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2. Choice of ingredients

2.1 The water

Water matters big time. As unbelievable as it may sound, the quality of the water and the way we treat it determine the quality of the product to an equal, if not greater, extent than the tea leaves. The best tea can be spoiled by poor quality water, while careful treatment and the right choice of water along with the right technology can work wonders even with the cheapest tea.

First, I would like to repeat: all the water involved should be thoroughly boiled and hot. Never ever use raw water that hasn't been boiled, no matter how hot it is. Boiled water that has somewhat cooled down is equally unacceptable for most purposes, though at the final stage (watering down the zavarka) it is less harmful than raw water.

The source of the water also deserves some attention. Most of the time, hackers are compelled to use the water from the hot water faucet. As tempting as it may be, using this water is disadvantageous. Hot water spends more time in pipes, and being more active in chemical reactions, carries more pollution than cold water. Therefore, you'd better stick to the cold water. Furthermore, after opening the faucet, let the water flow until it reaches its final cool temperature before collecting it for tea. Residual water usually tastes worse than fresh water.

Although natural sources, such as springs, unpolluted lakes, fresh snow in the countryside, and so on are great in general, some comments are to be made. High concentration of calcium or potassium ions harms the boiling equipment and somewhat degrades the taste of the tea. Therefore, if possible, avoid artesian water in areas where the soil is rich in limestone. The softer the water is, the better tea it makes.

Interestingly enough, the actual taste of the cold water does not matter as much as one would expect. This does not mean of course, that you can use water with some repulsive odor or taste, but if some water appears to be extremely delicious, don't rush to make tea out of it; you're better off drinking it raw.

2.2 The leaves

Of course, there are good tea brands and poor ones, but again, the right technology and careful treatment work wonders. Although in other fields of life the package might be less important than the internals, with tea it is almost exactly the opposite. Since the flavor of the tea is due to volatiles, the package should be firmly sealed and airtight. Personally, I prefer cube-shaped metallic boxen with round hatches, which one can open using the handle of a teaspoon as a lever. They can be reused to hold tea from cheaper packages, like plastic or impregnated paper bags, which cannot be properly resealed.

If you take a look at the unit prices of tea, you may notice that the distribution is essentially bimodal. There is a clear distinction between cheap and expensive tea. Expensive, selected tea usually has a strong aroma, characteristic to the particular brand, which you may or may not like. Generic cheap tea, in contrast, is usually acceptable to everyone. However, mixing expensive and inexpensive tea is not only acceptable, but strongly recommended and encouraged. Moreover, you can mix different tea and amaze your guests with the unique flavor invented by yourself. Since the Russian technology of tea preparation preserves the aroma very well, it is usually recommended to dissolve expensive, flavored tea in some good, generic tea (that is, to mix the leaves before making zavarka).

There are, however, poor quality leaves, which are best avoided. Firstly, tea in less airtight packaging that hasn't been sold for a long time loses its aroma. If you buy tea in paperbags or cardboard boxes, pay attention to the date of production. Even if you choose to buy it, pour it immediately into some airtight, resealable package (e.g. a metallic box). The second important factor is the granularity. Finely grained, dust-like tea is a by-product of tea production. Selling it as tea is a consequence of the typical capitalist rush for efficiency that sacrifices quality on the altar of productivity. Don't buy dust swept off the floor. The other extreme is the rough tea possibly containing parts of the tea plant other than the leaves. This is due to the careless treatment characteristic of planned economies. Underpaid slaves or irresponsible workers who get paid no matter how badly they work are prone to such crimes.

Anyhow, I challenge you to experiment with various tea brands; mix them at will. Share your experience with others. And don't hesitate to ask your host what leaves s/he uses if you happen to be offered some tea you like. In my experience, even a hint of selected, flavored tea can ameliorate generic inexpensive tea to an amazing degree. Remember: you can't spoil tea with tea.

2.3 Additions

Tea is a full-featured beverage on its own right. Some claim that any addition will only make it worse by suppressing its genuine taste. Despite such opinions, many drink tea with different additions making it sweeter, sourer or inebriative. I would like to give a brief overview, so that you can decide what to do.

