Basic Steps To Make Great Tasting Tea

Tea can be made many different ways but there are some guidelines you can follow to insure you get a great tasting cup. Some people learn by trial and error and others have the information passed down from their parents or other relatives. Not everyone knows how to make tea the correct way.
Some people even add a little sugar or other sweetener but this is all up to preference. Believe it or not this can greatly affect the flavor and overall enjoyment of the tea. You also want to use fresh, high quality water.

Try to get it as fresh as possible for the richest flavor. Before beginning make sure you have a high quality tea from a reputable source.
These are some basic guidelines to follow but always refer to the recommendations set forth by the tea manufacturer. Popular green teas should be steeped at a temperature of 160 to 180 degrees for a lesser time of 2 to 3 minutes. Popular green teas should be steeped at a temperature of 160 to 180 degrees for a period of 3 to 5 minutes.

Oolong tea is recommended for approximately 190 to 203 degrees for a period of 3 to 5 minutes. Black tea usually requires boiling water of around 212 degrees for a period of 4 to 6 minutes. This occurs when the tea is placed in the water for a period of time, but this will vary greatly with the type of tea you are making. Steeping is an important process that allows the tea to flow into the water.
It is a good idea for the tea to be brewed in a large deep pan, to give ample room for expansion of up to 5 times the leafs' original size. The best way is to just brew the leaves loose in the pot as the ancient cultures once did. Plus you get the full experience of brewing tea, not just the enjoyment of the cup. To get the leaves out when steeping is done you can strain them or use a tea infuser. These are products designed to remove every excess leaf from the water at the right time.
Drinking tea is a terrific way to relax with your friends. Now you can sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
James McDonald writes for findteaonline.com where you can find
flavored tea products
Read our related articles for tea information and even find a teapot or fun gifts for the tea lover in your family. including green, black, white, and other delicious teas.

Some Tea Brewing Tips For Anyone To Enjoy

Here is a list of tea brewing tips that can be used to add some additional flavor to your favorite cup of tea:
The first thing you should do is purchase a high quality tea. You will receive far more pleasure by purchasing teas that have the quality ingredients that you love. Try to find a reputable supplier, one who preferably has many glowing reviews from other consumers.
It is recommended to steep your tea in water that is not quite to the boiling point. You will also want to avoid boiling the water as this will expel oxygen and makes the water taste flat, believe it or not. You can use fresh water if you have a good supply yourself, or even buy bottled water from a well-known company.

Also try to use a high quality water when making your tea.
Many say to use between 2.5 to 3 grams of leaves per 5-6 ounces of water. You can accomplish this by using a tea balance. Try to measure out the correct weight of tea leaves for the amount you are making.
The following are some generally accepted steeping temperatures: Black and Herbal teas should actually use water at a full boil or around 212 degrees, Oolong tea should be steeped between 190 and 203 degrees, Green tea between 160 and 180 degrees, and White tea is brewed best in a cooler water with a range of 150 to 160 degrees. This is best accomplished by using a thermometer to get the water just right. Use the correct steeping temperature for the type of tea you are steeping.
Using the correct steeping time is another important consideration to brewing the perfect cup. Use the following recommendations for the type of tea you enjoy the most: Black tea should be steeped for 4-6 minutes, Puerh teas are known as hard teas and should be steeped for a minimum of 7-8 minutes, Oolong teas have a wider variety of steeping times from as little as 3-4 minutes to upwards of 6-8 minutes, Green teas are ready to go in a brief 2 to 3 minutes, and White teas are the most sensitive and should not be steeped for more than 2 minutes.
It is best to infuse tea in a kettle since the tealeaves can quickly expand to three times their starting size as they release the stored flavor and aroma. Try to make sure that there is enough space in the infuser for the teas to fully expand. You should provide plenty of space during infusion and avoid cramping the tea leaves.
Any dark colored or tightly rolled teas can stay fresh for more than six months if stored this way. To enjoy your tea completely make sure that you keep it in an airtight container. Your tea will lose its flavor if it is exposed to oxygen or light. And lastly let's not overlook storage.
About the author:
James McDonald writes for
findteaonline.com
, a
flavored tea
resource site. You can find some popular tea offerings as well as informative articles on a variety of topics about this terrific beverage.

How To Make Perfect Tea

As a tea drinker of some 30 years experience here is my contribution as to what makes the perfect cup of tea. The best way to make tea has been a subject of great debate for centuries.
Good quality water is essential for the perfect cup of tea. If you use tap water then run the tap until the water is cold and fresh. Spring water is best due to its purity and lack of additives such as chlorine and fluoride which can affect the taste. Always use fresh water if possible.

1.
2. Preferably use a teapot made of china or earthenware.
Pots made of certain types of metal such as enamel silver
or copper can impart flavor to the water. Stainless steel
is okay.
Warm the pot beforehand with a little hot water. 3.
4. Add at least one level teaspoon for each cup of water
that you are going to add. Adding loose tea to the pot is
the best way for the tea to infuse properly but many people
prefer to use a tea strainer or infusing basket for
convenience sake.
Pour boiling water directly onto the leaves and then stir the water before placing lid back on the teapot. 5.
6. Let the tea steep for between four and five minutes. If
using green tea three minutes is best.
Remove or strain the leaves to avoid overbrewing. 7.
8. The cup that you drink out of can greatly affect the
taste of the tea so choose wisely. A good quality cup made
of china will definitely enhance the whole tea drinking
experience. Avoid wide shallow cups which cause the tea to
cool in next to no time.
9. Pour milk into the cup first. Ah, yes this is the step
that causes most controversy. Many an argument has been
had concerning whether or not it is best to add the milk to
the tea or vice versa. I have always preferred milk first
then tea but my husband argues that it is easier to
regulate the right amount of milk by adding milk
afterwards!
Now scientists have waded into the debate and the verdict
is clear. The UK Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)has warned
against the practice of adding milk to tea after it is
poured. It seems that dribbling a stream of milk into hot
water makes "denaturation of milk proteins" more likely.
And who would want that?! At high temperatures, milk
proteins - which are normally all curled up foetus-like,
begin to unfold and link together in clumps. This is what
happens in UHT [ultra heat-treated] milk, and is why it
doesn't taste as good a fresh milk," says Dr Andrew
Stapley, a chemical engineer at Loughborough University.
It is better to have the chilled milk massed at the bottom
of the cup, awaiting the stream of hot tea. This allows the
milk to cool the tea, rather than the tea ruinously raise
the temperature of the milk.
Umm, somehow I don't think so!! The milk or tea first debate is now over! So it is now settled.
10. Lastly, drink tea without any sugar. I must admit to
being a reformed sugary tea drinker and you know what that
means. Yes, I am now passionately against putting sugar in
tea. As one who has sat on both sides of the fence I can
say that tea is so much better without sweetening. Sugar
only serves to mask the taste of the tea. Not only that too
much sugar is not good for you and why spoil what is now
being recognized as one of the world's great health drinks
by adding sugar. When I stopped taking my two spoonfuls of
sugar in my tea it took me about three or four weeks to get
used to the new taste. However once I got used to it there
was no going back.
So there you have it - the perfect cup of tea!
Lorraine Bevere is the webmaster and operator of FOG
Tea
For questions or comments about this article, please visit: which is a premier source of information about tea.
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