I reported earlier that I have officially gone Full Coffee Snob, and I am now blissfully in love with my Chemex and my Tonx Coffee subscription.
But — if I am a burgeoning cellist or museum curator in the coffee department…
Well, in the tea department I’m basically a garbageman.
I have no technique when it comes to tea. No care for quality. I take a bag. Not long ago I microwaved the water and the bag together — now I’m actually at least using my swan neck kettle to pour the hot water over it. Then: milk. And I leave the tea bag in there the whole time I drink it.
My teabags are probably filled with pesticide-shellacked pencil shavings. It’s probably a 1:1 ratio of actual tea and somebody’s pubes. The gods only know what the hell I’m actually drinking.
I’m told many of these things are anathema to the true tea drinker, so much so that some of you right now are probably suffering Scanners-like head-rupturing effects. So, I’m talking to you tea-sipping snobs out there: what’s your tea ritual like? I’m looking for anything and everything I would require to join the Ancient Order of The Pristine Tea Leaf — where do you get your tea? How do you brew it? Is there a temperature thing? A technique?
School me, tea nerds. School me.
dakegra says:
George Orwell had some rules on making the perfect brew:
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-a-perfect-cup-of-tea-according-to-george-orwell-191448
January 27, 2014 — 7:15 AM
dakegra says:
And you can choose your tea colour according to the Official Tea Colour chart:
http://lettertwenty.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/h-m-british-tea-colour-chart/
January 27, 2014 — 7:18 AM
Alicia Wanstall-Burke says:
I get my ‘good’ teas from T2 – the Melbourne Breakfast tea is amazballs. They are mostly loose leaf tea so you need to get a little pod to put it in, which then goes in the cup. T2 have all you need on their website. Otherwise, Twinings are pretty good for tea bags. Try to get them so they are individually packaged so they last longer, stay fresher.
How long you leave it in the water, temp, milk, no milk is a matter of taste to me – some tea will go nasty and bitter if you leave it too long. Others can be steeped over and over before they go bitter.
I do think some tea is better in the morning, others in the afternoon, but you’ll get an idea once you start trying a few. For example, Earl Grey, Lady Grey, Australian Afternoon Tea should be drunk after lunch time. Any breakfast or chai tea tastes better in the morning.
Xox
January 27, 2014 — 7:23 AM
Dave Higgins says:
I buy my tea leaves 100g at a time and store them in an air-tight caddy, to ensure freshness.
Unlike Orwell, I strain the tea when pouring to prevent further brewing in the cup.
January 27, 2014 — 7:23 AM
Carl Sinclair says:
PG Tips. Boiling water. Bag in until it’s strong ( about 45 seconds ) give it a squeeze with me spoon. Dash of milk. Lovely jubly.
January 27, 2014 — 7:26 AM
Angela Stevens says:
Temperature is EVERYTHING. Rapidly boiling water immediately poured over the leaf or the bag. If it’s not just boiled you get that scum on top and that stale taste. A good quality British brand , PG Tips or the like (never liptons-ever, shudders) Do not add milk first or during the brewing process. It has to be added after. If you like it strong then go for the builders tea method, brew, remove bag squeeze it out then stick it back in for round 2. On no account put your tea in the microwave- rolls eyes and has panic attack!
January 27, 2014 — 7:27 AM
caroljforrester says:
I’m going to agree with Ms. Stevens. PG tips is absolutely wonderful and now and again you even get a cute monkey toy to go with it.
Twinning do a selection box if you want to try something a bit different, Assam is very strong tea, Lapsang Souchong has a smokey taste and I once heard it called bonfire juice. (Apparently it goes well with whiskey if you’ve run out of milk.)
I will not however drink herbal teas. I always think they taste like wheat chaff. Not pleasant.
January 27, 2014 — 9:39 AM
Kay Camden says:
I love Lipton. *ducks*
January 27, 2014 — 11:08 AM
Claudia Hauter says:
Douglas Adams was very particular about making the perfect cup of tea. He talks about his obsession in “The Salmon of Doubt.” http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/2002/12/a_proper_cup_of.html
January 27, 2014 — 7:41 AM
Wendy Christopher says:
Seconded. The Douglas Adams Way is the only way that works. And yeah – sorry Americans, but Liptons is the crappy version of tea. We don’t drink it over here in Britland, which is why you get it shipped over to you. On behalf of my country, sorry. *ashamed face*
January 27, 2014 — 11:44 AM
Marc Cabot says:
There is also the surprisingly evocative scene where he is explaining to the Heart of Gold (technically, the Nutri-Matic) how to make a cup of tea and tries to make it understand by explaining the rituals and history and traditions of tea. (And then of course the ship asks him if he really wants that, describing the tea, milk, etc, in very unflattering literal ways. And then and then of course the tea ends up almost getting everybody killed.)
“I’m working on that problem now, and wow, it’s a doozy.”
January 29, 2014 — 4:53 PM
April Labine-Katko says:
My ritual is to gaze thoughtfully at the tea selection in my pantry, consider its mystique and significance in tradition and history and then promptly push its offensive tea-baggery off to the side where it belongs and reach longingly and gratefully for the coffee. Then I ponder whether I have the energy and the time to indulge in the luxury of the French press or, if time is of the essence and I am feeling particularly sluggish (which is why I need the coffee in the first place), I will opt for the Classico Nescafe instant–the Dom Perignon of instant coffee,by the way. Then I light a couple of cigarettes–one for each hand–and I wait for the magic that is boiling water.
Incidentally, here’s something you might enjoy by Kids in the Hall. It is about the little known dangers of tea.
January 27, 2014 — 7:53 AM
Annette says:
The water should be freshly drawn and definitely not boiled before. Empty out your kettle and fill it with fresh cool water from your tap. Switch your appliance on and then you have a couple of choices. If you are making a mug of tea, pop the bag in the cup and as soon as the water has boiled, I mean THE EXACT NANOSECOND, pour the liquid over the bag. Do not, I repeat, do NOT put the milk in now. In fact, tea is best served black but that’s an argument for another day.
