Tea Brewing
"Brewing the perfect cup of tea is much like cooking. Its creation is both an art and a science"
The quality of the water you use to brew your tea will have a considerable effect on the resulting cup. Use purified water for your tea. If the tap water in your area is palatable, you may also use that so long as it is freshly drawn. Always use cold water (room temperature) and never boil the same water twice as Re-boiling will in fact further reduce oxygen levels, resulting in a decrease in the acidity, making the water and consequently your tea taste flat. The higher oxygen content of fresh water allows more liquor to be extracted from the leaves, thus resulting in a more flavorful cup.
- Scoop approx. 1 tsp to 1 TBSP of dry tea leaf into an infuser.
- Heat bottled or filtered water to desired temp. (See Temp/Time Table below)
- Pour heated water over dry leaves and steep for desired time.
- Remove tea filter to prevent bitterness avoid oversteeping.
- Relax and enjoy your cup!
Tea brewing is a function of leaf, temps, and time. It takes only 2 grams' worth of tea to make a cup with 180ml of water. Generally, a mounded teaspoon is plenty, keeping in mind that the bulkier the tea, the bulkier the scoopful needed.
| Tea Type | Required Water Temp | Steeping Time | Multiple Steeping |
|---|---|---|---|
| White & green | 180°C--190°C | 3-4 minute | No |
| Black | 190°C-200°C | 3.5 - 4.5 minute | No |
| Herbals | 200°C & above | 4 & more | No |
| Oolongs | 190°C- 200°C | 3.5 - 4.5 minute | Yes |
If caffeine is a concern, you can eliminate 97% of the caffeine if you brew once, discard the liquor, and then brew a second time and drink the resulting infusion. Higher water temperature and longer brewing time yield a more caffeinated cup.
If you like, you can customize your cup by adding sugar, a drop of milk, or a squeeze of lemon or experiment since there is no truly right way to brew a cup of tea .its all about taste and taste is relative.
The Essence of the enjoyment of tea lies in appreciation of its colour, Fragrance and flavour, and the principals of preparation are refinement, dryness and cleanlines
- Chalu of Cai Xiang (1012-67)