Boiling water and pouring it over a tea bag is easy, but if you want the perfect cup of tea, there's an art to getting it right. Start with pure water and bring it to a boil, then pour it over the tea of your choice and let the tea soak until it tastes delicious. This process is slightly different depending on the type of tea you are making, whether it is green, black, white or herbal tea. See Step 1 to start brewing your tea.
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Method 1 of 3: Preparing Tea
Step 1. Choose your favorite tea
There is no limit to the type of tea you can buy. Choose from hundreds of types of green, black, white, red and herbal teas, each with a different flavor profile. You can buy powdered tea or tea in bags. Choose the freshest tea you can find for the best taste and health benefits.
Choose a tea with the benefits you are looking for. Note that green tea is known to have long-term health benefits, black tea provides a bit of a caffeine shock, and herbal teas can be used as a remedy for insomnia and indigestion
Step 2. Decide how you will filter your tea
If the tea you are using is already in a bag, then your tea filtration system is ready. But if you have powdered tea, you will need to prepare a way to separate it from the water after brewing it.
- You can buy empty tea bags and fill them with tea for one use.
- Tea balls are another popular choice. These tea balls are more suitable for black tea than other types of tea which expand more during brewing. To brew a delicious cup of tea, water must be able to flow freely through the tea leaves.
- The strainer basket is a great choice for all types of tea.
- You can pour the water directly over the powdered tea and strain it when you're done brewing using a fine sieve.
Step 3. Prepare your tea utensils
What kind of tea utensils do you have? You can make the teas all at once in the teapot or individually with a cup and strainer, tea ball or tea bag. Use the method that best suits your needs. Tea and water are the two most important components for preparing a delicious cup of tea; while the equipment is a secondary necessity.
However, having a pretty teapot and cup can add a calming effect when drinking and enjoying tea. Drinking tea has been an important habit in many cultures for thousands of years. You can bring this tradition to life by making your own tea drinking habit, whether by brewing one cup at a time in your favorite mug, or using a ceramic teapot with a cup and base
Step 4. Use purified water if you can
Since tap water contains fluoride and other chemicals, if you want to get the best taste and health benefits of tea, use spring water or another type of purified, filtered water.
Method 2 of 3: Making the Perfect Cup or Teapot
Step 1. Measure the tea
If your tea comes in a bag, then you're all set. For powdered tea, you need about 1 teaspoon for every 180 mL of water. Use a teaspoon to measure the correct amount of tea into your tea bag, ball or strainer. Place it in the cup, mug or teapot you are using.
- Note that the 180 mL quantity is the standard tea cup size. If you make enough tea for a large mug, you may need to use a little more.
- If you are making a thicker, stronger tea, use a variety of black teas, you can use less than 1 teaspoon per serving. For lighter, fluffy teas such as green teas and herbal teas, use more than a teaspoon. After the first few cups of tea you make, you can change the amount to suit your taste.
Step 2. Heat the water to a boil
Add more water than you need to prepare the tea according to your serving size, and boil it. Whatever tea you brew, you need to boil the water until it really boils deeply as a first step. You can boil water in a tea kettle, but you can also boil a small pot of water and heat it on the stove over high heat. You can also use the microwave to heat your water in a microwave-safe dish.
Step 3. Heat the teapot
Pour some boiling water into an empty teapot and shake it around. Keep your entire pitcher warm to the touch. Discard this water and immediately fill the teapot with the right amount of tea. Directly putting the tea in the teapot can cause it to crack, and preheating it like this can prevent it.
Step 4. Pour the water over the tea
If you are making black tea, immediately pour boiling water over the tea to start brewing it. For green, white or herbal teas, let the water cool slightly for 30 seconds until the foam is gone, then pour it over the tea. This is to prevent the sensitive leaves from becoming overripe and resulting in a bitter taste. If you want to do this more accurately, use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the tea so you can control the taste of the tea.
- black tea best brewed at 95 degrees Celsius.
- Green tea best brewed at 74 to 85 degrees Celsius before you pour it over the tea.
- white tea should be brewed at a temperature of 85 degrees Celsius.
- Oolong tea best brewed at 95 degrees Celsius.
- ' Herbal teas should be brewed at 95 degrees Celsius.
Step 5. Brew the tea
The time you need to brew tea depends both on the type of tea you are making and your personal taste. Try different brewing times to find the best brewing time for your cup of tea.
- Black tea preferably brewed for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Green tea preferably brewed for 2 to 3 minutes.
- white tea should brew for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Oolong tea preferably brewed for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Herbal tea preferably brewed for 4 to 6 minutes.
Step 6. Discard the tea leaves and enjoy your tea
When finished brewing, discard the tea leaves. Your tea should be cold enough to drink. Enjoy tea without any additives, or with honey, sugar, or milk.
Method 3 of 3: Trying Tea Variations
Step 1. Make iced tea
Iced tea is made by making very strong tea, then adding water and ice to cool it. To make it, you need to double the amount of tea for each serving. Iced tea is a refreshing drink that's perfect for a hot day, and can be made with any type of tea. Herbal teas and fruit teas taste great when enjoyed with ice. [Image:1452809 10.jpg|center|416px]
Step 2. Make sun tea
This is a fun way to make tea using sunlight. Place the container of water and tea in the sun for a few hours, so that it will brew slowly. Once the tea has a strong enough flavor, you can remove the tea bag and add ice to it.
Step 3. Make Southern style sweet tea
You can find variations of this tea in any restaurant serving Southern cuisine. Black tea is brewed strong, then sweetened with lots of honey and lemon and topped with ice.
Step 4. Making "hot toddy" tea
If you have a sore throat, combine the health benefits of tea with the warmth of whiskey to help relieve inflammation. Make a cup of your favorite tea, then add a small cup of whiskey. Add honey and drink slowly.
Tips
- Put the tea leaves that have been used into the compost
- When brewing tea, make the tea enough for 1 or 2 days. Older tea is better to throw away.
- For iced tea, brew the tea for 2.5 minutes. Let it cool completely before adding ice to prevent the tea from clouding.
- Some tea experts recommend steeping the tea longer than it takes to absorb the flavor. Keep in mind that this can result in the absorption of tannins, which are compounds in tea that cause brewed teas to taste bitter.