Let the water circulate through the tea – agitate it a little. Tell it you prefer coffee. That should be enough to get it going. Swirl it gently with a spoon. Then when the tea is as strong as your preference – and it really is a preference – remove the bag. Do not leave it in there to “stew” (technical term). Now, if you must, add a dash of milk.
If you are brewing a pot of tea you can either go the loose leaf way or the teabag way. Either way, warm the pot first. You can boil a little water and swish it around the pot while FRESH water is boiling for the tea. I like to use a pot for speciality teas and I have a fab Bodum glass teapot with a little perforated chamber in which to put the loose tea. This removes the need for a tea strainer at the pouring stage. How much tea should you put in? One per person (cup) and one for the pot is the old adage. It worked for my grandma so it works for me.
On “olden days” when people had china cups, milk was put in first to stop the scalding hot liquid from cracking the delicate porcelain. Unless you’re a pinky-quirking upper-class fool, ou don’t add the milk first. How do you know how much you’ll need?
For an everyday tea in a bag, go for PG Tips. They come in a pyramid shaped bag – this lets the tea move around more freely while brewing – and it’s a good strong blend. Twinings is good too. But there are a myriad of fabulous teas out there. Check out Tchai Ovna in Glasgow where you can buy Faerie Blood tea. I shit you not. http://tchaiovna.com
Do let me know how you get on. Tea is a serious business.
January 27, 2014 — 8:06 AM
Mozette says:
I made Ice Green Tea with Lime once – which turned out absolutely gorgeous! The recipe came from South Carolina and is a pinch easy to make. Well, anyway, I made it once for my niece’s birthday party, as she’s a tea drinker, and my brother’s new fiance wouldn’t touch it. She complained that I ‘probably made it with teabags’… my brother tried it out and said it was lovely and suggested she try it. She said no that tea bags were filled with bleach and pesticides and shit and she wouldn’t drink or eat anything I made (she whispered this but I could hear her)… he asked her to taste it as he hates to have somebody criticise my cooking without even trying it. Anyway, she tried it and said it was ‘okay I suppose, for a teabag ice tea’….
well, gee, shit… I wasn’t going make everyone choke on tea leaves just because she doesn’t like teabags.
And when I make tea, I put fresh water in my kettle, use clean pots and clean cups and mugs and new teabags each time… I also drink de-cafinated tea. So, I’m always drinking freshly boiled water and tea each time. 🙂 i also love my brew strong. 🙂
January 27, 2014 — 8:08 AM
Vicente L Ruiz says:
Ah, I’m possibly a blasphamous heathen in some aspects, but here goes nothing. At home we always buy our teas in leaves at a local store (usually http://www.teashop.es/, but that’s in Spanish), and keep them in tins. We prefer to use individual cups/mugs with detachable filters (such as this one, say: http://e-teashop.com/es/accesorios-1/mugs/mug-cylinder-bambu-rojo-1.html ), so that both my wife and I can have different flavours if we want to, and we can also control how strong we brew it. We always boil the water and pour it on the leaves.
And here start the oddities: no matter the tea, I never add sugar or milk, I just can stand either. I tend to prefer stronger drinks, and I’m completely useless when it comes to controlling how long I have to let the leaves in -I tend to forget about removing them!
January 27, 2014 — 8:10 AM
Vicente L Ruiz says:
…blasphEmous, not blasphAmous… and I read it twice before posting, sigh.
January 27, 2014 — 8:14 AM
Mark Webb says:
Being Australian, I get my loose leaf teas from T2 (like Alicia above). I generally prefer the stronger black teas (English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast) for the morning, a lighter black tea (Assam, Darjeeling) for the afternoons. I have these kinds of black tea with milk and sugar.
If making a pot of tea:
1. Pour hot water in the pot first to warm it up. What, are you going to make tea with a cold pot? Are you a barbarian?
2. One teaspoonful of tea per cup plus one for the pot (i.e. if the pot is big enough to pour out three cups of tea, put in 4 teaspoons of tea). I don’t know why the pot insists on its own extra teaspoon of tea. It just does, OK?
3. Water as close to boiling as possible when you pour it in. You want to be standing by the kettle, so that when it starts to whistle or goes bing or plays the Lithuanian national anthem or whatever it does when the water is boiled, you can immediately snatch it up and pour that angry, restless water into the pot.
4. Steep for about 3 or 4 minutes. Don’t be tempted to steep longer, the tea starts to get bitter. That sounds obvious, but you’ll want to steep it for longer. You’ll say “I want my tea to be strong, strong like me.” You might even feel the urge to beat your chest. Resist. Over-steeped tea tastes like arse. Bitter, bitter arse.
5. If I’m pouring a cup of tea from a pot, I prefer to have the milk and sugar already in the cup before pouring. This is a hotly debated step in tea circles (see Angela’s comment above). Seriously, amongst tea aficionados you could lose yourself for days in discussion about tea/milk/sugar order. Actually that brings me to my number 1 tip: avoid tea aficionados.
6. Of course your cup was warm before you poured in the tea right? Did you learn nothing from step 1 above.
7. Enjoy!
If you are stuck in a post-apocalyptic icy wasteland, where all that remains for sustenance is cockroaches, tinned peaches and tea bags, the order is slightly different.
1. Still warm the cup. You might be fighting for survival against the worst scum that post-apocalypic {insert country of choice here} can offer, but that doesn’t mean you should abandon all sense of propriety.
2. Water still as near to boiling as you can make it. If the lack of modern conveniences that come from the fall of civilisation means you no longer have your Lithuanian-national-anthem-playing kettle, stick your finger in to gauge exactly the right moment (*). You’ll thank me later.
