To enjoy the wonderful taste of tea, you must first know how to properly brew a cup. For some, tea brewing may be tricky, so here’s a review of how to be successful at brewing that perfect cup of tea. There are just as many ways to brew tea as there are types of tea! Correctly steeping teas comes in five parts: water, weight, temperature, time and equipment.
Water
Great tasting water is the first step in tea brewing. Your water should have between 40 and 50 parts per million of mineral content and usually this means a rather expensive reverse osmosis filtration system and a calcium carbonate cartridge to establish the proper amount of mineral content. Water with too many minerals will extract extra astringency from your tea and give you a harsh brew and water with too little minerals will not extract enough of the polyphenols that deliver astringency, health benefits and taste. Thus, you’ll have a weak, muddy cup. When tea brewing, fresh water is important in order to keep its oxygen and purity.
Weight
When tea brewing, your tea will be bitter if the weight of tea you use is too great. You will also be disappointed if you use too little tea resulting in a weak cup. The “golden ratio” of leaves to water is one teaspoon of most tea leaves (approx. two grams) per a traditional six-ounce cup of water. Keep in mind that most mugs are nearly twice that at 10 to 12 ounces. In addition, a large, open leaf tea like a White tea or some Oolongs may require two or more teaspoons to equal two grams. Teas that are broken or tightly rolled like gunpowder may pack as many as three grams of tea into a single teaspoon. Keep on eye on the leaf size, adjust the amount based on your preference and you’ll have the perfect cup of brewed tea!
Temperature
Different teas can require different temperatures in brewing. Some like it hot; some like it cooler. Use boiling water (212F) when preparing Black, dark Oolong and Herbal teas. These teas are tough, can take the burn and even require it in order to break down the leaf and release the flavor and antioxidants. However more delicate teas, such as Green, green Oolong and White teas require you to use cooler water when steeping. Water that is too hot will cause a delicate tea to taste overly bitter or astringent. Water that is too cool will cause a tea to taste flavorless and weak. Should you not have a thermometer or kettle with a gauge, you will find that typically boiling water that sits for five minutes will have dropped to roughly 180F.
Time
Tea brewing is especially dependent upon time. Too much time can result in a bitter and astringent taste. For most black teas, the rule of thumb is three to five minutes for most black teas, while dark Oolong and White teas can allow for a little longer. For light Oolong and green teas, only two to three minutes will result in the perfect steeped cup.
Equipment
The final part in tea brewing is utilizing the proper equipment. Your tea will need ample room to move and breath since the leaves can unfurl up to five times their dry size when hot water is added. A large infuser area is essential to imbue as much flavor into your cup as possible. Thus, loose tea is best in allowing movement and quality to your tea.
Finally, along with these mentioned parts in tea brewing, buying an excellent quality tea is imperative. Choose a well-blended, flavorful tea and you will surely find success in tea brewing!
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