A Decent Cup of Tea

by Malachi McCormick

"The best thing to do when you've got a dead body and it's your husband on the kitchen floor and you don't know what to do about it is to make yourself a good strong cup of tea." -Anthony Burgess

Charmingly written and produced with a homemade look, this is the ideal gift for anyone who relishes the tranquil pleasures of the brew. Includes the author's own recipes for tea brack, scones, crumpets, tea sandwiches, and more - even a beginner's course in leaf reading.

Genres: Nonfiction, Tea, Cookbooks

79 pages, Hardcover

First published November 26, 1991

Reviews

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delightful book began in handprinted booklet form created by the author. It later became a small hardback volume from Potter. If you are a tea drinker, or think you might like to become a tea drinker, this book is for you!
Mr. McCormick came to America from the United Kingdom, only to discover some pretty poor tea on this side of the Atlantic. Mostly, he observed, it was because we didn't have proper technique for preparing tea. Hence the creation of the original booklet. Eventually, he realized we could use a little more knowledge to bolster our tea drinking aspirations, and that led to more booklets and now this little book.
In his thoroughly engaging style, he zips through the history of tea drinking in Asia, its migration to Europe, and thence to America, where it seemed to fizzle out in the last century. (Think of it, though. Our lives changed dramatically in terms of who was around at 2:00 or 3:00 to brew up and be able to sit still for an hour!)
The directions for making tea are clear, and he explains the different types of tea, as well.
It's important to note that Harney & Sons created a special blend of black teas called Malachi McCormick's Decent Cup of Tea. The label is even one of his own printed creations. If you have the opportunity to order a tin of it from Harney, I heartily encourage you to do so. It's a terrific everyday blend.
Toward the back of the book, he has included some tea time recipes. Recently I tried making Tea Brack and it was well-received by my Liberal Ladies Tea & Culture Society bunch. It's a dense fruitcake made of raisins and Irish whisky. Not your mother's fruitcake, although it was HIS mother's fruitcake!
Here's why I think you should read this book:
First, we don't really make tea properly, and as a result, we've succumbed to the floor sweepings that are contained within tea bags.
Second, if you think you don't like tea, I'm willing to bet it's because your mom had a box of Lipton's teabags that was as old as Methuselah, and that stuff was just terrible to begin with, never mind when it had aged to powder and dust. (This would describe me!)
Third, the different varieties of tea offer you everything from strong caffeine to nearly nonexistent, so you can drink tea at any time of day.
Fourth, it's time to get a grip and slow down. Carving out even a fifteen minute break with a fresh cuppa and a cookie, with absolutely nothing else to do but sip and savor and relax, will greatly enhance your day and improve your outlook on life.
Fifth, and finally, it's civilized. In our current climate of nonstop news, shrieking headlines and general unease, we need to step back and be able to unplug and disengage. By making a conscious effort to brew a proper pot of tea, sit with the cup or mug of your choice, and savor what you are putting into your body, you offer yourself a gift. And if you aren't good to you, how do you expect others to be good to you?
Full disclosure on brewing up: for my everyday use, I have three Bodum Assam pots - four cup, six cup, eight cup. They are borosilicate glass with a plastic tea filter and a plunger. The tea goes into the filter, and once the timer goes off letting me know that my tea has been brewed to the proper degree, the plunger goes down and I have tea. Yes, you can reuse those leaves for a second brew. If you buy quality tea, the second brewing is something you will do out of economic awareness. Mr. McCormick would doubtless go over the edge if he knew that I pour leftover tea into a glass jar, cap it, refrigerate it and nuke it when I want a cup! Again, it's just prudent and I'd never serve guests tea that I'd nuked!
He does explain that you need to use all of the tea in the pot at once, or the tea will become horridly bitter. So, my plunger pots are very helpful in that case.
Buy yourself a lovely pot, read the book, get some good loose tea, and enjoy!

