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sally

Perfect Cup of Tea

Saturday, December 22, 2007, 9:30 AM [General]

Posted By: sally

Perfect Cup of Tea

There is no right or wrong way to prepare a perfect cup of tea because everyone's tastes and perceptions are so varied and unique. The goal of this discourse is to provide a broad outline of directions that will help you discover teas to enjoy and how to brew them perfectly for you. You will encounter some very general brewing recommendations with the individual descriptions for each of the teas we sell. The following article will clarify and expound those directions.

There are a few components involved in the brewing of tea, and each one crucial to the enjoyment of the elixir.

Water

Your choice of tea can only be as good as your water allows it to be. The best water to use is either bottled spring water or filtered tap water. Although there are several areas in the world where the tap water is of excellent quality, there are probably more places where this is not true. If you do use tap water let it run cold for a minute before you fill your kettle so as to aerate the water. A Britta Filter (you can find this in your grocery store) will take out the chlorine and heavy metals. Do not use steam distilled water for this removes all the minerals from the water and some mineral content enhances the flavor of tea. When your kettle comes to a boil turn the heat off immediately so it does not rattle. Over boiling or re-boiling water depletes it of oxygen and this will make the tea taste flat.

Water Temperature

The temperature of the water will be determined by the type of tea you choose.

Type of tea	Water Temperature (Fahrenheit)
Black and Pu-er	boiling
Oolong	185- boiling
Light Oolong	175-190
Green tea	175-180
Superior Grade Green	140-170
White tea	160-180
Tisane	boiling
Yerba Mate	Wet with cool water then add boiling water

Keep in mind that these are generalizations and most teas that require less than boiling water are not going to be ruined if the water is 5 to 10 degrees off. If you don't have a kitchen or candy thermometer (you can find these at the grocery store) to measure the temperature of the water some rules of thumb apply.

At approximately 190 degrees the heating water will begin to make a sound and small bubbles will appear on the bottom of the kettle.
Hot water will cool by at least 5 degrees when poured into a cool container.
A generous splash of cold water into 2 cups of boiling water will cool it by 5 degrees.
If you let the kettle sit for ten minutes after it boils the water will have cooled by as much as 10 degrees