3. For tea bags, do not, I repeat do not, put the milk and sugar in first. Why? It is so obvious I refuse to explain further.
4. Steep for 3-4 minutes, or as long as you can hold off the radioactive, mutant cockroaches.
5. Remove the tea bag immediately. If you got the temperature of the water right, you could even use it as a makeshift sling shot to hold off the hordes that are, as we speak, descending on you in order to steal your near perfect cup of tea.
6. Add milk and sugar to taste. I like to add just enough milk that you can see it cloud up just below the surface of the tea, like the mushroom cloud that started you on this non-tea leaf hell journey to begin with.
7. Stir, and sip gently. It is traditional at this point to burn your tongue on the first sip, ruining the rest of the tea experience, but that should not be considered compulsory.
Hope that helps,
Mark
(*) My legal advisors tell me that recommending this step is not sensible and that I should tag it with an appropriate caution. WARNING: sticking any body part into boiling water is likely to cause pain.
January 27, 2014 — 8:20 AM
sjhulett says:
See, your method for making tea in the post-apocalyptic wasteland is identical to the way that I make tea at work, which, alarmingly, isn’t the first time I’ve drawn a parallel between work and the end of civilisation as we know it. Huh.
Otherwise, perfect instructions (barring a few personal quirks). I heartily agree!
January 27, 2014 — 9:50 AM
Lynne Connolly says:
I’m British. My stomach is a fetching shade of dark brown and my veins bleed tea. I’m not a tea snob.
Two rules – make sure the water is boiling, not hot. It’s like watching custard turn when the milk boils, something magic happens and that is why in British homes the teapot, or tea caddy, is next to the kettle. Right next to it.
Fresh tea. That’s why our tea is so good, because the teabags move quickly off the shelves and then is used fast. Don’t use the really cheap stuff, but PG Tips, Tetley, Sainsbury Red Label, any big brand is okay. For hard core, go for Yorkshire Tea. Mmmm.
Tea is tea. Not something with extra stuff in it, like verbena or mint or raspberry leaves. That’s an infusion. Not tea.
I like a spot of milk in mine. Try not to have sugar in the hot variety. (we don’t drink it cold in the UK, that’s a US thing. And how could you ruin tea like that?). Don’t use cream, it destroys the flavor. Ordinary milk, and semi-skimmed is nice, as long as you don’t overdo it. Pour the milk in carefully, until it comes back to the top. After a lifetime it’s instinctive.
Posh tea – breakfast and other blends can be good, but they’re like blended whisky as compared to single malt. I like Darjeeling and Assam, but if I want a black, China-style tea, I tend to veer towards Lapsang Souchong.
Fresh tea, boiling water.
January 27, 2014 — 8:26 AM
joeturner87 says:
I’m no tea Aficionado – despite being British – so can’t be of much help.
But this
“Not long ago I microwaved the water and the bag together ”
Is the funniest thing I’ve heard in easily, the last decade.
Thanks Chuck.
January 27, 2014 — 8:29 AM
Kay Camden says:
I agree. Probably because I’m imagining the staple on my tea bag shooting sparks. Which would be AWESOME. I’m so gonna try that.
January 27, 2014 — 11:12 AM
Alison DeLuca (@AlisonDeLuca) says:
My mother was born in Dublin and taught me to appreciate tea that is “strong enough to trot a rat across it” (her words.) I have to use Barry’s or PG tips, since Lipton’s is the sweepings of what’s left on the factory floor after they ship the real stuff off to the UK. And let’s just pretend Constant Comment doesn’t exist, m’kay?
Make certain the water comes to the boil, not that lukewarm bathwater they offer you at restaurants, and pre heat the teapot by swirling in some boiling water and discarding. Bring the water back to a boil and pour it over the bags in a Brown Betty teapot (two bags is plenty.) Cover the pot with a tea cosy your grandmother knitted years ago and allow to steep for at least five minutes.
Milk goes in the cup or mug first, and follow with the dark brew. You can keep adding hot water to the pot to extend the experience for an hour. And be certain to serve with HobNobs or barm brack if you can get it on the side.
January 27, 2014 — 8:39 AM
Dan Erickson says:
I’m like you. I have no clue and more of a coffee guy. Best wishes on the search for info. It looks like you’ve already got quite a few advisories.
January 27, 2014 — 8:43 AM
christophergronlund says:
Lynne is definitely right with the fresh bit. (And the Lapsang Souchong recommendation…you might like the smokiness, Chuck. Not quite an Islay scotch effect, but it reminds me of camping in the north woods of Wisconsin as a kid.) We’re fortunate to have a place called The Cultured Cup in Dallas. They do enough business that even their more obscure teas turn over enough that nothing’s been on a shelf incredibly long. (I’m a sucker for Mariage Frères’ Marco Polo and Montage D’Or.)
My wife and I make tea by the pot on weekends. We use loose leaf tea. A Swiss Gold infuser big enough for the pot allows a good infusion and the ability to remove all leaves so there’s never bitterness. The big thing, like anything, is to experiment and find the process and strengths you like. Read about different teas and serving temperatures. Get lost in it all; there are much worse places to be lost!
January 27, 2014 — 8:44 AM
terribleminds says:
I actually quite like the Lapsang Souchong. A local little “good earth” store has some.
January 27, 2014 — 9:09 AM
Joanne Huspek says:
Funny post. You’ll drive yourself nuts trying to find the right tea. There are way more tea combos than coffee varieties. I personally love genmacha (Japanese), it’s green with toasted rice and smells like popcorn when it brews. Forget the microwave and get a kettle and a little tea pot. Stay away from the bottled stuff, most of it is weak and has too much sugar added. And here’s the thing to remember: coffee is for warriors and tea is for thinkers. When I itch for a fight, I grab the coffee. If I’m trying to figure out a plot twist, I drink tea. Good luck.
