To say we are a nation of tea lovers it constantly surprises me how difficult it is to get a decent takeaway cup of tea anywhere! Most takeaway places dump a teabag in a cup, pour boiling water in and barely pausing to stir, squeeze or pay any attention at all to said tea bag, they've already added milk, a lot of milk, far more milk than I want. Resulting in a cup of chicken soup coloured hot liquid that has no resemblance to a cup of tea at all. My usual reaction is to smile politely, pay and throw it away at the first opportunity and go on the hunt for someone else that can attempt to make me a brew! Even the wonderful establishments that have gone to all the trouble of sourcing and purchasing real large leaf tea (in an eco friendly mesh pyramid teabag) don't seem to follow through and teach their staff the basics of brewing real tea. It's even helpfully printed on the teabag tag – brew for 5-10 minutes – most barely leave it for 5-10 seconds before they’ve added the milk. So the question is, how do you make a proper cup of tea?
1. The correct tea
This is a whole subject all on it's own (for a future blog no doubt) Real tea comes in large leaves not in a teabag, the “tea” found in your average teabag is tea dust, this is a by-product of loose leaf tea production, when rolling the tea leaves bits break off, these bits are collected at the end of the process and used for filling teabags. Whole leaf or large leaf tea is what you want to get the full taste of tea. Check out our selection of great teas here
2. Brewing equipment
Whole or large leaf tea needs space to expand whilst in the water, the best method for this is in a teapot, either with an inbuilt strainer basket or straining the tea as you pour. But what if you're only making one cup of tea? Then an in-cup strainer basket is the best option, if the leaves of your choice are smaller (eg Rooibos or Fannings tea) then a strainer ball or reusable cotton teabag will do the job as the leaves won't expand as much. Check out our brewing equipment
3. Water freshness
Each time water is boiled the oxygen levels decrease, this affects the taste of the tea. Always put fresh water out of the tap into the kettle and be ready to pour it when it's boiled. Please don't walk away to grab something or go check your emails and then come back and re-boil.
4. Water temperature
Different teas require different temperatures – black tea needs to have boiling water, 100 degrees, you should pour the water out of the kettle as soon as it boils, it should still be bubbling as you pour. Oolong teas require slightly cooler water, 90 degrees, leave the kettle a little while after it has boiled before pouring. Green tea requires even cooler still, 80 degrees, anything hotter than this will burn the leaves and give you that bitter taste that people describe when they tell me they don't like green tea. Made with the correct water temperature, green tea has a lovely slightly fruity, subtle taste that you will love.
5. Amount and Timing
Almost all loose leaf tea comes with brewing instructions, these will tell you how much tea per cup and how long the tea needs to be left to brew (or steep). Unlike the teabag, invented for convenience, loose leaf teas need time brewing for the full flavour of the tea to be brought out, from 2 minutes up to 10 minutes depending on the size and colour of the leaf. This is also completely customisable, you can experiment, a longer brewing time will give you a stronger taste, a shorter time will give you a more subtle flavour
In conclusion, I have found the following options for enjoying that perfect cup of tea –
1. Buy quality loose leaf tea (plenty of options right here) and learn how to brew it yourself at home or on the go using the instructions provided
2. Find yourself a takeaway establishment who know what they’re doing. For instance come and meet me at one of my upcoming artisan markets where you can get a takeaway drink, smell all the teas on offer and purchase some to take home if you wish and ask all the questions you want
3. Find a café (like Bean Loved in Skipton) who have spent time not only sourcing great quality tea but also training their staff to brew tea properly (they also do takeaway)
Opmerkingen