Tea brewing is an art that is simple to perform but which also requires some care to do well. While essentially tea is brewed by adding boiling water to the dry leaf, the quantity of leaves, the temperature of the water and timing is of vital concern.
For preparing different types of teas, different methods of preparations are used. But the most commonly used method is to make it in a pot. Here One teaspoon of tea is used per cup and one additional for the pot. Then boiling water is poured on it, allowing it to brew for 4 to 5 minutes in the covered pot. To capture the flavour best, the pot should be covered with a tea-cozy after adding water to the tea and placing the lid. Desired amount of milk and sugar can be added to each cup after pouring the steaming hot tea into it.
It is essential to know about the exact method in order for your tea
to taste right. When brewing Green tea, make sure the water is not boiling
temperature, as this hot temperature will "cook" the leaves
and destroy the tea and its flavour.
Not all Green teas are alike. Once you've poured the water over the
leaves, they begin to uncurl, leaving large pieces of tea floating
in your cup
or pot. Because some teas are denser than others, you'll want to experiment
with the amount of tea you put in your cup.
The brewing temperature for Green tea differs from other teas. A temperature
of 165-185 degrees is ideal for steeping Green tea. Bring water to
a boil and then let it sit for a minute and cool down.
The amount of tea needed per cup or pot is less than expected. Approximately
2 grams (1 teaspoon) per cup
(6-8 ounces), which will last for many
infusions, as is done throughout the world.
Preparing the Indian chai
Mix 2/3 of water and 1/3 of milk in a cup. Boil it in a saucepan. Add ginger, cinnamon or cardamom. When the mixture starts boiling add one tea spoon of CTC tea and boil it on low flame for 30-35 seconds. Remove it from stove and strain it through a tea strainer in a cup and enjoy the Indian chai!!!
Gong Fu Method,
You will need unglazed clay pot to be in a real Gong Fu mode. However, a ceramic teapot will do to prepare a good tea.
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Drink the tea. Repeat the step 4 to have further brews. With each subsequent infusion, the amount of time the leaves remain in contact with the water should be increased by approximately 30 seconds. Good tea will produce a minimum of three infusions.
Just regular Method
You may also use a teacup with a lid as filter to prepare teas. In this case, you can make approximately 150 cc tea with 3 GM of loose teas. Brew time is approximately 5 minutes in this case.
Water Temperature Schedule |
|
Types of Tea |
Water Temperature |
Green Tea |
75°C |
Jasmine oolong Tea (or similar Teas) |
85°C |
Oolong Teas |
100°C |
Black Teas |
100°C |
Chin Hsuan, Vinca Rose & Tsui Yu Teas |
95°C |
Note |