January 27, 2014 — 8:50 AM
E.Maree says:
Instructions for black (“English Breakfast”) teabags:
> Put fresh cold water in your kettle (or whatever demonic water-boiling device you choose)
> Boil the water
> Put a teabag in a mug. Try and get decent teabags. Even poor British tea is better than most of the American tea I’ve tried, sorry, but there are exceptions: ADAIGO is a really good US tea shop, as is DAVIDs TEAS. DAVIDs TEAs actually has some amazing flavors that I would kill for in the UK.
> Pour boiling water immediately over tea bag.
> Do something else for three minutes. Good tea doesn’t really need stirred, it’ll infuse over time.
> After three minutes, stir the teabag round a few times and bin it.
> Add milk and sugar/honey if desired.
> Enjoy your kickass cuppa tea.
January 27, 2014 — 8:51 AM
Sara Crow says:
DEFINITELY don’t leave the bag in the water, for green and black teas especially. Green and black teas go bitter after they’ve been in the water for more than about 4 minutes. Time it and take that shit out and angels will sing. You’ll wonder what the hell you’ve been drinking, even if you stick with the bag.
As a coffee guy, you’ll probably be inclined toward green and black teas, though herbals and rooibos are nice if you want a change of pace. Rooibos is actually harvested from a bush and comes in these long, red fibers. It creates a vibrant, red-golden tea that has a smooth flavor.
For most other teas that aren’t rooibos, 4 minutes is a good rule of thumb so you don’t have to remember all the crazy differentials between the various teas. I’ve seen tea people argue that the best of the antioxidants and flavor comes out in rooibos after 12+ minutes in boiling water, but I usually just leave my rooibos for five minutes and let it go. I do have a couple teas that have two minute thresholds, but it’s not super-common. If you have a good loose leaf tea place in town, they can usually help you with timeframes for the teas you buy and let you know where on the timing spectrum the tea you purchase lies. They can also tell you how much you want to put in per cup. Average is around a teaspoon and a half. If you want the tea stronger, add more tea, not more time.
In most cases, you don’t want the water to be boiling when the bags go in, but just AFTER boiling (which is usually where it is anyway by the time you get it from the microwave to the counter). Again, water temperature depends a little bit on the type of tea you’re brewing (some even do well with a cold-brew method!), but the “just after boiling” rule has given me good results for most tea.
I use loose-leaf tea and a tea ball of some sort. There are many tea balls out there, but the reason one goes with a tea ball is, first of all, to make sure you have enough tea to get the flavor you want and to allow the tea to roll around in the water. The tea should be able to move through the leaves so you don’t end up with all the leaves clumped together and less flavor than you should have from the leaves. If you buy off-the-shelf, you can actually get some pretty yummy tea from Lipton in those pyramid bags, though I shudder to think about how old they may be. My local tea place also recommends Stash, though I haven’t had it in ages.
My local tea place rocks and isn’t too expensive. Lots of people swear by Teavana, too, but it is kinda pricey (they tend to be the “fine wine” of tea–or at least think themselves so). Teavana is nice, though, because they put brewing instructions on each and every bag they sell. They also sell pretty tins and enough tea accessories to make one a tea obsessive. I should know.
OH! And tea goes bad, just like coffee and spices. Just like coffee, the best bet is to leave it in an air-tight tin in someplace cool and dry (though NOT the fridge, for the same reason as the coffee).
Hm. I may be a tea snob. Or just an addict. I love my coffee and my tea equally.
January 27, 2014 — 9:00 AM
Patrick says:
I’m by no means a nerd, but I do buy loose-leaf tea by the ounce from time to time from a local shop, stick it in an infuser (little wire mesh ball that opens up), and pour boiling water over it in a cup, letting it steep for 3-5 minutes. I never really thought of technique or anything; I mean, it’s tea…
January 27, 2014 — 9:12 AM
morag donnachie says:
I wasn’t going to comment, reading through the comments it looked like everyone had covered pretty much all the important points, but as I reached the end I noticed that no one had even mentioned lemon!
In most seasons tea with milk is great – warming, comforting and wonderfully soothing. In Summer, on a hot, hot day, tea with lemon is divine. It still has to be hot mind you, you want to equalise your internal and external temperatures.
January 27, 2014 — 9:12 AM
Trevor Jones (@TrevorJonze) says:
Yerba mate, is all you need in this world, Sir.
January 27, 2014 — 9:15 AM
K. Zorn says:
Teavana has some cool stuff online. I like their teas because you can go through the individual pieces in each bag and see what they’re really comprised of. They have an app too that tells you how long to brew each type of tea, it has a timer and everything. (Teavana sells a tea that is handpicked by trained monkeys who journey to the canopies of rain forests in order to pluck some special berry. http://www.teavana.com/the-teas/oolong-teas/p/monkey-picked-oolong-tea) – That story wasn’t quite true but monkeys were once involved.
January 27, 2014 — 9:21 AM
Dawn Pier says:
Ah! Finally someone has mentioned Teavana! Now Chuck, if you want to experience the truly Guccified tea, Teavana is it. Just the smell of some of their blends is enough to set my mouth to watering and I’m always tempted to eat the leaves after they’ve done steeping. This is where tea goes to be transformed into angel nectar. Their Samurai Chai Mate is divine and the Youthberry White tea knocked at least a decade off my biological age and turned my hair from drab sandy brown to the golden hues of a tropical sunset. They also sell beautiful tea sets. DavidsTea is nice too, but it’s a Cadillac to Teavana’s Bugatti.
January 27, 2014 — 12:30 PM
Sara Crow says:
LOVE Teavana’s Imperial Acai Blueberry when I’m sick. I’m not sure if its psychosomatic or what, but that stuff does the trick…I always feel a little bit better afterwards.
Now, I’m fairly certain beluga caviar costs less per ounce, but it’s one of my indulgences, simply because it does such a good job of making me feel better. And it tastes and smells like heaven.
