People from different cultures across the world enjoy drinking tea. Not only does this herbal brew taste beautiful – with its delicate, floral and earthy flavours – but it also has a massive variety of health benefits. However, most people fail to get the very best that they can out of their cups of tea. This is because they don’t know how to properly brew the tea, nor which types they should be choosing. As such, we have created this guide today to talk our readers through making the perfect cup of tea. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know.
Choosing the Type
There are hundreds of different types of tea that people drink across the world. Each type is unique and has its own benefits. But which one should you choose? Well, that depends. Let’s go through some of the most common types. Firstly, we have black tea. This is perhaps the most popular type of tea. It is highly oxidised with deep flavour. Next, we have green tea. People who want to get the most health benefits out of tea should go with this one. White tea is the least processed type of tea, making it the most delicate and packed with antioxidants.
Loose or Bagged
Those who like convenience should probably go with teabags because all you need to do is dunk the bag into the water and fish it out again. However, teabags don’t draw out the best flavour or health benefits. As such, ‘professional’ tea drinkers should choose loose-leaf teas instead. Although loose-leaf tea is more expensive, it is less processed and therefore releases the most flavour and antioxidants. You can pick up some high-quality speciality tea from Camellia’s Tea House. One teaspoon of the leaves will be enough to create the perfect 150ml cup. Then, use an instrument like a tea infuser or filter to properly brew your tea.
Infusion Time
How long should one leave their tea to brew for? This is a point of contention among tea drinkers. The longer you leave the tea, the more powerful its taste will become. As such, it really depends on your preference. For a delicate flavour, allow the tea to brew for 1 minute. For a strong flavour, keep the tea in the water for 3 minutes. Any longer and your brew might taste quite bitter and dry. More expensive teas can be used to create several brews, whilst teabags can only be used once. Keep this in mind when making your tea.
Water Temperature
Boiling water is good for teabags and herbal infusions, but any other form of tea will suffer from these hot temperatures. White and green teas have a nicer flavour when brewed with 70-degree temperatures. Meanwhile, black tea is best enjoyed when the water is 80-degrees unless you are taking it with milk, in which case 90-degrees is better.
That’s pretty much everything you need to know about creating the perfect cup of tea. Remember, the brew is only as good as the quality of the tea.