Sweeteners

Sweetening of the tea is very popular. It has to be noted, though, that this practice is unhealthy for your teeth. After hacking all night long sipping on your sweet tea, wash your teeth thoroughly before going into bed.

Sugar:

Sugar is the cheapest and the most widespread way to make your tea sugared. Sugared tea usually contributes to clear thinking more than the unsugared kind. But of course, if you prefer to fuel your braincells without disturbing the original flavor of the tea, you can eat jelly or candies instead of adding sugar to the tea. More than three teaspoons of sugar can ruin the beverage: it becomes a syrup. Exercise self-control.

Glucose:

A less trivial way to sugar your tea. Essentially the same as sugar, except that it tastes better and feeds braincells more efficiently than ordinary sugar. The true hacker's choice. Especially recommended before exams or approaching deadlines.

Honey:

Very healthy and very Russian. Caught the flu? No problem. Three spoons of honey and a resolute spurt of vodka into your tea, and off to bed you go. Of course, you do not need to be sick to drink tea with honey.

Fruit jam:

Some Russians prefer to put fruit jam into the tea. Others eat it separately. Changes the taste of the tea dramatically, though not necessarily in an unpleasing fashion.

Saccharine and other artificial sweeteners:

The taste of sugar, without the benefits and disadvantages thereof. Unless you have diabetes but cannot drink unsweetened tea, there is no point in contaminating your tea with such chemicals. Real hackers prefer the real thing to substitutes.

Alcohol

Alcoholic influence degrades the quality of your code. Therefore, you should abstain from alcohol while hacking. And while driving. If, however, you are celebrating a finished project or a successful exam or whatever, a touch of alcohol can't hurt.

Tea with alcohol loosens inhibitions and relaxes the muscles of the mouth. Thus, it is very helpful for learning foreign languages. Learn Russian! It's a fun language, not to mention the abundance of dirt-cheap scientific and technical literature available in it, both on- and off-line.

In this section we will take a look at the ways of cheering up your tea.

Vodka:

Since the outstanding Russian chemist, Dmitrij Ivanovich Mendeleyev (same guy who devised the periodic table of elements) invented and standardized the technology of 40% vol/vol vodka production, you have Absolut control over the alcohol content of your tea. If the ratio of vodka does not exceed one third, we speak of tea with vodka. If it is between one and two thirds, we speak of a sailor's tea. Beyond that, it is contaminated (or pure) vodka. But come on, hackers claim to be intellectuals, right? You will need your braincells in the future.

Rum:

This is the Caribbean variant of vodka, distilled from sugar cane. Its special flavor fits very well to that of the tea. Make a stand against imperialism, support the Isle of Freedom! Did you know that the Castro regime runs its website on a Linux box and funds the local LUG? ;-)

Liquor:

Very ladylike.

Other stuff

Lemon:

Some like it, some do not. Find out for yourself which category you belong to. Note, that even a drop of lemon juice makes the color of the tea substantially lighter. This is because tea has properties similar to litmus: in an acidic environment it lightens, while in an alkalic environment it darkens. Hence, you can find out if you have rinsed the detergent off the cup insufficiently even before letting the soapy tea into your mouth (FYI: detergents are bases). Some claim that tea with lemon is healthy, because of its high C vitamin content. Bu^H^HNonsense. Molecules of ascorbic acid disintegrate at a temperature much lower than that of the tea. Whether or not to put lemon in your tea, should depend solely on your taste.

Baking soda:

This is a dirty trick, used primarily by state-operated, cheap catering enterprises in Russia. As you can infer from the description of the lemon, the alkalic nature of baking soda makes the tea substantially darker, even if added in very small quantities. Makes almost no difference in taste, but the tea will look much stronger than it is in reality. No self-respecting tea-drinker would cheat his/her guests (or oneself) by darkening the tea by any means other than more zavarka. This paragraph is intended to give you a clue in case the tea you have been offered looked great but tasted like hot rainwater.

Milk:

Adding milk to the tea is actually an English custom. Nevertheless, it's fine as long as you don't mind sweating like a pony. Smokers tend to like it for its detoxicating effect; tea with milk cancels the weariness caused by tobacco.

Cream:

Similar to milk, only less common. And less cost-effective.

WARNING:

Lemon and milk/cream conflict. They are incompatible.


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