January 27, 2014 — 12:45 PM
Lisa (@EffingRainbow) says:
I make tea a few ways.
1. Tea bags. NEVER LEAVE YOUR TEA BAG IN THE MUG WHILE DRINKING. *Twitches* Ahem. But, no. Do not do. Steep it in boiled water for a few minutes, depending on how strong you want it (usually around 3 minutes in my case, I like it strong). Tea first, then sugar, then milk.
2. Loose-leaf tea. This is fussier, perhaps, but I like my tea rituals as much as drinking tea so it never bothers me. 😀 If using a mug directly (no teapot), I use a mug infuser to keep the tea steeped without just dumping it in the mug. Then it’s the same deal as above, more or less. If using a teapot, I put the tea leaves directly in the pot and add water, and use a strainer to pour the tea without getting leaves in it.
Milk is wonderful in tea, but some types taste better without. Lemon or peppermint, to name a couple. Black tea = add milk.
And if you like your tea geeky you might like to try this website: http://fridaytea.jigsy.com/
January 27, 2014 — 9:26 AM
Catherine Lundoff says:
I heat up the water in an electric kettle, then use a tea strainer for the looseleaf. I always drink it without milk equivalents and sugar so I can get the full flavor. For loose teas, I like Bingley’s Teas – http://www.bingleysteas.com and Teasource – http://www.teasource.com and for bag tea, Tazo and Numi. I drink a cup of coffee to start the day, then switch to tea and water thereafter.
January 27, 2014 — 9:27 AM
Captain Penelope says:
I use either one of two teapots with mesh baskets–one one-cup and one three-cup–or I use a silicon ‘Tea-Rex’ infuser or whatever, pardon my insufficient tea vocab, for when I don’t feel like cleaning a teapot after.
I actually have found some really great teas that weren’t horribly expensive (college student budget over here) at Global Foods Market. It’s in St. Louis, and I don’t know how far-flung those particular stores are, but I suspect you can find good teas from other more international type groceries.
I like my kettle with digital thermometer, but it often turns off a bit late and I have to let the water cool a little anyway. I try to find a recommended temperature for each specific tea I have, but when I can’t I just let it boil and then sit for a minute or two (or more, depending on the tea). If I am going to fuck it up, I would rather have done it at too low a temperature than too high. Burnt tea is awful. Also, under-steeped is better than over-steeped, as I believe the person preceding my comment said.
I learned the gross way that you can’t really let green or white teas sit in the pot while you enjoy your first cup, so I tend to make those one cup at a time (unless I’m making it for more people). Others will probably know more about the oxidation of tea than I do.
ALSO, for some reason I am really adamant about preheating my mug and pot with hot water before steeping. I think I like the ritual and it’s cold here, so I’ll take any extra warmth. But I do hear that’s how it’s supposed to be done.
January 27, 2014 — 9:29 AM
Captain Penelope says:
having read through more of the comments and links, I am apparently in the minority as far as proper temperature goes. So, I defer to the others.
January 27, 2014 — 9:38 AM
Sara Crow says:
Actually, I’m with you, Captain Penelope. I’d rather the water be too cool than too hot, for the oxidation reason you suggest. Some teas are finnicky about that temp thing. It really does depend on the tea. I have an acai tea that Teavana instructs 175 degree water for and a black that commands over 210 degrees F. It does depend, but just-after-boiling is kinda a general, probably-won’t-fuck-the-flavor rule.
And yes, you’re right; pre-warm the mug! It keeps the tea warm longer. Ceramics retain heat better when already warm.
January 27, 2014 — 9:42 AM
mattyweaves says:
I also let my boil simmer down a bit before pouring in my pot.
I ALSO heat my glass pot up. I swig some hot tap water around and pour a bit before I add my tea and fresh water.
January 27, 2014 — 10:10 AM
Anna says:
Snob mode: In the states, you can actually get decent loose leaf tea from the Teavana chain, but expect to pay extra and to be badgered the entire god damn time you’re there. I’ve had an easier time buying a car in the past. I really love their so-called Monkey Picked Oolong (http://www.teavana.com/the-teas/oolong-teas/p/monkey-picked-oolong-tea), but it’s pricey as hell.
For a mug, get you one of these bad boys: http://www.teaforte.com/store/tea-accessories/cups/kati-tea-brewing-system/. They’re double walled and come with a proper top to keep everything nice and warm. Mine works well with bagged or loose leaf.
(Snob mode, disengage)
In all seriousness, just try stuff until you find what you like. Most decent bagged brands are legit, just tea and fruit and no fillers. Celestial Seasonings is a good grocery-store brand in the US, and the bags are completely biodegrade (though some of their teas have soy lecithin, because… I don’t know). I also really enjoy Twinnings and Stash. Every brand will taste different, even if the names are the same. Twinnings Green Tea is hands down one of the best green teas I’ve ever had and even if I leave the bag in the water, it doesn’t get (too) bitter.
Boxed teas are cheap and last a decent amount of time, so buy a few and go to town. If you don’t like something, there’s probably someone in your life who gets really excited for tea and will take it off your hands. Or just do a “Crap Chuck Wendig Has Touched” giveaway on your blog.
January 27, 2014 — 9:31 AM
E.Maree says:
That Kati mug looks GREAT and I’m disappointed it’s not available UK-side. 🙁
January 27, 2014 — 10:51 AM
Jackie says:
I am British, so I am a tea snob. Just by birth. I am hugely surprised to see anyone else from anywhere else has a view on it, I thought that Liptons stuff I got in the States was just you trying to humour me (and it’s vile, btw, that is very true, I would happily put that in the microwave. And then throw it straight down the sink.) However, I am not a real tea snob, because I drink PG Tips, fresh boiled water over the bag, lots of stirring and then some milk (less creamy the better – skimmed best of all). Real tea snobs warm the pot and use fresh leaves, of a named variety of tea, tea strainers and china cups, like my granny used to. But then, she was 94 and did not have that much else to do with her day, whereas I am hugely busy reading blogs and so do not have time for all that.
