROSE HIP , PEPPERMINT  and LEMON BALM , Rooibos  or Red Bush 'tea' is technically not a TEA , but the leaves of a herb GROWN in SOUTH AFRICAIN Cedarberg Moutains , the herbs are SUNDRIED and naturally FERMENTED , Caffeine free and LOW in TANNIN , serve like tea , either black or withh milk and , or sugar 

Crumpets are the quintessential Afternoon Tea treat , served warm with lots of butter , there are many ready made brands out there , but it is so much fun to make your very own 

Plan ahead , as the batter needs a few hours to rise

Once ready simply serve the Crumpets warm with butter or a little jam , honey or trecle

This recipe yields 24 CRUMPET'S , if that is too many , this recipe may be halved

Preparation time : 10 minutes              Cook time : 20 minutes          To foam batter : 2 hours

Total time : 2 hours & 30 minutes         Yeild : 24

Ingredients : 12 fl oz. (350 ml) Semi Skimmed Milk

                   1 lb. (450g) All Purpose or Plain Flour

                  1/8 oz. (5g) Dried Yeast

                  2 Tsp. Sugar

                 12 fl oz. (350 ml) Warm Water

                 1 Tsp. Salt

                 1 Tsp. Baking Powder

                 Vegetable Oil  ( for cooking )

Whisk together the milk , flour , yeast and sugar , once batter is thick and smooth stop adding water once it reaches the consistancy of thick cream , cover with cling wrap and leave in a warm draft free place , until foaming , about 1 or 2 hours

Whisk the salt and baking powder into the battter , then heat a heavy based frying pan on the stove to hot but not smoking , dampen kitchen paper with a little oil and grease the base of the pan and the crumpet or pastry rings , measuring 3"X1 1/2" (8 X 3.75 cm) approx. , if you don't have any pastry or crumpet rings , you can make your own , by removing both top and bottom of a tuna size tin , washed out it can work as moulde

Place one ring in the heated pan , add enough batter to fill just below the top of the ring

Cook for 5 minutes , when there should be many tiny holes on the surface and the crumpet is setting , flip the crumpet over and cook for another two to three minutes

Repeat with the remaining batter until used up, rest the finished crumpets on a wire rack until cool and reheat in a toaster ot under the grill before serving

Serve with lots of butter and jam , honey , trecle or clotted cream 

NOTE : If the batter seeps from under the ring  it is too thin , whisk in more flour  , if the crumpet is too heavy and and without holes , the batter is too thick , add more water

This Crumpet recipe yields 1 Dozen crumpets :

2 Cups All Purpose Flour

2 tbsp. All Purpose Flour

2 tsp. Quick Rising Instant Yeast

1 tsp. White Sugar

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 1/4 Cups Warm Milk 112-118° F 44-48° C

1 1/4 Cups Warm Water 112-118° F 44-48° C

4 Crumpet Rings

Oil or Cooking Spray

Whisk 2 cups plus 2 tbls. flour , yeast , sugar and salt in large mixing bowl , combine water and milk in a separate bowl and quickly whisk the milk mixture into the dry ingtedients until batter is thick and smooth , cover with towel and let rise in a warm place until spongy about 1 hour , stir dough to reduce sponginess

Place a rack into the oven and preheat to 150°F (65°) C

Spray a skillet and your round Crumpet rings with cooking spray or brush with oil , fill rings about 1/2 full with your batter , let cook til bottoms are light brown , about 5 minutes , flip over and cook another 2 -3 minutes 

Remove from griddle or pan and place on cooling rack , when time to serve , reheat and top with butter , jam , honey , trecle , clotted cream or even peanut butter

This Recipe makes 8 - 10 small SCONES

2 cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour

1 tbsp. Baking Powder

2 tsp. Granulated Sugar

1 tsp. Fine Table Salt

3 tbsp. Unsalted Butter , softened to room temperature

1/2 - 3/4 Cup Milk , Cream or combination

VARIATIONS:

HERB ; add a few tbsp. chopped fresh Thyme , Rosemary , Chives or Sage

CHEESE ; add 1/2 Cup grated Cheddar or Parmasan , brush top with egg , sprinkle more cheese on top

CURRENT/RAISIN ; add 1/2 Cup Currents or Rasins

CHOCOLATE ; add 4 oz. chopped chocolate pieces and increse Sugar to 2 tbsp.

Preheat oven to 350° F , place baking sheet lined withe either parchment paper or Silpat in oven

Sift together the flour , baking powder sugaar and salt into a mixing bowl , use your fingers to work butter into the dry ingredients until mixture just holds together

Add in 1/2 cup milk and mix until it forms into a soft , slightly sticky ball , add more milk if needed

Place the dough on a very lightly flowered work surface , using a flowered rolling pin , roll your  dough to an inch slab , now either use a biscut cutter to make roung SCONES , ot cut  triangular into traditional SCONE shape

Bake on tray in the oven 8 minutes , turn them over and return to over 4 more minutes

REHEAT  before serving  , SERVE same as CRUMPETS , Butter , Jam , Clotted Cream , Honey Trecle

http://www.thecrumpetshop.com 

http://www,thekitchn.com/real-irish-scones-128074