Presentation
Kumar returned, carrying the items that had been requested for the cart.
"Now then, Kumar, brew it the same way as before. Young Lady Joan, this one’s for you."
"Thank you very much."
I was handed a teapot and teacups.
I poured hot water into the teacups, enough for everyone. This wasn’t just to warm the cups, but also to let the water cool a little. Meanwhile, I placed tea leaves into the teapot. Then, I slowly poured the water from the teacups into the teapot and quietly waited about a minute until the leaves opened. Since the teapot was made of glass, I could clearly see the leaves unfurling.
Once the tea leaves had opened, I gently swirled the teapot three to five times to even out the flavor, then poured the tea evenly into each cup. The first pour tends to be light and the later ones stronger, so pouring them alternately helps balance the taste. Every last drop counts.
"Thank you for waiting. Please enjoy."
I served the tea to Mr. Dasher, the manager, and Martha.
"Thank you, Young Lady Joan. Now, the one on the left was brewed by Kumar, and the one on the right by you, Young Lady Joan. We’ll compare the two. Please start with the one on the left."
Following Mr. Dasher’s instruction, everyone began by sipping Kumar’s tea.
Hmm, just like before… still missing something.
"Now, please try Young Lady Joan’s next."
"““...!!””"
The manager, Mr. Dasher, and Martha immediately realized the difference the moment they tasted it.
"I-It’s delicious! Compared to mine, Young Lady Joan’s tea is…"
"Well, for green tea, you should use water around eighty to ninety degrees. Pouring the water into the cups first helps cool it down and warms the cups too. And with green tea, you can actually pour hot water over the same leaves again for a second brew. The second time, you can skip the waiting and drink it right away. It’s best if the second water is a little hotter than the first."
Clap clap clap clap. "Splendid!"
Mr. Dasher applauded and praised me.
"Young Lady Joan, how did you come to know so much about tea?"
When asked that, I replied, "Um… a friend who runs a dried goods store taught me."
I couldn’t very well say it came from memories of my past life. The face of Sacchan popped into my mind, and before I knew it, the words slipped out.
Well, I did drink it at Sacchan’s shop too, so it should be fine, right?
"A dried goods store?"
Both Mr. Dasher and the manager looked surprised by that unexpected source. Martha, on the other hand, had her head lowered, shoulders trembling… holding back laughter, clearly.
"Ah~ well, that dried goods store sells food imported from an eastern country."
"Ohh, I see. That explains it."
The two finally seemed convinced.
Then the manager apologized for his own lack of study and left the private room, saying he would retrain the rest of the staff.
"I truly must apologize."
"Not at all, I’m sorry for acting beyond my place."
"Goodness, no need for that. I’m sure Kumar learned a lot today as well."
Right… maybe now’s the time to bring up the light meal and sweets idea? Mother did give me permission… well, more like ordered me to make the presentation and sell it no matter what…
"Um, while I’m already intruding… I have a proposal, if I may."
"Oh? A proposal, you say?"
"I was looking at your light meal and sweets menu earlier, and I was wondering… do you not serve sweets made with tea leaves here?"
"Sweets made with tea leaves?"
"Yes… Here, please have a look."
I took out some black tea cookies and chiffon cake from my storage.
"And these are?"
"They’re cookies and cake made with black tea from my household. Would you try them, please?"
Crunch… munch munch…
"Both the cookies and cake are exquisite! The aroma of black tea rises pleasantly through the nose as you eat. The cream served with the cake is richer than what we offer here, yet it doesn’t overpower the flavor at all."
"Thank you. The cream comes from a dairy farmer acquaintance in the Norden territory."
"Ah, I see! I’ve heard Norden’s dairy products are of high quality, but this exceeds expectations… Young Lady Joan, would you be willing to share the recipes for this cookie and cake? Naturally, we would compensate you properly."
"Thank you very much. By the way, I also have sweets that pair well with green tea."
"W-What was that? Please, we must see them! Ah, excuse me for a moment—I’ll fetch our pastry chef!"
Mr. Dasher hurriedly dashed out of the room.
"My Lady, that was splendid."
"I’m so glad they liked it! As for the negotiations afterward, I’ll let Mother handle those, since I’ve no idea how much my recipes might be worth."
"Indeed, that’s the best course of action… Even so, green tea tastes quite nice even after it’s cooled."
Martha said that as she sipped the now-cool tea.
"In summer, you can brew it a bit stronger and chill it with ice—it’s delicious that way too. If you make the ice from green tea instead of water, the flavor won’t dilute like it does in our iced tea."
The moment I said that, Martha’s eyes gleamed sharply.
"My Lady, that will sell too!"
"Eh? What will?"
"The ice, of course! I believe the reason this shop doesn’t serve cold tea is because regular ice waters it down. I suggest leaving that part of the negotiation to Madam. Therefore, please do not mention iced tea or ice here, understood?"
"Y-Yes, ma’am!"
If I slip up, I’m doomed…
Our servants are way too competent, it’s scary sometimes.
What do you think about this chapter?
