Billy Tea

Ingredients

Billy pot (pot with handle, available at camping stores)

Water

Handful (2 or 3 Tablespoons) of loose tea leaves

Small fire (or stove burner)

Clean stick for stirring (wooden spoon or chopstick may be substituted)

Drinking mug

Sugar or honey (optional)

Milk (optional)

Procedure

Fill billy pot ¾ full with water.

Place the pot on a burner and heat the water to a boil. (The traditional method is to hang the pot over an open fire.)

When the water is boiling, add the tea leaves.

Remove the pot from the fire or stove.

Stir leaves and water with stick (or wooden spoon).

Let the mixture stand (steep) for a few minutes, allowing the tea leaves to settle to the bottom of the pot. (Traditionally, someone would swing the pot by its handle in a wide circle over his or her head, using centrifugal force to settle the tea leaves. A safer method is to use the stick to tamp—push down—the leaves to the bottom of the pot.)

Pour the tea slowly into the drinking mug.

Add sugar (or honey) and milk if desired for taste

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