|
Rule # 1: Brew tea as simply as possible. If you can heat
water, you can brew tea!
Rule # 2: Watch the water temperature. Never brew tea in
water that is TOO HOT.
Rule # 3: Brew tea according to the traditional brewing
method for a particular tea, until you become familiar
with it. Then adjust to taste.
Rule # 4: Use plenty of leaf, because you want your tea to
taste great and there is no reason to save it (there will
be more fresh tea next year). Tea is the 2nd least
expensive beverage on the planet after water.
‘Normal’ measure
is always 2-3 grams leaf per 6 ounces of water, but the
volume of leaf will differ from tea to tea. A pound is a
pound, but a pound’s volume can vary dramatically.
So, when brewing tea, make sure that you use the correct
amount of leaf. When the leaf is large, whole leaf, or a
budset, use more leaf; when using a small leaf or CTC, use
less. The idea is to maintain the correct proportion of
leaf to water by weight.
BLACK
TEA
Use 2-3 grams of tea per 6 ounces of water
That’s a standard teaspoon in most cases
OOLONG TEA
Use 2-3 grams of tea per 6 ounces of water
That’s a standard teaspoon for ball-rolled
style oolongs
and a
standard
tablespoon or more for strip
style large leaf oolongs
GREEN TEA
Use 2-3 grams of tea per 6 ounces of water
That’s a teaspoon to a tablespoon in most
cases
Green tea leaf varies more than any other tea
WHITE TEA
Use 2-3 grams of tea per 6 ounces of water
That’s a heaping tablespoon in most cases
|
|
Water
temperature is critical for obtaining the proper flavor
from your tea. Most tea leaves do not like to be blasted
with boiling hot water. After you have brewed tea
‘properly’, try experimenting with different brewing
temperatures and decide what temperature your tea wants to
be brewed at.
PU-ERH TEA
‘turbulent waters’
Use water that is 200 - 212°F
That’s just off the boil
BLACK TEA ‘old man water’
Use water that is 190 - 200°F
That’s just under a full boil
OOLONG TEA ‘string of pearls’ water
Use water that is 180 - 200°F
That’s when tiny bubbles thread along the surface
CHINESE GREEN TEA & JASMINE TEA ‘fish
eyes’ water
Use water that is 170 - 180°F
That’s when large bubbles first appear
CHINESE SPRING GREEN TEA, YELLOW TEA & JAPANESE
GREEN TEA ‘column of steam steadily rising’
water
Use water that is 160-170°F
WHITE TEA
‘column of steam steadily rising’ water
Use water that is 160 - 170°F
That’s when a column of steam begins to rise from the
surface
Start with a 2
minute steep, and taste a tea that is ‘new to you’ every
30 seconds after. Jot down the results. White and Green
teas are rarely ‘in the water’ for longer than 2 minutes
at a time (often less). Oolong tea can steep 3-5 minutes
depending on whether the leaf is ball-rolled or a long,
folded leaf. Most ball-rolled oolongs are only steeped for
30 seconds to a minute, and re-steeped many times.
White, Green, and Oolong tea leaves can always be steeped
again, sometimes 3 times or more, depending on the type.
Additional steepings may call for a cooler or hotter water
temperature than that used for the initial steeping.
Black tea steeping time varies depending on the cut of the
leaf. Finely cut leaf usually needs just 2-3 minutes,
whereas large leaf may need 5 minutes to fully develop.
©
2007 Mary Lou Heiss
|
