Dear Restaurants- oversteeped tea

Lately I've been ordering tea after meals at restaurants because coffee makes me too insane. Also I really like tea. Done well, it's as flavorful as a fine wine. Unfortunately most restaurants, even really really really nice restaurants that serve $8-$15 cups of tea, don't seem to know how to serve it correctly. One of the major problems in Chicago seems to be this particularly teaware- which I believe originated with Rare Tea Cellars. A few examples:


Blackbird


Graham Elliott

Now this is not an unredeemable tea setup like the french presses they use at Belly Q and other places This tea pot, while maybe not the best choice, is OK if you are pouring two cups. The point is that with expensive leaves especially, you do not want the leaves sitting in water. It ruins the tea for further steepings, and the water left in usually becomes completely undrinkable. I wrote that article about Malort for NPR and spent a lot of time drinking it and the other besks. Compared to some of the oversteeped tea I've had lately, malort is hardly bitter at all. I'd describe oversteeped black and green tea as being worse than drinking bracken swamp water.

As a consumer ordering tea for one, all I can do is watch helplessly while the tea is ruined. Almost all restaurants, coffee shops, etc. in the US cannot brew tea properly, but at least most have the decency to serve the tea in a teapot where you can take out the basket or more usually ,a tea bag. At least in these situations, someone who knows even a little bit about tea can save their cup from being undrinkable.

So if they stopped using this tea ware, that would make a good difference. Then we could talk about other improvements like not pouring tea-ruining mouth-destroying hell-fire hot water on the tea. Or the other problem I sometimes get, which is getting a cup of baby bathwater-warm water with a tea bag next to it. The water should be poured on the tea, not the tea put in the water. It makes a difference.

I have had very very few good teas in Chicago restaurants. One of the best was at Pleasant House for their high tea. They brew the tea in the kitchen for the correct amount of time with the right temperature water and bring you a nice big pot already brewed. It's not a fancy tea, but it is perfectly done and immensely satisfying. Also I haven't had the hot tea at Sumi Robata bar, but I had the iced tea. They have an amazing cold-brewing setup for that and it's fantastic. Caffe Streets and Next Door also brew tea really well.

At the Violet Hour, Tyler Fry, who is a tea expert, does great tea cocktails. He'd probably brew a cup of tea for you too, though that's not really the place for tea.

I agree. I was just served some excellent tea at Elizabeth in one of those steeping pots. Or, I should say, the first cup was excellent. The second cup was overextracted, bitter, tannic, and just terrible. I have the same problem with restaurants that serve too much coffee in a french press. A related problem with these devices is that they never tell me precisely how long the coffee or tea has already been steeping before it was brought to the table.

Unfortunately, Vie and Perennial Virant both do this which is why I never order any of their incredible Rare Tea Cellars offerings.

It's so easy to do it right; it does make you wonder what's going on there.

ChitownJackson wrote:Unfortunately, Vie and Perennial Virant both do this which is why I never order any of their incredible Rare Tea Cellars offerings.

It's so easy to do it right; it does make you wonder what's going on there.

At least partially to blame: We live in a coffee-drinking country where most people have never had a properly steeped cup of tea so they don't realize what they're doing wrong. Rare Tea Cellars could do a lot of good by offering or requiring tea-preparing lessons to their restaurant clients.

chgoeditor wrote:At least partially to blame: We live in a coffee-drinking country where most people have never had a properly steeped cup of tea so they don't realize what they're doing wrong. Rare Tea Cellars could do a lot of good by offering or requiring tea-preparing lessons to their restaurant clients.

As an Australian who often dines with a British friend, we are united in our horror at the Tea Atrocities across this country. I've never been presented with the contraption pictured above, but I suggest asking for another cup, so you can pour both immediately. The other option is requesting more hot water, so you can fill it back up and get a pseudo-second steep. Maybe they'll start to see the error of their ways.

Many of the specialty coffee shops around town have put a lot of time and effort into their tea programs. Ch'ava in particular springs to mind. I believe Tea Gschwendner trains at the places they supply, though I don't know if they have any restaurant clients.

I have found that at least the following is possible: to ask for a second pot to pour the brewed tea into after I've poured my first cup. That also frees the leaves for a refill when I want it.

I have to say I had some well-brewed tea at Taxim this week. Nothing fancy- plain black tea, just not oversteeped at all.

Tea pot at Signature Room:



Tea is held in wire mesh cup at top; when first cup is poured, tea is no longer in contact with warm water and so steeping is effectively halted. Had two cups; both fine.