flipAfternoon Black Tea
Afternoon Black Tea
Why this dish? It is known that Yourcenar drank tea in large quantities throughout her working days at Petite Plaisance, and that she was wary of alcohol. Tea was her drink of choice, companion to writing and conversation.
A strong black tea, steeped long, drunk without fuss but with constancy — the warm, bitter ritual that punctuated her hours of writing and reading.
Tea is my true wine. I drink it from morning to night, burning hot and very black, while sentences seek themselves. I mistrust liqueurs that trouble the mind; tea, on the contrary, enlightens it and keeps it alert. Let it steep longer than is usually advised: it is in this slight bitterness that the lucidity I need to work lies.
- •Black tea leaves — a good measure (beverage)
- •Spring water just below boiling — a teapotful (infusion)
Afternoon Black Tea
A strong black tea, steeped long, drunk without fuss but with constancy — the warm, bitter ritual that punctuated her hours of writing and reading.
Why this dish? It is known that Yourcenar drank tea in large quantities throughout her working days at Petite Plaisance, and that she was wary of alcohol. Tea was her drink of choice, companion to writing and conversation.
Tea is my true wine. I drink it from morning to night, burning hot and very black, while sentences seek themselves. I mistrust liqueurs that trouble the mind; tea, on the contrary, enlightens it and keeps it alert. Let it steep longer than is usually advised: it is in this slight bitterness that the lucidity I need to work lies.
Ingredients (period version)
- Black tea leaves — a good measure (beverage)
- Spring water just below boiling — a teapotful (infusion)
Ingredients
- Black tea leaves (Assam, Ceylon or a strong blend) — 1 heaped tsp per cup (beverage)
- Filtered water — 1 teapot (about 1 L) (infusion)
- Lemon slice (optional) — 1 (acidic note)
Method
- Rinse the teapot with boiling water to preheat it, then empty it.
- Add the black tea leaves, about one spoon per cup.
- Pour the near-boiling water (95 °C) over the leaves.
- Steep for 4 to 5 minutes for a strong, slightly bitter tea.
- Strain and serve piping hot, plain or with a thin slice of lemon, without sugar.
- Add more hot water to the leaves for a second infusion during the afternoon.
How it was made : In the 20th century, loose black tea steeped in a teapot was the common way to prepare this drink. Yourcenar, like many intellectuals, used it almost continuously as a sober, stimulating substitute for the alcohol she avoided.
The contemporary twist : Serve in a cast-iron teapot and a thick bowl, placed near an open book — the exact mise-en-scène of an afternoon of writing at Petite Plaisance.
Marguerite Yourcenar · Charactorium
