Make Tea

A well-made cup of hot tea can warm the heart and soul of any tea lover, but it can be unpleasantly bitter or disappointingly tasteless when improperly steeped. A conscientious approach to tea preparation can maximize the flavor and health benefits provided by the tea bush, Camellia sinensis. Here's how to get it just right.

Steps

 * 1)  Bring more than enough water to a boil in a non-reactive tea kettle.
 * 2) *The better tasting your water, the better tasting your tea. The best water is filtered or bottled (but not distilled), although bottled water is usually not the best choice for sustainability or health. If using tap water, let it run cold for 10 seconds before using it for tea.
 * 3)  [[Image:Warming up the pot 9775.jpg||thumb|250px|right|Warming the tea pot.]]Pre-heat the vessel. This will prevent the steeping water from dropping in temperature as soon as it is poured in. Add a little boiling water to a ceramic or porcelain tea pot or the individual cups--wherever the tea will be steeped (ceramic and porcelain retain heat well). Cover the tea pot with the lid and a cozy, if you have one. Let stand until the vessel is warm, then pour out the water and proceed immediately to the next step.
 * 4)  Put the tea in an infuser, strainer, or directly in the bottom of the tea pot.  Steeping without an infuser or strainer gives the tea more room to unfold and release additional flavor.   Start with one heaped teaspoon per cup of tea to be made, unless you have instructions which say otherwise. The amount of loose tea you use will depend on the type and strength of the tea, as well as your individual taste, so a little experimentation may be in order.
 * 5) *If using tea bags, the measuring has already been done for you - generally it's one tea bag per cup. However, make sure that the bags are fresh, since most commercially produced bags consist of small pieces of leaves that are susceptible to becoming stale faster than the loose leaf variety.
 * 6)  Add hot water. Pour it over the tea. Use an amount in proportion to the quantity of tea you've added (e.g. 5 cups of water for 5 teaspoons of tea). The ideal water temperature varies based on the type of tea being steeped. The more oxidized (fermented) the tea (e.g. black tea) the hotter the water should be, whereas less oxidized teas (white, green) should be steeped in water that isn't as hot.
 * 7) *white or green teas (full leaf), well below boiling (170-185 F or 76-85 C) When the water boils, turn off the heat and let the water cool for 30 seconds for white tea and 60 seconds for green tea before pouring it over the leaves
 * 8) *oolongs (full leaf) (185-210 F or 85-98 C)
 * 9) *black teas (full leaf), water must be at a rolling boil (212 F or 100 C) The most common mistake is to steep black tea with water that is not hot enough, which can prevent the active substances in black tea from developing
 * 10) *pu-erhs, full rolling boil (212 F or 100 C).
 * 11) *tea bags, never let the water boil. Since tea bags often include tea dust and fannings (the smallest tea particle grades) and so have more surface area, use slightly less hot water.
 * 12)  [[Image:Teacosy1.JPG 5806.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Tea Cozy]] Let steep. Cover with the cozy to retain warmth. Different teas require different steeping times.  In general, whole-leaf tea should be steeped longer than broken-leaf tea. Check the box for guidance. If there are no instructions, steep for a minute or two, then taste frequently until it's flavorful but not bitter.  If practicing gong-fu brewing to make multiple infusions, use shorter infusion times, typically 30 seconds to 1 minute.  For normal (western) brewing, the steeping times are longer.  The following recommendations are guidelines:
 * 13) *oolong teas 4-7 minutes
 * 14) *black teas 3-5 minutes
 * 15) *green teas 2-3 minutes
 * 16)  [[Image:A nice cup of tea 7750.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Pour the tea through a tea strainer.]]Remove the tea leaves from the pot (if you have a strainer or infuser) or pour the liquid into another vessel (a cup or a pot, with a strainer to catch any tea leaves). Tuck the tea pot back inside a tea cozy if there is tea remaining in the pot after serving everyone. This helps keep the tea hot longer.
 * 17) Infuse again. Many teas, especially whole-leaf green and oolong teas, can be infused multiple times, so repeat the above steps, increasing the steeping time with each infusion, to get the most out of your tea. In some Chinese traditions, the tea is first steeped for 15-30 seconds to rinse any surface contaminants from the leaves, and the resulting liquid is also used to rinse any cups and utensils that will come in contact with the following infusions, which are the ones to be served.
 * 18)  Serve the hot tea with milk, sugar, lemon or honey. Do not serve the tea with both lemon and milk or the milk will curdle. If you use milk, add the milk to the cup first and then add the tea; this prevents the hot tea from scalding the milk by heating it gradually.

Tips

 * Store tea in an airtight container to limit exposure to oxygen or moisture. Use a container that won't impart flavor on the tea. Black tea has a longer shelf-life than green tea, while Pu-erh tea actually improves with age. If you might be storing the tea for an extended period of time, use desiccant packets or oxygen absorbing packets and vacuum seal.
 * If making tea from whole leaves, you may enjoy steeping them in a French press and watching the colors radiate from the unfolding leaves.
 * Descale your kettle often to remove mineral deposits.
 * Perhaps the most common way is with cream and sugar. Depending on if you want a strong tea flavor and a more watery tea or a creamier tea, you may want to adjust the amount of cream you put in, and how much sugar or sweetner you put in obviously depends on how sweet you want your tea.
 * For a sweet, creamy dessert-like tea, add half cream and half tea, and then add three hefty spoons of sugar.
 * Boiling water can damage tea leaves, make sure you check what temperature the tea you are using should have.

Warnings

 * If you live in a mountainous or high-altitude area, the lower boiling point can make it difficult to properly steep teas that require a high temperature (e.g. black, pu-erh).
 * If you boil water in the microwave, take precautions to make sure the water doesn't explode (a dangerous phenomenon known as superheating). Place a wooden skewer or chop stick in the water before microwaving to prevent superheating.

Things You'll Need

 * Non-reactive tea kettle to boil the water
 * Ceramic or porcelain tea pot
 * A bowl to pour the leftover hot water from the tea pot
 * Tea strainer or tea ball
 * Sugar and creamer
 * Tea cozy (optional)
 * Tea

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