In England there is a rule about when the milk goes in, and if the people who think it goes before the tea see the people who put it in after the tea, they tut and shake their heads. Or maybe it is the other way round, I forget. Whole books have been written about this.
January 27, 2014 — 9:35 AM
darkandstormyrobyn says:
I always wear red velvet gloves and a hat, perched at a dashing angle and adorned with miniature ships reenacting the Battle of the Nile (it is a very heavy hat). But then, I AM A 216 YEAR OLD WOMAN TRAPPED IN THE BODY OF A 27 YEAR OLD, SO…
January 27, 2014 — 9:36 AM
CheffoJeffo says:
I had spent 2/3 of my life as a coffee snob. Bought my first french press as a teenager and never looked back. Good water, good beans, proper grind, eschew fads like over-roasting. I lurves me my cup of joe.
Recently, some comments in my Twitter feed convinced me to try tea as a viable option to my 2-pots-a-day coffee habit. (That and Mrs. Cheffo was getting pissed that I was finishing the first pot just as she wanted some.)
Grabbed up an assortment of kit from DavidsTea (good infuser, bigass travel cup with built-in infuser and variety of tins of different flavours). As a noob, I really enjoy the variety of flavours, as opposed to the subtlety of flavour differentiation in coffees (for me, coffee is like Scotch that way).
As for technique, I just follow the damned directions, which are normally fresh clean near-as-can-be-to boiling water and let steep for recommended time. The beverage snob in me requires loose-leaf and a nice big infuser, but I am wide open to the experience beyond that.
Am totally in love with David’s Organic Creme Brule right now.
January 27, 2014 — 9:41 AM
sjhulett says:
Just a heads up, I have no idea what tea is like in the U.S. whether different types are called different things or not (i.e. like all-purpose vs plain flour; same thing, but one U.S. one U.K.). Also, no expert, (I just love tea) so be warned.
Types of tea: They’re all the same plant, or a subspecies of it, but the leaves are oxidised to different levels, giving different colours of tea, which need to be prepared in different ways. There are white, green and black teas, but usually what people mean as tea in the U.K. is black tea, either from a specific location, like Assam, Ceylon or Darjeeling, or a blend, like English Breakfast tea. I don’t know what the U.S. equivalent is, but I’d go for a tea blend for everyday consumption and break out something like Assam, or Earl Grey (black-tea with bergamot oil) or Chai, (black tea, spices), when you fancy something different. I like Tetley myself. You can buy loose-leaf or tea bags, it’s personal preference I think, but unless you’ve got a tea-strainer stick to bags.
Making tea (black tea blend); No hard and fast here, do what makes the nicest cup for you. For me, making tea for four people; Heat the teapot with hot water from the kettle, (Mr. Orwell says to heat it on the hob, but I tried that once and cracked a teapot, so I don’t do that any more). Three teabags in the pot, (One, if you’re just making it for yourself) cover with just boiled water and fill to the brim of the pot. Replace lid. Put on tea-cosy. Normally at this point, I get the cups ready by putting the milk and sugar (none for me!) in them (another sin according to George). If you don’t know how much milk is for you, pour the tea first and then add the milk until it suits you. Pers’nally 3 minutes brewing does it for me, but if you like it stronger, or weaker, then you have to experiment. If you’re only making tea for yourself, or two people, you can buy teeny tiny one-person teapots! I have heard the argument, “If you’re going to make it in a small tea-pot, why not just make it in a mug?” IMHO it really tastes different, mug made tea is stronger and more astringent, but I dunno, maybe I have wonky taste-buds. After three minutes, pour, stir and enjoy. It’s usually a beigy brown colour, with the milk and that’s fine for me. Some people like it weak, or stronger, so that it’s a reddish brown. A friend of mine used to make tea in a mug with two tea bags, but it was strong enough to etch metalwork.
Where you go from there is down to you; you could try green tea, which needs water which isn’t quite so hot or it gets ‘burnt’, or you could go totally crazy and try the Chinese or Japanese tea ceremonies. I recommend staying simple and trying Earl Grey with just a drop of milk, Chai, in the same way, and Oolong, with no milk at all, (but don’t heat the water all the way). Then there’s Rooibos tea, which isn’t tea at all, but a herb infusion with v. little, maybe no caffeine, which I think has a nice vanilla/hint of strawberry flavour, but YMMV.
I could talk about this for hours, but I’ve gotta run, I’m gagging for a cuppa. I’ll leave you with a poem about tea, by a guy called Lu Tung. If your tea drinking experiences verge on the almost religious, like Lu Tung’s, well, I want to know what you put in it!
http://www.yourdailypoem.com/listpoem.jsp?poem_id=390
January 27, 2014 — 9:44 AM
Kastil says:
I have loose tea that I put in a reuseable Keurig pod or I use my stoneware kettle and a loose leaf ball. I also by the bag kind but not any of the regular sort. I love iced tea with a little hoeny. I make that on the stove top. I bring the water to boil and turn it off. I use about two tea bags to make a ½ gallon’s worth.
January 27, 2014 — 9:44 AM
Lindsay Smith says:
How hot your water is depends on the type of tea you’re using. I get my loose tea from a small local shop a couple towns over from me called Tea and Chi (teaandchi.com), and she’s very good about putting the proper temp and how long you want to steep it.
She blends most of her teas herself, and if you bring her any tea that you bought somewhere else, she can usually match it.
I don’t get why everyone is saying to make your tea with boiling water. I drink tea for the CAFFEINE, so I want my tea to be steeping for as long as possible while still being drinkable, so I always have my water a little cooler and have that teabag in there 2-4 minutes.
