Tea drinking has always been a pleasant experience. One can hardly deny the aromas that calm the mind, the flavours that awaken the palate and the comfort that comes with the warmth. However, when it comes to making the perfect cup of tea, too many of us are simply doing it the wrong way: from pouring boiling water straight into the cup or letting the tea leaves languish in the water for way too long. These habits can easily kill the taste of tea, but they can also easily be avoided with just a few simple tips.
To help you relish every moment of your tea time, we’ve put together the following step-by-step guide on how to steep, strain and serve a perfectly delicious and uplifting cup of tea, every single time.
1. What makes the “Perfect” cup of tea?
A step-by-step guide to steeping correctly
Making the perfect cup of tea takes a bit of time, effort and focus, but the results are worth it! The ideal way to steep tea is to start with fresh leaves (not tea bags that have been sitting in your cupboard for over six months) and filtered water. Once you’ve got these two elements ready here’s a step-by-step guide to help you achieve the most pleasant cuppa:
Step 1: For every cup, add one teaspoon of leaves into a strainer. If you’re making a single cup for yourself, you can place the strainer directly over your cup. If you’re making a big pot of tea for a few people, you can put the tea leaves directly into the teapot (because you’ll be serving all the tea at once, the leaves won’t oversteep).
Step 2: Boil cold water in a kettle. Let it cool for 30 seconds before pouring it over the leaves. This pause is key to the final taste as scorching hot water can damage the leaves and deteriorate the tea flavour and aroma. Each type of tea must be steeped in its optimal water temperature for the best taste and aroma.
Step 3: Unless the tea comes with different instructions, steep for 3-5 minutes. You can now start a timer to make sure the tea isn’t oversteeped. If using this method, it is recommended to pour a little in each cup and keep going around until all cups are full. When the leaves are steeping in the pot, the first pour will taste different than the last cup poured.
This is when you get to bring out your dedicated teacups so that the flavour of tea won’t be altered.
Step 4: Add whatever your heart desires! There are no rules about what to put in tea, but make sure to give it a sip before you add milk, honey or whatever else.
Important steeping tips to remember
Warm up the teapot
This step is key in taking your cup of tea to the next level. Fill half the teapot with boiled water and give it a few swirls then discard the water. We’re warming the teapot so that when the hot water for tea goes in, the water temperature won’t drop so suddenly.
Cover teapot during steeping
This ties in with warming up the teapot. It’s all about keeping the water temperature stable as the tea steeps.
If you’re making tea in a mug with an infuser, make sure to put a lid on top of the mug so the water can stay nice and hot while the tea brews.
If you want to make stronger tea, try this instead
Most of us make the mistake of steeping for far too long in hopes of getting a stronger taste. However, this can result in bitterness and not necessarily a richer flavour. Instead, add more tea and stick with the same steep time. Try increasing the amount of tea leaves in increments of 1/10 of a gram until you achieve the flavour you want. If that doesn’t work, try raising your water temperature by 10°C or more.
Invest in an electric kettle
As the water temperature is just as crucial as the tea leaves that you use, an electric kettle is ideal to make sure you’ll always get the temperature right. If you’re in the market for one, ensure that it has temperature control settings for 70°, 80°, 90°, and 100°C (or 158°, 176°, 194°, and 212°F).
2. Find your favourite tea
Now that we’ve gotten the steeping rules down, let’s talk tea blends! As many tea drinkers already know, there are a robust number of tea varieties on the market. Novelty is always nice, but we believe in finding your true favourites that you can always return to. Here are some suggestions on where to begin:
Black Tea: kickstart the day with rich and bold flavours
Black teas are fully oxidized, resulting in rich and full-bodied flavours. The most common version of black tea is breakfast tea. Looking for an energizing morning cuppa? A cup of English Breakfast might just be what you need! English Breakfast tea has been considered a great morning booster thanks in part to its moderate caffeine content. It contains roughly half the caffeine levels of coffee and also offers a slower caffeine release which can keep you alert for longer without the sharp peak and subsequent dip you might get from a strong cup of coffee.
