I was so excited to see that so many were as enthusiastic as I was about Trisha's introduction to all things Tea. Today she returns to share some practical pointers.
The last time I visited SortaCrunchy, we got to know Tea a little better and swooned over its impressive traits. Hopefully you’ve been persuaded to accept a date with Tea, so I’d like to give it a chance to make a good impression. There are four keys to the perfectly brewed cup.
The Right Leaf. All tea comes from the same plant, the difference is in the fermenting & drying process. The result is either a dark black or pu-erh tea, a medium oolong tea, or a light green or white tea. Discovering what you prefer comes with dating around a bit. Tea offers something for every palate. For the devoted coffee enthusiast who is euphoric at the smell of freshly roasted beans, there’s the deep toasty flavor of hojicha green or roasted pu-erh (without the coffee breath). For the foodie who thrills at exploring diverse culinary flavors, there’s the wide range of teas infused with blooms, extracts, and spices. Herbal teas, while not considered truly tea by purists, will appeal to the juice and cocoa drinkers. (These tisanes are brewed from dried herbs instead of the camellia sinensis plant.)
Once you’ve selected the type of tea for you, consider the quality. I prefer loose teas to individual bags because the full leaf retains the essential oils and allows the flavor to completely develop as it unfurls. There are plenty of options for brewing loose tea, from reusable bags to infusers and tea presses. You can also find full leaf teas packaged in beautiful pyramid bags that give more steeping room. But if you go for a ground leaf bag, you can still find the quality you want with the convenience you need. You’ll never find me without a few packets of the good stuff in my purse (and often ordering hot water at restaurants). Three tea-makers I can count on for consistent quality are Republic of Tea, Stash, and Yogi. These brands are also fairly easy to find.
When you’re ready to take it to the next level, visit your local tea room and the tea-nies there will eagerly assist you in navigating the endless options of teas and accessories.
The Right Water. Tea, like coffee, is mostly water, so if your brewing water tastes bad alone, then your tea will taste bad. Always start with filtered, cool water.
The Right Temperature. It’s absolutely true that different types of tea steep best in different water temperatures, but for many this seems too complicated. Most of us need an easy method to determine the brewing temp that doesn’t take much effort. Follow these basic guidelines: when the kettle squeals, remove it from the heat and pour immediately over pu-erh or herbal teas, wait 1 minute for black teas, 2 minutes for oolong or green, and 3 minutes for white.
The Right Brew Time. It matters. Unless you want your mouth to feel like you’ve been sucking on a lemon, the tea needs to be removed at the right time to stop the steeping process. To avoid astringency or a bitter aftertaste, steep white tea 1-2 minutes, green 2-3 minutes, oolong and black teas 4-5 minutes, and pu-erh and herbals 6-7 minutes. It’s also best to cover while brewing.
Once you’ve brewed your perfect cup, you can choose to sweeten it, cream it, ice it, or just wrap your hands around a warm fragrant mug and sip. Yes, Tea is a little high-maintenance; but as with most relationships, the more you put in to it, the more you get out of it. I have a hunch that after a few dates, you’ll find it difficult to resist Tea’s charms.
Trisha is an Oklahoma girl who is passionate about relationships, health, and natural living. Always the inquisitive student, she thrives on change and growth, and is enthusiastic about slew of hobbies including gardening, cooking, dancing, language, literature, and blogging about this mishmash of interests at ~~myOLIO~~. Trisha anticipates the day when her perpetual reading and research turns to pursue new endeavor - a family of her own.
photo credits: photo one, Augapfel; photo two, KaiChanVong
