Brewing
Brewing the “Perfect Cup of Tea”
Here are some guidelines that I use for brewing a ’perfect’ cup of tea. Perfection is relative of course, because while the experts suggest many of the guidelines below – at the end of the day you will brew your cup of tea the way that you like it.
Begin with a very clean tea kettle free of mineral deposits. In regions where the water is hard, it is advisable to clean your tea kettle frequently with some vinegar. I also recommend using a filter on your tap. They generally do a good job removing impurities and heavy salts from the water that can affect the taste of the tea.
Once you have a clean kettle, turn on the cold water and let it run for a moment to get the ’settled’ water out of the pipes and then fill the kettle with freshly drawn cold water. Place the kettle on the stove to boil. When the water is not quite boiling hot, pour a little bit of the heating water in the teapot and swirl it around to warm the pot and then pour it out. This gives you a nice hot teapot to make your tea in, and it will keep the tea warmer longer.
Measuring the tea into the teapot. Carefully measure your tea into your teapot, allowing one rounded teaspoon per cup. *Note: a tea cup is 6 oz of water. When making the first pot of tea with a new teapot, it is important to fill the teapot with tap water and then pour it out into a measuring cup to see how much water it holds in ounces then divide this number by 6 oz. to find out how many “cups” your teapot will make.
Many people prefer to use tea balls or mesh filters to put their tea in to keep the leaves neatly together and out of their cups. If this is your preference please be sure that the tea ball or mesh filter you use is large enough to allow for the proper expansion of the tea leaves and the free flow of water through them. The use of such items is fine, just remember to place them in the teapot BEFORE adding the water to the teapot. *Note: I have 6 different teapots and 6 mesh tea balls for use with them because they are all differing sizes ranging from a 2-cup pot to a 14 cup pot.
Bring the water to a rolling boil and allow it to boil for just a minute or two. If you allow it to boil longer the water becomes flat and does not make a really great cup of tea. Pour the tea into the warmed teapot and allow the tea to steep an appropriate amount of time for the type of tea that you are enjoying.
Recommended times to steep tea are as follows:
Black tea – 5 minutes
Darjeeling tea – 3 minutes
Flavored Black teas – 4 to 5 minutes
Oolong tea – 4 to 6 minutes
Green tea* – 2 to 3 minutes
White tea* – 2 to 3 minutes
Herbal infusions – 5 – 7 minutes
When making green or white teas allow the boiling water to cool for a minute or two before pouring it onto the tea
*NOTE: If you like your tea either more delicate or stronger, use more or less tea in the pot – do not alter the steeping time. Once the tea has steeped for the appropriate amount of time remove the tea leaves from the pot. If the tea leaves are allowed to sit in the pot the tea will become bitter and unpleasant.
Enjoy your tea!
