Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Practice helps enthusiasts find their ideal cup of tea
The word “cupping,” to some, may refer to the ancient medical practice of suctioning the skin to encourage blood flow. If you’re a tea enthusiast, however, cupping refers to the time-honored practice of systematically tasting teas.
Bill Todd always does careful tea cuppings before making purchases for his store, Todd & Holland Tea Merchants in Forest Park, Ill. This marvelous emporium, which carries some of the finest teas in the United States, stocks high-quality loose-leaf varieties from major teaproducing countries like China, India and Japan. Cupping helps Todd find the very best tea; here’s how he does it.
After the tea has brewed, pour it into a cup (more on the ideal cup shape below).
As with wine, first smell the tea; your sense of smell amplifies your sense of taste.
Take a deep breath, and “slurp the tea,” Todd encourages. “Make a lot of noise.” Slurping mixes oxygen with the liquid to bring out all the flavors. But don’t swallow just yet!
With your mouth closed, hold the tea in your mouth; roll the tea over your tongue, and then use your tongue to press the liquid against the back of the roof of your mouth. OK, now swallow.
Slowly exhale through your nose to discern the subtle aromas. Open your mouth; slowly sip more tea. The teacup’s shape may influence how well we perceive the aromas and flavors of the beverage. I found that the perfect cup to use is slightly bowed out at the center and narrow at the top, the better to capture the tea aromas and focus them on the nose when drinking. If you have the time to enjoy your cup of tea (and we hope you do), thickwalled cups hold heat better than thin-walled cups.
In his tea shop, Todd offers several varieties for customers to cup, and for such shoppers he offers glass mugs with straight sides. Although glass loses heat quickly, and Todd is well aware that “the hotter the liquid, the more intense the flavors,” he doesn’t want people burning their tongues. In addition, he says, “I want tasters to see the beautiful (liquid) through the cup.”