Green teas should NOT be made with boiling water. The water’s too hot and it’ll scorch your tea, making it too bitter to drink. The same thing for herbal teas like peppermint. I’ve actually gotten to the point where I can get the proper temp by just feeling the steam coming out of my kettle.
I use tea bags that you can fill with your own loose tea and just stick them in my bag for during the day, but when I’m home I have a little three-cup teapot that I use.
January 27, 2014 — 9:46 AM
Emily Wagner says:
Ok. I get my tea from three places: Adagio (http://www.adagio.com/), David’s (http://www.davidstea.com/?&currid=usd&LN=EN) and Virtuous Teas (http://virtuousteas.com/). Always loose leaf unless I’m at work. I have two of these tea pots: http://www.adagio.com/teaware/iced_ingenuiTEA_teapot.html a big one and a small one. Big one gets four teaspoons of whatever tea, and I have a kettle with pre-set temperatures for different types of tea. Buying from David’s and Adagio means that the packages will tell you the proper temp and timing for each type of tea. I use an app on my phone called Camellia for timing, because it has presets and I can add my own if I disagree with what they say. Put half the finished tea in a mug, other half goes in a thermos with me to work. My favorites are greens and whites, with a few black teas here and there. That’s it, I never use milk or sugar or anything because I like green teas that have some sweetness in their flavor anyway, and if you use the right temp or water they won’t be bitter at all.
January 27, 2014 — 9:46 AM
reeddecker92 says:
I’m not much of a tea snob. I do like my tea, but I don’t know much beyond the basics. That’s being said, you’ll want a teapot. You should always have a teapot. Even if you wind up never using it, teapots are just damn nice looking. You’re unlikely to find another bit of kitchenware that looks as good.
Second thing to do is get either loose leaf tea, or some really nice teabags. Most teabags are made using tea dust. That’s like the leftover crap once everyone else has already had the good tea. Fuck that. Do you want someone’s leftover tea byproduct? Hell no. Some teabags, especially those pyramid bags, contain actual leaves though. If not, Adagio (http://www.adagio.com/) has some good teas, and good strainers for them, including one made to fit in either a mug or teapot. Generally I find their customer support to be surprisingly good as well.
Boil some water in a kettle, pour it in the empty teapot, slosh it around a bit until the pot starts getting warm. This way, when you make the tea, the water won’t get cold as fast. Pour the water out, add the tea leaves to the pot, reboil the kettle, pour the water in. Let seep for however long the package says and/or however long you feel is right. Experiment a little with how much tea you use, and brewing time.
If you’re having milk with your tea, I do advise putting it in first, to avoid scalding the milk. I know some here have advised putting it in after, so you know how much you need. I’ve never really had that issue. I know how big my cup is, making it not hard to work out how much milk is needed. That being said, it probably doesn’t matter much either way. If you run into issues with milk scalding, put the milk in first. Otherwise, just do whatever.
Some teas are supposed to be enjoyed black. Some with lemon. Some in other ways. Try it that way if you like. But, as Douglas Adams said “Some people will tell you that you shouldn’t have milk with Earl Grey, just a slice of lemon. Screw them. I like it with milk.” So, have it how you like it. That being said, if you’re having a Masala Chai, you may want to add milk and sugar.
January 27, 2014 — 9:50 AM
iriel says:
I love AdagioTeas.com and I hate that international shipping is so expensive, which is a good thing for you: I’ve heard the ground shipping is supe cheap and fast. From this site, I totally recommend the IngenuiTEA (I call it the “magical teapot”!), earl grey moonlight, thai chai and fandom blends. You can also create your own blend, it’s really fun, but you have to be careful: the result might suck if you don’t know what you’re doing (it happened to me!).
Loving tea is a process. There are so many kinds and you really have to learn what you like and how you like it. The first time I drink a new tea, I try it without sugar or honey, then with a little of milk and then with sugar, to see how the tea works for me. As you can see, I’m not an expert, I just like tea a lot!
January 27, 2014 — 9:52 AM
Jesse says:
Microwaved tea? *Eyetwitch*
Bwah. Despite my love of tea, I tend to keep things pretty simple, I have a lovely little tea pot with an infuser built in, a little bit of loose leaf and let it steep (you shouldn’t actually pour in boiling water for most teas. I find if you let the water sit for a few minutes to get just below boiling it tastes better, especially if you get some of the herbal ones). Since my teapot is glass, I have a pretty good handle on how strong it is. If you use black or green tea, most of the time you don’t want it to get to dark because then it tastes a bit bitter. If you put the sugar in the cup before the water it disolves better when you stir it.
I never put milk in mine, (and there are friends of mine who tell me you ought not to put ANYTHING in it, but that seems a bit silly) but that is a matter of opinion when it comes for black tea (for other teas, when you put milk in it, your guardian tea angle, has a near death experience).
January 27, 2014 — 9:55 AM
mattyweaves says:
I just recently started making loose tea. I will never go back to bags. You can really taste the difference.
I got a glass tea pot with infuser for Christmas. I bought a metal kettle to heat the water, and went to the local health food store and bought some loose tea. So far my number one is English Breakfast.
I usually make a pot mid-morning, or around 9pm if I’m having a late night. It makes two cups, and after playing with it, I go with 2 1/2 teaspoons of leaf, and a lump and a half of sugar, no milk.
The most important thing to remember, do not over steep your tea. If you want stronger tea, add more leaves, don’t leave it in longer. It just makes it bitter.