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short and delightful book, written back when it was much, much harder to get a Decent Cup of Tea in the United States. At risk of dating myself, I remember that it was pretty much Twinings or Bigalows, unless you could find something at import markets or Asian grocery stores. Things have improved tea-wise since then, as there are now many more places to buy loose-leaf tea than the four mail-catalog sources McCormick listed, even if you have to look a bit harder for classics like Yunnan or Keemun than for more fashionable blended variations. I enjoy teas flavored with spices, or chocolate, or lavender and bergamot as much as the next person. It's just that sometimes I want to only taste the tea.

If you've ever wondered how to prepare an entire pot of tea, McCormick gives exacting instructions, without the snob factor I've seen elsewhere. Tap water is fine! No need to measure the exact water temperature, just remove from the heat when it boils. You can skip the "one for the pot" when measuring the tea leaves, if you want. Experiment around and find what you like. There really should be nothing snobbish about a Decent Cup of Tea, and McCormick's slim book reflects this.

A nice cup of tea (and a sit down). A Denby teapot and cup with milk jug. Photo by Vanderdecken. Author's original own work, Public Domain. (Source)

Parts of this book are a wee bit outdated now. McCormick's Decent Cup of Tea is a Decent Cup of British Style Tea, with an emphasis on black teas and the taking of afternoon tea with cakes and sandwiches. There's not much information on green teas, nothing about white teas, and the example prices he used to argue against tea bags left me stunned. (Only $20 for a whole pound of first flush Darjeeling?! That gets you more like 2 oz. nowadays, but that's still a lot of cups of tea...) The point against tea bags still stands. Yes, I use them too, they can be very convenient when you're in a rush in the AM, but nothing beats a well-made Decent Cup of Tea brewed from your favorite loose-leaf variety. Brew yourself up a cuppa and curl up with this book for a relaxing afternoon.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received as a bookring to read and pass on via bookcrossing. This bookring is in memory of a fellow bookcrosser who sadly lost her fight against cancer, as a firm fan of a cuppa tea the bookring organiser thought it seemed a fitting book to read in her memory.
Honoured to be part of this bookring plan to read over the Christmas period when I can and then post on at the start of 2014.
Interesting history and information on tea and tea making

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I brought this home from my grandma's after she died along with a tea cup or two. She didn't have any loose leaf tea in her cupboards; just the bagged type McCormick advises against. No tea leaf readings for us, thank you very much. Or tea, really. He doesn't talk about rooibos at all, which is what I drink if I'm not having what he calls an herbal "infusion"

I enjoyed the tone, nevertheless, especially the appeal to slow down and take the time to enjoy the restfulness of a decent cup of tea alone or, in the case of afternoon tea, with others. To that end, I will keep this slim volume to try some of the recipes from the short chapter: "Good things to have with your tea."

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I had this book years ago when I was just starting to get into making tea and how to properly make it. It goes over everything from tea history, to how to find the perfect tea pot to (of course) how to make a decent cup of tea. I think this is a great book for any tea lover.

A main complaint I have is that McCormick only talks about in depth about black tea in his Introduction to the Types of Tea, giving minor explanations to green and oolong teas and ignoring white tea completely. He touches on herbal tisanes for a second but then ignores rooibos tea.

[Suzanne A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book about tea is a gem. Who knew that all black, green and oolong teas come from the same evergreen shrub? I’m looking forward to trying some
of the recipes in addition to testing my newfound knowledge of tea by trying more varieties.

[Katie Voss · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an unexpected find, and a delightful read. Short and sweet, but dense with fascinating stories, historical facts, and the author's logical opinions. There are a handful of recipes at the end and I can't wait to try them out!

[Love of Hopeless Causes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rarely have poor writing and terrible publishing practices infused so completely to produce such a tepid bag of fail squeezins.

[Bear Paw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a fun light read, was not thinking it would have recipes like buttermilk scones and more, or touching on reading tea leafs..

