In this article we are going to give some pointers on how to brew a perfect cup of tea. No two types of tea are brewed exactly the same way. We hope after reading this you’ll try and brew yourself the perfect cup and let us know how it went. Keep in mind that these are all only recommendations and we encourage trying to brew teas in the way we have described below, however just because it is the recommended way, doesn’t mean that everyone enjoys their tea brewed in these ways.
Topics for Each Type of Tea:
- Water Temperature – Believe it or not different types of teas have different sensitivities to water temperature. Pouring boiling water over green tea will scorch the leaves and result in a bitter taste. Please note, it is extremely important to note that water should never be boiled more than once, always empty the kettle and refill using cold water.
- Timing – These times are all recommendation to enjoy the best flavours each of the teas have to offer. Some people allow the tea to steep for 20 minutes or more. I recommend trying teas that you’ve tried before and didn’t like, for example green tea is often thought of as too bitter, but if the water is allowed to cool before steeping and the steeping time is short you will find a drastic difference in the taste.
- Quantity – The amount of loose leaf tea to add to the infuser to ensure the best flavour for the type of tea being brewed.
- Number of Brews – Some teas have the ability to be brewed more than once and some do not.
- Tips – This will cover any special notes to think about when brewing your tea
Tea Types
Black Teas
- Water Temp – Boiling
- Amount – 1 tsp
- Timing – 3 minutes, if you’re looking for that strong black tea taste you can leave the tea in a pot and allow it to simmer for 10-30 minutes
- Number of Brews – Black teas are generally only recommended to steep once, though I have an auntie who uses the same tea bag all day, and when the flavour isn’t strong enough, she adds another bag, and that’s how she likes it
- Tips – If you are sensitive to caffeine but really enjoy black tea try steeping your tea for 30 seconds, take the tea out of your cup or teapot, pour the water down the drain, and pour water into your cup or teapot once again. Approximately 90% of the caffeine comes out of the leaves during this time.
Green Teas
- Water Temp – Boil water then let set for 5 mins before pouring (approximately 90°C)
- Amount – 1 tsp
- Timing – 2 minutes
- Number of Brews – Green tea can be brewed more than once. Steeping the tea more than twice will greatly reduce the amount of flavour the leaves can deliver.
- Tips – Green tea also has caffeine and the same process can be done to green tea as described in the Black tea Tips section.
White Teas
- Water Temp – Let water sit for 10-15 minutes before pouring, or boil the water to approximately 75-85°C. The leaves and buds are very sensitive and will be scorched by the boiling water.
- Amount – As white tea has a softer profile 1.5 tsp is usually recommended for a perfect cup
- Timing – Up to 5 minutes,
- Number of Brews – This tea can be steeped at least a second time and possibly a third time, though you may need to add half a scoop to get the desired flavours
- Tips – White tea has the least amount of caffeine out of all the “real teas”. It’s worth mentioning again how sensitive this tea is to boiling water, so please keep this in mind.
Rooibos Teas
- Water Temp – Boiling
- Amount – 1.5 tsp
- Timing – Up to 6 minutes, this is a tea that can be allowed to steep for much longer and it will give it a more robust taste, it does not become bitter like true teas can.
- Number of Brews – If steeped for approximately 4-6 mins it can be steeped again.
- Tips – Rooibos tea can be baked and cooked with, recipes to come! This is my favourite tea, though my partner will not drink it.
Herbal Teas
- Water Temp – Boiling
- Amount – 1.5 tsp
- Timing – 5 minutes, as there are hundreds of herbs and spices that could be in herbal teas sticking to the 5-minute mark is recommended for most herbal teas as it can become quite bitter if left to steep for too long.
- Number of Brews – Most herbal teas are only recommended to be steeped once.
- Tips – Herbal tea can have some medicinal purposes to them, we highly recommend looking into each herb and whether there are consumption limitations.
Fruit Teas
- Water Temp – Boiling
- Amount – 1.5 tsp
- Timing – Fruit teas are also recommended to steep for 5 minutes for similar reasons as the herbal teas.
- Number of Brews – Again depending on the blend of teas I would only recommend brewing most fruit teas once.
