What's the Best Way to Brew A Great Cup of Tea?
What could be more important than preparing a fine cup of tea the right way? You’ve spent the time to find and the money to buy a good product. It should be prepared as it, and you, deserve. But most don’t have time for a Japanese tea ceremony. A full ritual, with food and drink, can take up to five hours. So, for those with less time, but the desire for a good brew, here are some tips.
The first thing to examine is the water you use. Even the finest leaf can yield a less than stellar cup if the water is wrong.
It can be too heavily chlorinated, or full of minerals, or ‘stale’. Yes, water can get stale, in the sense that - since it absorbs odors from the air - it can contain chemicals that lessen the quality of your cup.
Water can contain heavy concentrations of calcium carbonate. That’s the white powder that builds up around the spout or on the tile in the kitchen or bathroom. It’s not harmful. In fact, a certain amount of it is healthy. But it darkens the brew. Pure H2O will leave a cup much lighter looking. Water can also have a large relative amount of iron. Again, that isn’t necessarily unhealthy, but it can alter the taste somewhat, giving it a metallic overtone.
Water temperature is important, too. Boiling hot water can be a little too ‘aggressive’ on a tea leaf. Water around 80°C/176°F, on average, is preferred. (Pure H2O at 1 atmosphere of pressure, around sea level, boils at 100°C/220°F.) The exact temperature varies a little bit with the type of tea, however.
Black teas do well with water that is nearer boiling. Oolongs are better at a slightly lower temperature. Green tea can become bitter if the water is too hot and white tea needs the lowest temperature of all. Some experimentation will be needed.
Adding the right amount of tea will take a little trial and error too. Start with one teaspoon per cup. Adjust to personal taste - some prefer a little stronger brew, others a lighter one. If you want a natural way of reducing caffeine, but don’t want to buy decaf, use the same tea for a second cup and discard the first. Most of the caffeine will get into the first one.
Steeping time varies a little, but 2-3 minutes is about right for most teas and tea drinkers. If you’re in a hurry and you use tea bags, you can speed up the process by dunking. But, beware. True aficionados will be horrified if they see you! Here again, personal preference will influence the time, since steeping longer brings out more flavor, color, tannins and caffeine.
If you add milk to your tea, and you should at least try it once, you’ll want to steep a little longer. Longer steeping times brings out more tannins and other compounds that will get ‘softened’ by the milk. But you’ll still want to drink something that tastes like tea, not like milk. It’s tea with milk, after all, not milk with tea flavoring. If you use loose leaf, invest in a good pot and/or tea strainer to keep the leaf parts from falling into the bottom of the cup.
Now for the most important step: drink. Oh, and there’s one final step… Enjoy!
Herbal Teas or Tisanes, Chamomile, Lemon Grass, Sage, Rose Hips, Rooibos
Herbal tea or tisane, which isn’t actually made from the tea bush Camilla Sinensis, has been consumed for at least as long as the genuine article - over 5,000 years.
Made from a variety of plants, and prepared in a similar way (infusing hot water through the substance), herbal teas provide many of the same values. They’re relaxing, enjoyable, tasty and have many health benefits.
Chamomile, for example, is one of the most popular of herbal teas. A plant known to have medicinal qualities at least as far back as ancient Egypt, it makes a pleasant brew. It can help relieve anxiety and act as a mild soporific (sleeping brew). It is naturally caffeine free and has a delightful floral aroma and taste.
Dried lemon grass is another very common base used to make herbal tea. Not surprisingly, it has a slightly lemony flavor and its spicy aftertaste brings a pleasant zing to the palate. Studies strongly suggest it has antibacterial properties, too, and it’s known to aid digestion.
Sage, though often used as an herb in cooking, makes for a superb tisane. The calming effect of sage herbal tea is well known, but it also has a very light taste. Slightly peppery, it goes well with a variety of dishes or stands well all on its own.
But bushy plants are not the only source of herbal teas. Rose Hips, for example, have long been used to make a fine brew. Produced from the fruit of the rose plant, this reddish drink has a delicate taste and provides ample vitamin C. A dried 100g sample will contain almost 2g of vitamin C.
During WWII, when imports of oranges were restricted by the war, the locals turned to Rose Hips to help supplement their need for that important vitamin.
While the alleged aphrodisiac effect of ginseng is still up for debate, both the delightful taste and the health benefits have been well established. It should be consumed in moderation, since drinking herbal ginseng tea can lead to excess nervousness.
Produced from the fleshy root of the Panax plant, ginseng has a very distinctive taste. Some find it bitter, others liken it to a mild soda pop. As with any herbal, you either like it or you don’t.
Rooibos, an African word for ‘red bush’, while not a true tea, is closer to black tea than many herbals. It is becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. and elsewhere, thanks to its distinctive taste and red color.
The color is appropriate, since the taste is - while hard to describe - also ‘red’. Tangy, flavorful and with the clarity of a fine, light, black tea it is a wonderful addition to the tea tin.
Whether your goal is to relieve the symptoms of a cold, strive for longer life or simply to relax and have a tasty hot brew, herbal teas are an essential part of the connoisseur’s cabinet.
Flavored Teas-Jasmine, Chrysanthemum, Rose, Ginger and More
Cornucopia: ‘A symbol of prosperity and affluence, dating back to the 5th century BC.’ In modern parlance, ‘a great many very good things’. And that exactly describes the flavored teas that are available today.
Though counting them could be difficult, the variety of flavored teas to be found could quite possibly exceed those of coffee. Devoted tea drinkers everywhere are the beneficiaries of that wide array of choices.
Flavored teas are created by adding, what else can one say, flavors to tea. During the process of preparing tea leaves, particularly as they oxidize, they can absorb a great many additives. Today, those additives range from floral aromas to fruit flavoring to syrups.
Most of the tea used is the black variety, since green tea is barely oxidized at all (it’s steamed instead), and Oolong only moderately so. But all types have been used, even the rare white teas that make it to Western shores only rarely.
The teas used are almost as diverse as the flavorings themselves. Ceylon, Darjeeling, Wu Yi and even African Rooibos are often used.
Among the flower-flavored teas are Jasmine, Chrysanthemum, Rose and many others. These have a delicate flavor and a lovely bouquet revealing their twin origins as tea and flower. They are popular at all sorts of functions, and even those who enjoy a robust Turkish in the morning may long for one after a hectic day.
One can easily find ginger combined with a Ceylon black. Peaches added to a Formosa Oolong are a specialty of many sites. Yunnan from China, flavored with calendula petals is all the rage, too. Even the rare China white, blended with sweet melon, shows the endless creativity of tea creators.
Cinnamon has long been used as a delightful spice sprinkled atop a rich black cup of coffee or hot chocolate. Infusing it into a black tea is just as delicious. In the Middle Ages cinnamon was sometimes used as a currency among the elite. Modern devotees of tea can find out why if they try this superb combination.
The variety of fruits used to flavor teas simply staggers the imagination, not to mention taxing the pen. Blueberry, cherry, banana, apple, raspberry and every other fruit grown on the planet have made their way into one of the world’s most ancient beverages.
Flavorings that have only recently delighted coffee drinkers have been used in teas for decades. Coffee drinkers have to generally be satisfied merely with adding the syrup after brewing. Caramel, chocolate and even candy syrups are being used right in the preparation of the leaf grinds or powder.
Whatever tea you favor, whatever flavor you prefer, you can find combinations that only a computer could keep track of. So don’t rack your brain. Just open your palate and try something new!