Tea Preparation
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Not all teas require the same preparation techniques, so it is essential to know the exact method to use for the type of tea you are preparing in order for your tea to taste right.
Green Tea and White Tea When preparing green tea and white teas, always use filtered cold water and bring it to a rolling boil. Next, allow the water to cool to a temperature somewhere between 165-185 degrees before you pour it over the tea leaves. (Boiling water usually takes between 30 and 60 seconds to cool to this temperature.) Never use boiling water to prepare your white or green tea. Water at this temperature will "cook" the leaves and destroy the tea and its flavour, creating a bitter tasting tea. Approximately 160 degrees is perfect for green teas and white teas taste best at approximately 185 degrees. The amount of tea you will need per pot or cup is less than you might expect. Use approximately 2 grams of tea per cup to make a perfect tasting tea (1 teaspoon for per cup). You can use leaves for more than one infusion, and this is a common practice throughout the world. Full-leaf teas always produce more than one cup per teaspoon when made correctly. Always rinse out the cup or pot you are going to use to prepare the tea with hot water to heat the vessel. Then measure in the leaves. To reduce the amount of caffeine, pour just enough hot water over the leaves to cover them. Next, let the tea sit for approximately 20 seconds, and then pour off the water. Now cover the leaves with enough water to make a perfect cup or pot of tea and allow the tea to steep. Green Tea: Steep the tea for 1 to 2 minutes only. White tea: Steep from 4 to 15 minutes, with the leaves immersed. Now taste. With tea, smell is next to taste in importance. If the taste of the tea isn't to your liking, then adjust the steeping time. Steeping is entirely based on individual preference. You can reuse green tea leaves for a second and third cup. If you make additional cups from the same tea leaves, we suggest you steep the first cup for 90 seconds, the second cup for 1 minute, and the third cup for 1 minute. You can also steep 2,2,2 (2 minutes for each cup) or 1-1-1 (one minute for each cup) for multiple cups. You can steep some teas for less than a minute. Once you've poured water over the leaves they begin to uncurl, leaving large pieces of tea floating in your pot or cup. Because some teas are denser than others, you'll want to experiment with the amount of tea you put in your cup and the length of time you allow for steeping. When the taste is to your liking, remove the leaves to avoid overcooking, which may create a bitter taste. You can use a cupping set and experiment with different amounts of tea and steeping times. Green teas are also excellent iced for cool summer refreshments. Steep green tea for 2 1/2 minutes for a stronger tasting iced tea. Allow these teas to cool down before adding ice. (Rooibos, peppermint, liquorice, spearmint, ginger and lemongrass are great additions to iced teas.) Black Tea and Oolong Tea: When brewing a cup or pot of black tea (fermented) or oolong (partially fermented), always boil the water, using fresh filtered cold water. Bring water to a rapid boil for about 1 minute to bring it to the proper temperature. Rinse the cup or pot out with the hot water, allowing enough time for the entire pot/cup to heat. Measure your tea, approximately 2 grams (1 teaspoon) per cup. Pour boiling water over the leaves and allow them to steep for approximately 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the taste you desire. Remove the leaves or pour off the tea, using a strainer, so as not to overcook, creating bitterness. Steep oolong tea for 30 to 60 seconds or for as long as 9 minutes to create a more full-bodied cup. You can remove the tea leaves and reuse them for multiple infusions. Steep green/jade oolong for 30 seconds or longer (you can make many infusions with this tea, too) and amber oolong from 1 to 9 minutes. Fruit Tisanes and Herbal Infusions: Prepared similarly to black teas. You will need to boil fresh water and steep the herbs for approximately 5 minutes or more. The longer herbs steep, the more intense their flavour. You may remove the herbs when they reach your desired taste, or leave them in to strengthen the flavours (a stronger brew makes a better iced tea). Some chunky teas may be infused more than once for another great cup. |
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