Tea Brewing Tips: A Basic Guide

Jul 6th 2009

A BASIC GUIDE OF TEA TIPS AND TRICKS TO ENHANCE YOUR TEA DRINKING EXPERIENCE.

• Tea Storage: Store tea in a sealed container away from light, heat, air, and moisture. This will help keep your tea fresh, to ensure great-tasting tea with every cup.

• By the Pot or Cup? It's true! Most teas taste better when brewed by the pot, instead of by the cup. The additional leaf required to brew a pot provides fuller flavor.

  • About Water: It is the most important element. Good water makes good tea. Bottled, filtered, or spring water are best. Avoid hard water, as the high percentage of minerals can cause your tea to taste "off".
    • • Temperature: Avoid over boiling water, which strips it of oxygen, making the tea taste flat. Once it boils, remove it from the heat source and fill your pot or cup.

    • Warm your teapot or mug up with a splash of hot water before steeping your tea. Temperature is crucial to brewing an amazing cup of tea, and pouring hot water into a cold pot or cup can drop the perfect temperature 10°F., possibly causing your tea to under steep.

    • Double Steep: Many teas can be steeped more than once. However, the caffeine is often gone or greatly diminished by the second steeping.

    • Iced Tea? For iced tea, the secret is less water, not more leaf or longer steeping time. Over-steeping will simply cause your tea to taste bitter or astringent, whereas additional leaf, once diluted with ice and cool water, makes your iced tea taste perfect.

    • Bitter Tea? Next time, try less leaf, less steeping time, or cooler water. It helps to have a timer and thermometer when first experimenting with tea.

    • Rescuing a cup of over steeped tea? Try diluting the liquor with more hot water. Its pretty disappointing to realize you've over steeped your tea, but adding water will bring balance to your astringent/bitter cup and help you through this difficult time.

    • Remember, don't be afraid to experiment with tea! Some like their tea stout, some like it mellow. There is no truly right way to brew a cuppa; it is all about taste, and taste is relative.

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