How to Brew the Perfect Cup of Tea

Practical Homemaking/ Recipes

How to brew the perfect cup of tea

If you like tea, and especially loose leaf tea, I think you'll enjoy this. I just read this short article recently from Doctor Mercola's website:  www.mercola.com I found it interesting, and somewhat amusing, and so I thought I'd share it with our blog readers as well.

"There is an art to brewing tea using loose tea leaves, but once you find your 'sweet spot' you may never go back to bagged tea again. Here are a few simple guidelines for making the 'perfect' cup of tea:

1.    Bring water to a boil in a tea kettle

2.    Preheat your tea pot or cup to prevent the water from cooling too quickly when transferred. Simply add a small amount of boiling water to the pot or tea cup that you’re going to steep the tea in. Ceramic and porcelain retain heat well. Then cover the pot or cup with a lid. Add a tea cozy if you have one, or drape with a towel. Let stand until warm, then pour out the water.

    3. Put the tea into an infuser, strainer, or add loose into the tea pot. Steeping without an infuser or strainer will produce a more flavorful tea. Start with one heaped teaspoon per cup of tea, or follow the instructions on the tea package. The robustness of the flavor can be tweaked by using more or less tea.

    4. Add boiling water. Use the correct amount for the amount of tea you added (i.e. for four teaspoons of tea, add four cups of water). The ideal water temperature varies based on the type of tea being steeped:

a.    White or green teas (full leaf): Well below boiling (170-185 F or 76-85 C). Once the water has been brought to a boil, remove from heat and let the water cool for about 30 seconds for white tea and 60 seconds for green tea before pouring it over the leaves

b.    Oolongs (full leaf): 185-210 F or 85-98 C

c.    Black teas (full leaf): Full rolling boil (212 F or 100 C)

5.    Cover the pot with a cozy and let steep. Follow steeping instructions on the package. If there are none, here are some general steeping guidelines. Taste frequently as you want it to be flavorful but not bitter:

a.    Oolong teas: 4-7 minutes

b.    Black teas: 3-5 minutes

c.    Green teas: 2-3 minutes

    6. Once desired flavor has been achieved you need to remove the strainer or infuser. If using loose leaves, pour the tea through a strainer into your cup and any leftover into another vessel (cover with a cozy to retain heat)."