[Lynnea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this up at a thrift store--a quite enjoyable book. I found it informative and there a several recipes in the last section of the book that I am interested in trying.

[Jericho Aznar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m glad somewhere in the world using tap water is decent for tea.

[Andrew]

A fun, quick read. Definitely ardently for the greatness of tea.

[Ktbird · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet little book. I am now ashamed of my laziness when it comes to tea consumption.

[Jake Schell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun short book on the enjoyment of tea.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wee, charming thing, this is.

[Cameron Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

great to lend to a friend

[Stephanie Flessert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love learning about tea, and each book I read I pick up something new! This is an older book, short and sweet. I thoroughly enjoyed its straight forward facts and occasional tongue-in-cheek remark!

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and witty little book on tea. This particular copy is being passed around to some Bookcrossing members in memory of a young "bookcrosser" who left us way too early. The author, Malachi McCormick, takes the reader on a brief journey on the history of tea, describes the types of tea, how to make a DECENT cup of tea and then includes some delicious sounding recipes to serve at tea time. If you are looking for a little fun at your tea party, he also tells you how to begin reading tea leaves (all in fun, of course). The book was a quick read with only having 79 pages.


Note: This was a book that I received as a bookring through
Bookcrossing.com

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This slim volume was given to me by a friend a number of years ago, because unlike almost everyone else I know, I do not drink coffee, but drink tea. By the gallons, I sometimes feel! So when I came across it as I was fiddling around my book cases, I decided to read this next, and what a charming little book it is.

If you love tea as I do, you will enjoy Malachi McCormick's little lessons on tea, from how it originated, to choosing the right tea, how to prepare your tea, how to choose the right tea cup and tea pot, and even some recipes for cakes, scones, and sandwiches to accompany your decent cup of tea.

At about 75 pages in length, you can easily read this book in one evening, but it is well worth the effort. Tea drinkers of the world, unite!

[Cindy (BKind2Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in honor of nwpassage, a book crosser who lost the fight against cancer, and will send on to the next person in this booking.

This is a quick, delightful read, slightly dated, but fun nevertheless. Much of what McCormick says stands the test of time. I think that tea is getting a little more varied, although it is still to be found more in the tea bag form and less in loose leaf. I'm sure it's likely easier now than ever to locate sources on the internet. His directions on the proper way to brew and suggestions of sweets to serve with tea was interesting. I was also intrigued by the descriptions of how teas are processed.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a lovely little book and a wonderful one to make a gift with. I would give this, and a tin of loose tea, to a friend that likes tea but may not know of the many varieties that are out there. It is a great, and short, book that gives you a concise history, lessons on tea leaf reading, and most importantly, it gives you clear instructions on making a proper pot of tea with loose leaves. Even with tea bags, to get the best flavor you need to let them steep but if left too long the tea tastes bitter. This explains why for those that are novice level. Well worth it to find.

[Cameron Toney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little volume is a tiny little treat. It does have some practical information about tea and tea brewing, but its main interest is reading the delightful rants of Malachi McCormick about getting a proper cup of tea in this day and age.
Sometimes you just need someone to rant about tea in a funny little book, to really make your day.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was little and it was fun. The author has a very British Isles grasp of the English language, and the thesis of a decent cup of tea is the goal rather than an examination of a cup of decent tea.
The history of tea cultivation, preparation, and purpose was presented, and there were some brief recipes for things to eat when drinking tea.

[Edith Z · Rating 2 out of 5]

fun read. a pretty anglo-centric discussion of tea, with a bit of history, a bit of lighthearted snobbery, some instructions to brew a decent cup (of black tea), a couple recipes of tea-side snacks (though it beats me why 10 pages out of 79 total were devoted to this), and instructions on tea leaf-reading.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short and very enjoyable read that discourses on the history of, culture around, and proper way of drinking tea.

[Sofía · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet. A beautifully made little book.