How To Brew Tea

Brewing Tea ... An Art or A Science?

What could be more important than brewing a good cup of tea the right way? You've spent the time to find and the money to buy a good tea leaf. It should be prepared as it, and you, deserve.

But most don't have time to spend on a full Japanese tea ceremony. A full ritual, with food and drink, can take up to five hours.

So, for those of us with less time, but the desire to brew tea properly, here are some tips on how to brew tea.

The first thing to examine is the water you use. Even the finest tea leaf can yield a less than stellar cup if the water is wrong.

Water can be too heavily chlorinated, or full of minerals, or 'stale'. Yes, water can get stale, in the sense that, since it absorbs odors from the air, it can absorb chemicals that lessen the quality of tea brewing.

Water can contain heavy concentrations of calcium carbonate (limescale). That's the white powder that builds up around the spout or on the tile in the kitchen or bathroom. It's not harmful. In fact, a certain amount of it is healthy. But it darkens the brew.

Good, Pure H2O will leave a cup of tea much lighter looking. Water can also have a large relative amount of iron. Again, that isn't necessarily unhealthy, but it can alter the taste somewhat, giving it a metallic overtone.

When learning how to brew tea your water temperature is important, too. Freshly boiled water can be a little too aggressive when brewing a good leaf tea.

Water around 80°C/176°F, on average, is preferred. (Pure H2O at 1 atmosphere of pressure, around sea level, boils at 100°C/220°F.) The exact temperature varies a little bit with the type of tea leaf used, however.

• Black teas do well with water that is nearer boiling.
• Oolongs are better at a slightly lower temperature.
• Green tea can become bitter if the water is too hot
• White tea needs the lowest temperature of all.

Some experimentation will be needed as your method for how to brew tea improves.

Adding the right amount of tea leaves when brewing tea, will take a little trial and error too.

Start with one teaspoon per cup and gradually adjust to personal taste. Some of us prefer a little stronger brew, others a lighter one.

If you want to use a natural way to reduce the caffeine, but don't want to buy decaf, use the same tea leaves for a second cup. Most of the caffeine will get into the first cup of tea you brew.

Tea brewing time varies a little, but 2-3 minutes is about right for most teas and tea drinkers.

If you're in a hurry and you use tea bags, you can speed up the process by dunking. But, beware. True aficionados will be horrified if they see you.

Here again, personal preference will influence the time, since steeping longer brings out more flavor, color, tannins and caffeine.

If you add milk to your tea, and you should at least try it once, you'll want to steep a little longer. Prolonged steeping times brings out more tannins and other compounds that will be softened by the milk. But you'll still want to drink something that tastes like tea, not like milk. It's tea with milk, after all, not milk with tea flavoring.

If you use loose leaf tea for your tea brewing, be sure to invest in a good teapot and a quality tea strainer to keep the tea leaves from pouring into the bottom of your tea cup.

Now for the most important step in How to Brew Tea ... drink. Oh, and there's one final step... Enjoy.