When I come home at the end of the day, the first thing I do is place the kettle on the stove so I may eventually have a nice, steaming cup of tea.
Being a member of a highly convenience oriented generation, I assume that the first question will be, "Why not just heat it up in the microwave?"
Each time I place the teakettle on, I consider this scenario. For the longest time, the answer to that question seemed quite simple. I imagined I'd say, "Because the tea tastes better if you heat up the water on the stove."
Then I imagined whoever asked would inquire into precisely why that is, and, for the longest time, I could not think of a legitimate answer to that question. If I'd answered it then, I'd have used that simple answer. I know that the answer is hard to understand because even I am not sure why the method of heating water would affect the flavor of tea, or if I would even know the difference if I was ignorant to the method of preparation.
That made me realize, should I ever face this line of questioning, I had to prepare a better answer. Here, I shall present my findings, but, first, I would like to stress the time consuming process of preparing tea in this manner.
To prepare tea on the stove, one clearly must have a teakettle or another water heating vessel. I recommend buying a red kettle which whistles because its red will deepen to scarlet just before it shrieks, signaling that one may now begin to prepare a cup and tea leaves.
Going back a few steps, one must fill the teakettle to just below the spout. Then one must place it on a stove burner turned no higher than just below medium, or one may scorch the metal.
Following this, I suggest finding something to do for about thirty minutes or until the teakettle whistles. Make sure to stay close by to the teakettle, so the sound is within earshot. If the teakettle is not a whistler, don't lose track of time and forget to check on it. It shall be done heating when steam forms a consistent funnel out the spout.
Once this step is complete, it is time to get the tea bag or loose leaf tea in order to prepare. One benefit of preparing tea in this manner is that, if one is a fan of more potent tea, one may drop the tea bag into the cup before one pours the water. If one does not want a strong cup with a biting finish, just plop the tea bag in on top.
Next, to make sure the color and flavor leak out of the teabag to one's preference, take the string of the teabag --a small spoon for bags without a string-- and gently prod the teabag in the water. Once again, for a stronger cup, do this more or press into the bag with a spoon. For a milder cup, don't overdo it.
Finally, let the tea cool for ten to twenty minutes before drinking, depending on the water temperature.
Now that I've finished explaining the true tedium which occurs when making tea in this manner, I may proceed to my far shorter point.
I realized three things when I wrote this piece. First, I may have just explained a process which my audience already understands. Secondly, anyone who simply does not care for tea or for me may wish I would just shut up about how to make tea already. Maybe both. Despite that, the third thing I realized is this:
We must all adopt a tedious process in our lives which delivers warm satisfaction, as this process of making tea does for me. In an age where we have answers literally at our fingertips and corporation chains on every corner, I predict we shall lose our patience and, more importantly, the satisfaction which stems from the simple pleasure derived from finishing a tedious task.
Therefore, I shall never wish for a life without tedium, for I shall find no relief in such a life. I hope that others shall seek out similar relief, for it compares to nothing I know.
I shall finish with a message to my audience. Everybody needs their own cup of tea to distract them and ease the weights on their shoulders. So go out already, make one, and make it as tedious as it needs to be.
Because, the more one invests in something, the more satisfactory he or she may find it.
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