The Perfect Cup of Tea

Warming the pot
Fill the kettle with fresh water. Water that has been boiled before will have lost some of its dissolved oxygen, vital for tea brewing. Soft water – water with a low mineral content – causes less scum to develop on the surface of the finished tea.

Warm the teapot by pouring in a quarter of a cup of water and putting the pot in a microwave for one minute on full power.

The pot calling the kettle
Synchronize. Bring the warmed pot straight to the just-boiled kettle and place a single heaped teaspoon of loose tea leaves into the pot.

Pour in the boiling water immediately. If the water is allowed to cool, it is less effective in releasing the chemicals in the tea leaves. The use of a tea cozy is not recommended, since the liquid needs to cool before pouring.

Stir it up
Stir the brewing tea and leave it for three minutes. This time allows for the release of polyphenolic compounds, which will give the tea its rich color and flavor. A longer infusion period will unlock high molecular weight chemicals that taste bitter.

You cannot reduce the amount of caffeine in your cuppa by shortening the infusion time, most of the stimulant is released within a minute.

Milky Milky
Put chilled milk in your ceramic mug FIRST. Milk proteins degenerate and taste stale if they are heated above 75 degrees centigrade. The milk first method allows the chilled liquid to cool the hot tea, rather than vice versa.

Sugar can then be added to taste. Both milk and sugar reduce the natural astringency [bitterness] of tea.


Back to recipes

Home ~ Our Teas ~ Tea Health ~ Teabits ~ What's Brewing ~ Tea Shoppe ~ Recipes ~ About Us ~ Contact Us