Japanese Green Tea: calm, cool, collected.
Crisp, herbaceous and quenching are only some of the terms we use to describe Japanese green tea — Sencha. Apart from its distinctive tasting notes, Japanese green tea is thought to have many health benefits. You can sip on this refreshing and detoxifying tea any time of the day to entice your senses and enhance your wellness routine. Our Kukicha, also known as Japanese Twig Tea, is made from the stems and twigs of the tea plant. Kukicha offers a fresh, fruity flavour and a mild astringency that’s best enjoyed after a meal.
Matcha: a focus-booster that’s loaded with antioxidants
Unlike other loose leaf teas, matcha is a powder ground from high-grade green tea leaves and packs a high concentration of caffeine and antioxidants. Since you’re consuming the entire leaf rather than infusing it in the water, you get 100% of its alertness and energy boost effects without the unpleasant spikes. Quality matcha is often bold in taste and aroma, but also just as indulgent as other teas. Our Imperial Matcha goes well with non-dairy milk, so whether you enjoy soy, almond or oat milk, rest assured that you’re in for a delicious treat!
Herbal Blends: wind down and relax
There’s no one definitive word to describe the taste of herbal tea blends. Depending on the elements present in the blend, the benefits can range from soothing the stomach to calming the mind; from aiding with sleep to detoxification. If you’re looking for a blend to help you wind down at the end of the day, our Lemon Lavender is an ideal option. This blend combines the ever-calming lavender with a hint of refreshing citrus on a base of green rooibos (naturally caffeine-free) to impart the feeling of relaxation and tranquillity.
Oolong Tea: discover complex layers of taste and aroma
Falling somewhere between green tea and black tea, these famed teas are three-quarters oxidized and have a touch of fermentation. Endlessly complex, they have a lovely taste and will show off hidden changing flavours in every subsequent steep (check out our blog on How To Re-Steep Loose Leaf Teas Properly). One of the most sought-after Oolong is Oriental Beauty (also known as Bai Hao Oolong), originating in the high mountain area of Hsinchu province, Taiwan. Thanks to the high altitude, the tea is exposed to cooler temperatures and is shielded from the sun by perpetual mist. This produces a less bitter tea, with a rich character that is floral, fruity and creamy with a long finish that lingers long after the sip.
3. What about a cold tea brew?
Hydrating, thirst-quenching and cooling — it's hard to deny the allure of a perfectly-chilled glass of iced tea. While making your own at home can seem like a big task, we can assure you that it’s super quick and easy. Compared to the hot infusion, cold brew is a slow and gentle process that brings out tea’s subtler and smoother flavours. What’s more, most teas can be enjoyed iced: from crisp sencha and floral whites to spicy rich chai and fruity herbals!
You can give it a try by putting your favourite tea in a glass pitcher (plastic container not recommended as it can leave stains and odours) filled with cool or cold filtered water and let it sit in the fridge for up to 12 hours, strain out the leaves and enjoy! Important to note that green teas such as sencha only need to be cold steeped for 3 hours while most black, white, oolong and herbal are good for up to 12 hours of steeping. Most iced teas lose their structure after a day or so of sitting in the fridge, so savour them in the moment!
Make the perfect My cup of tea!
Tea is a delicacy and will show off all of its wonders when treated with care and attention. We hope the step-by-step guide above inspires you to make the perfect cup of tea and enhances your love for this elegant drink.
My cup of Tea carries a variety of teas, herbal infusions, and teaware. You will find every tea available in our store, from black tea, green tea, Oolong, white tea, Rooibos, and herbal wellness infusions. Drop in for a visit at My cup of Tea or order online to enjoy your favourite teas at home!
Source:
Healthline - 10 Evidence-Based Benefits of Green Tea