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We spend a lot of time getting the right leaves and pondering which teapot to get, but do you think much about brewing before you put the kettle on? Brewing must be one of the most neglected aspect of tea making. Trace back to your memory: OK, you can see the kettle, you have chosen the perfect cup for the day, a teaspoon of tea your favourite tea, the water is boiling, then the kettle switches itself off, yup, time to pour in the water... Are we wrong! Although we have emphasized many times that tea making is a subjective art, there are some general rules: - Use roughly a teaspoonful of dried tea per cup.
- The finer the leaf, the cooler the water should be for the tea to be brewed in; and the more chopped up the leaf, the shorter the brewing time.
"Jumpy" Boiling water only suits brewing black tea and pu-erh. The best time to use boiling water is when the water in your kettle just about to start making larger bubbles and getting louder ? this is the time when the water has lots of oxygen. Live water is absolutely essential to making a fresh cup. Black tea and Pu-erh takes 2-3 minutes to brew. If you like your tea with milk, go for 5 minutes. However, if green tea is your thing, it is time to stop boiling the leaves! Green tea is more delicate and needs cooler water. We are not scientists and don't use an apparatus such as a thermometer in the kitchen. The best way to cool the water is after the kettle has switched itself off, pour the water into the cups the tea will be served, THEN pour the water into the teapot (with leaves in it already). This process cools down the water significantly and is a pretty good way for making a cup of green tea. Please don't overbrew your green tea! We have had customers complaining our green tea is bitter. If you brew it over 1-2 minutes, it most likely will be bitter! Oolong sits in between green and black tea categories and it sort of depends how unfermented (green) the leaves are ? so generally hot water will do the trick. White tea? Do the same steps as green tea, but wait a few minutes before pouring the water from kettle to cups. White tea should be brewed longer, especially bud-types such as Silver Needle and Silver Crane. Herbal and fruit infusions are a pretty standard type of operation. Hot water in, 2-5 minutes generally. What else? If you have a lid or saucer handy, cover your mug if you are brewing the tea in a mug. Warming cups (pour some hot water into the cups and disgard the water) before use will keep the tea warm longer, but not absolutely necessary. Rinsing tea? No, don't be silly! Tea is not actually dirty but some may be prefer ditching the first quick infusion to take the "sharpness" and acidity (from caffeine) out of the tea. It is a good practice if you prefer your cuppa to have less caffeine (caffeine is water soluble). Making iced tea? Well this one we have lots of input from our customers ? here are a couple of pretty good methods: - The long way ? make the tea slightly stronger, strain, cover and chill. If you want ice, make tea ice cubes with the same infusion (or a different infusion for, say Strawberry Cream ice cubes in Jasmine Green Tea).
- The short way ? make the tea double strength, strain and pour into a glass half filled with ice.
So perish that thought: darker (blacker) the better! My mom often says to me tea made from tea shops are always tasting better than the one she makes herself (knowing she always let the tea just sit there for hours after brewing) ? I dedicate this article of Tea Brewing to her :) (To view the entire newsletter, please go to: http://www.teas.com.au/newsletter/news0506.htm)
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