November 13, 2013

• Tea is for Old People

  Tea.

  I never much liked tea.

  That is until I got older.

  Now I drink a cup of tea nearly every day.

  The canned and bottled iced teas that you pick up in the QuickyMarts don't really count as tea, they have added sweeteners and flavorings that mask the taste of the tea.

  

  I am talking about fresh brewed loose leaf tea.

  There is something soothing and pleasurable about a properly brewed cup of tea.

  The key of course is "properly brewed".

  There are quite a few web sources that describe how to properly brew tea. I know this because I did a pile of research. The most common mistakes can be avoided, and more importantly the proper procedures can be mastered rather easily.

  First select good quality tea. Yes it may seem a bit more expensive but actually the cost value is exceptionally high. So, you can spend a little less on crappy tea or a little more on excellent tea. A good quality tea is most often a loose leaf tea, not the crumbs and dust they pack into tea bags. I still keep tea bags for the convenience but use them rarely. You can research the types of teas, by trial and error, buy small quantities at a time and see which ones you like and which ones you don't. I like simple green tea the best.

  Next, select good water. You can't make good tea with awful tasting water. If your tap water tastes fine then so will your tea, if not try getting water from another source or using bottled water.  I like our tap water. I also like using an old fashioned tea kettle.

  Heating the water is simple enough, you can use the stove top, a coffee maker or a coal fire if you prefer. The heat source doesn't matter one bit. What does matter is how hot the water is. Teas are sensitive to variations in heat. Green teas should steep at lower temperatures for shorter times. Black teas for longer times at higher temperatures. For my green tea I pour the water into my mug as soon as it starts to boil, wait 1 minute for the water to cool, and then add the tea. It was a trial and error process.

  Tea	Water                           Temperature	Steep                           Time
  Green Tea	160 degrees F	1 - 3 minutes
  White Tea	180 degrees F	4 - 8 minutes
  Oolong Tea	190 degrees F	1 - 8 minutes
  Black Tea	Rolling Boil	3 - 5 minutes
  Herbal (tisanes)	Rolling Boil	5 - 8 minutes

  Black teas take longer to brew, up to 6 minutes. I drink English breakfast tea, a black tea, in the morning to wake up. It is gentler on the stomach than coffee, and the stimulants in tea are more subtle and longer lasting than in coffee.

  I have a tea strainer, a simple tightly woven small basket with a handle on it, that I place the tea in and let steep in the water. There are in fact more products for brewing tea than are words on this page.

  

  Each time you use the tea leaves is called an infusion. The first infusion is usually the strongest and should be done in the lowest temperature of the range for the shortest time.  Green tea is good for 5-6 infusions before you discard the leaves. I find the 3rd and 4th infusions to have the best flavor, full and rich without the bitterness that is familiar to tea. I never add anything to my tea if it is brewed properly. When necessary I will add honey and lemon.

  Tea.

  It is the second most consumed beverage in the world.
  It is readily available and easy to make.
  It has many known health benefits. Perhaps this is why tea is for old people. People who don't drink tea rarely make it into old age.

  If you have developed a taste for tea I suggest that you don't give up on it just yet. If you like tea, take some time to research how to make your tea drinking experience even more pleasant.

  Would you care to join me for tea?

  

  • 10:12 AM
  • 21 Comments