Good tea isn't just something hot to drink. Tea is a drink brewed in romance and ritual, and a history steeped in everything from quiet ceremonial traditions to colonial imperialism to turning Boston Harbor into a giant (undrinkable) teapot. Anywhere between those extremes, there's a cup of tea that everyone can enjoy.
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Method 1 of 2: Tea Bags
Step 1. Start with water
Water is the second most important ingredient, whether you're using teabags or powdered tea. Bad tastes in the water, such as chlorine, iron, or sulfur will make the tea smell bad and taste bad to drink. Fill the kettle with 250 ml of fresh, cold water. Tap water can be used for almost any purpose, but a good cup of tea starts with filtered or spring water. Do not use distilled water, or water that has been previously boiled. The more oxygen in the water, the better the tea will taste.
Step 2. Plug in the kettle and turn it on
If you don't have an electric kettle, you can use a stovetop tea kettle-as long as it can produce hot water, you can use it.
Step 3. Bring the water to a boil
Wait for the kettle to turn off automatically or the tea kettle to hiss.
Step 4. Heat the cup
Rinse the cup with boiling water, then add the teabag to the cup.
Step 5. Add water
Pour the water from the kettle into the cup until it is 4/5 full. Leave room for the milk if you want to add it.
Step 6. Let the tea soak
Wait three to five minutes for the tea to soak-more or less depending on the type of tea you're making and the recommended brewing time. If you want to add milk, put it in a cup. Some people believe that adding milk before hot water is best, others feel that tea is best brewed in hot water, and not adding milk until the tea is finished brewing.
Step 7. Use a teaspoon to scoop out the teabags
Discard the teabags, or recycle, as desired.
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If you want to add sweetener, put a spoonful of sugar or honey in a cup and mix thoroughly.
Make a Good Cup of Tea Step 7Bullet1
Step 8. Drink the contents of the cup casually and enjoy this tea
You may want to add a biscuit or a piece of cake on the plate with the tea.
Method 2 of 2: Powdered Tea
Step 1. Start with water
Fill an empty kettle with fresh, cold water. Tap water can be used for almost any purpose, but a good cup of tea starts with filtered or spring water. Do not use distilled water, or water that has been previously boiled. The more oxygen in the water, the better the tea will taste.
Step 2. Plug in the kettle and turn it on
If you don't have an electric kettle, you can use a stovetop tea kettle-as long as it produces hot water, you can use it.
Step 3. Bring the water to a boil
Wait for the kettle to turn off automatically or the tea kettle to sizzle.
Step 4. Prepare a pot of tea
When the water boils, pour it into the teapot and close the lid. Refill the kettle with water and place it back on the stove. Bring the water to a boil, then remove from the stove.
Step 5. Allow the water to cool slightly
Let the water boil for about a minute until it is below the boiling point. While the water is cooling, remove the water from the teapot.
Step 6. Add tea
Take a teaspoon of powdered tea for each cup, plus a teaspoon of tea "for the teapot." You can also use a tea ball/infuser, but use the same amount of tea.
Step 7. Brew the tea
Let the tea brew until it is ready to drink. The brewing time varies depending on the type of tea:
- About a minute for green tea.
- Three to six minutes for black tea.
- Six to eight minutes for oolong tea.
- Eight to twelve minutes for herbal tea.
- Note: if you like a stronger tea, don't brew it longer-instead, add more tea.
Step 8. Stir the tea, then serve in a preheated cup
Tips
- Putting the tea in the water before it boils will result in a bitter tea. The taste of this tea is very strong, which is usually drunk with a lot of sugar, and is not to everyone's taste.
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Using teabags provides many possibilities for changing the taste of tea:
- If you have an espresso machine, try placing a tea bag in the espresso machine's metal cup. The tea will come out of the tea bag instantly (no need to wait).
- If you can hold the teabag string, you can shake it in a cup of hot tea after a few minutes. The tea will taste stronger or have a slightly stronger 'aroma'.
- If you're making green tea, don't brew it for more than a minute or two. After a while, the tea will dissolve and begin to bitter.
- If you don't have an electric kettle and have to use the microwave to bring the water to a boil, it will take 1-2 minutes on full power to reach the boiling point. Let the water cool before making the tea.
- If you prefer warm tea to hot tea, make the tea using boiling water and let it cool or add ice cubes. Using warm water will make the tea very runny.
- Try changing the brewing time of the tea before adding the milk.
- You can also heat water on the stove using an old-fashioned tea pot or kettle. The tea kettle will make the familiar hissing sound when the water boils.
- Enjoy tea with pastries or tea cakes.
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If you prefer tea leaves, then the flavors gained by being patient with them may be innumerable:
- Try combining several different leaves with the same taste, by purchasing a different brand or quality of tea, (many well-known British tea brand names are the family names of the teas used to make the teas)
- Grandmothers used to store apple peels in wooden boxes filled with tea leaves for several months until the tea tasted like apples. Then, if poured, try adding cinnamon.
- If you're brewing tea leaves instead of teabags, try boiling water in a kettle and then pouring the water into a teapot filled with tea leaves. Then, the teapot is drained and refilled with boiling water, making it an effective double brewing of tea. This second brewing method of drinking tea is the traditional eastern method, and is used to ensure that all impurities are removed from the tea leaves.
- By slowly pouring the tea over the teabags, most of the water will drain into the teabags, reducing the time it takes to brew.
- Know the type of tea you are making, as most teas require not too hot water for brewing, a water-to-tea ratio (especially if using a powdered tea such as a Latté) or a specific brewing time requirement.
Warning
- Don't let the tea get too cold!
- If you drink tea for health purposes-such as to get epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)-don't use milk, because the casein in milk binds to EGCG. If anyone wants a milky or creamy taste, use soy, almond, wheat, or other milk substitutes instead of milk of animal origin.
- Taste carefully! Not only does it hurt when it burns your mouth, but tea can also damage the taste buds, making it more difficult to enjoy the tea.
- Mixing milk and lemon in tea can make the milk thick.
- Do not brew tea slowly in an electric kettle.
- Pour the water from the kettle carefully-the steam could burn you.