January 27, 2014 — 10:07 AM
Pat Var says:
I don’t drink tea unless I’m ill. But my late mother had a very specific tea ritual, and I’ll share that with you: Required: Tea pot, kettle, loose or bagged tea (without tags and no plastic strings!). .Boil fresh water in your kettle. “Hot the pot” with the boiling water; i.e., rinse your teapot with the boiling water (unless the pot is cold, then warm it with hot tap water before you rinse with boiling water, to prevent cracking). Then, dump any remaining water out of your kettle and pot and put fresh water in the kettle to boil for the actual tea. Put your teabags (or loose tea) into the pot. My mom’s rule of thumb was one bag or teaspoon per cup of tea. Pour boiling water into the teapot and steep the tea for between 3-7 minutes depending on the type of tea (black tea about 3-5 mins, white tea avg 2 mins, green and Darjeeling (her fave) tea 3 mins. You just have to experiment to see how strong you want your tea. (I can still see her pursed lips when she’d try to get hot tea at a restaurant in later years and they’ bring her a cup of lukewarm water and a teabag 😉
January 27, 2014 — 10:22 AM
Odyssey of Rose (@redhairedmaiden) says:
Tip #1: Go to San Francisco’s China Town
Tip #2: Find the Vital Tea Shop
Tip#3: Free tea tasting and lessons on tea brewing.
January 27, 2014 — 10:23 AM
Meg says:
My flatmate drinks “maté” which is this Argentinian caffeine-rich tea-like think with a whole damn ritual around it : out of traditional calabash gourd shall ye drink, through traditional silver straw-spoon shall ye slurp, the first brew shall ye throw away for it is cat piss.
It makes her hyper, fresh-faced and over-enthusiastic every morning, curse her blessèd socks!
January 27, 2014 — 10:32 AM
Anita says:
Somewhere in between a tea snob and a garbage man of teas, like yourself. My taste in tea changes frequently, but my current favorite is an Indian Masala Chai Tea Bag called Wagh Bakrhi. You can get a but load of tea bags for a cheap price at any local Indian store or on Amazon.
I usually heat some water up in my electric kettle. Pour it over the tea bag. Add a splash of milk until you get that right chai color. And add 1.5 teaspoons of sugar if I want it sweet that day. And voila. You’ve got yummy tea.
January 27, 2014 — 10:34 AM
AmandaKat says:
Tea is my boyfriend (who introduced me to my husband).
It was also my job for three years and my field of study. I’ve learned how it is grown and processed, different ceremonies, the history / evolution of tea over the centuries, etc.
Ive met a lot of experts, enthusiasts, bag tea buyers and loose leaf lovers: some of them followed and preached very strict rules and some of them felt embarrassed and inept. The most important thing to remember is this:
When it comes to your taste buds, you are the expert.
Tea is not about knowing the right steps, pledging yourself against milk and sugar, or only drinking one type in the evening and NEVER in the morning. In fact, the people who enjoy tea the most are the ones who drink tea passionately, not by the book. That said, here are a few suggestions, rather than rules:
Experiment. Drink bagged tea, loose tea, with milk, with honey, try black tea, green tea, flavoured tea, herbal teas, etc. While i don’t aggressively campaign against tea bags, the contents of them are what you call dust and fannings- what’s left over after the actual tea leaves are processed, so… loose tea has a better range of flavour..
Read a bit. Tea has a rich, amazing history, and learning about it makes each cup more enjoyable. White tea, for instance, was once hand plucked by white-gloved virgins. Rooibos (a tea alternative) is amazing for your skin. Lapsang Souchong tea was a happy accident! Tea is so cool!
Shop around. Buy your tea from different shops, and if you’re feeling brave, start paying attention to where the tea is grown. Different regions and estates will have unique methods for growing and processing their teas, thus yielding different flavours and aromas.
Some of my best tea-drinkin’ memories come from chipped china mugs and stale tea bags, so ultimately, for me at least, tea isn’t about following strict rules. It’s about enjoying the experience.
That’s it for me- I’ve got to put the kettle on now. Drink up, young grasshopper, drink up.
January 27, 2014 — 10:41 AM
sjhulett says:
You should be canonized as the Saint of Tea for that, esp. bit about passion for tea being more important than the book!
January 27, 2014 — 12:29 PM
Nicole Martin says:
Welcome to the world of serious tea drinking! The important thing is to not over think it. Tea can be as complicated or easy going as you want it to be. All you really need to start out is a 2 cup teapot with an infuser basket. For good quality loose leaf, your local Whole Foods or Wegman’s are great places to start. Stay away from Teavana if you can help it. I’ve been writing about tea for years so if you need any guidance, don’t hesitate to bug me with questions 🙂
January 27, 2014 — 10:50 AM
Jordanna East says:
Omg, I can finally help you with something. This feels awesome. Love your blog. Okay. Tea. I buy my loose leaf tea from Teavana. The type of tea I get dictates the preparation. If I get oolong, the preparation is different than if I get rooibos. I microwave my water to a specific temperature, depending upon the leaf, then pour it over the loose tea. I have a tea pot that allows the tea to float freely. Then I set a timer. The tea should only steep for a certain amount of time, depending on the variety. Then I strain the tea and add German rock sugar. It sweetens without changing the flavor of the tea. Then I add milk or ice or both. The strained tea leaves can be used one more time, but you have to put them in the fridge and use them within a few hours. Good luck!
January 27, 2014 — 10:54 AM
James says:
I think you should all stop being so wishy-washy and vague. There is a document to refer to called ISO 3103; it is the standard used for brewing teas in sensory tests.
Use science for great justice Chuck! Vary you teas, vary your temperatures and control you other variables to find ULTIMATE TEA!
I quite enjoy Ceylon tea myself for a light Sunday afternoon sip.
January 27, 2014 — 11:01 AM
Lynne Connolly says:
Oh yes, and I visit the US for a month every year. I bring my own tea bags and travel kettle. Hotels give you an infernal machine that doesn’t boil water, however hard you yell at it. You can get PG Tips from Amazon. But Yorkshire Tea is the hard stuff, and stronger.
Bags used to be the cheapo dust stuff, but now it’s the good stuff. When the big tea drinking nations started using tea bags en masse, instead of it being a convenient novelty, they had to use the good stuff. They didn’t have enough dust!
January 27, 2014 — 11:02 AM
Lynne Connolly says:
If you’re at the RT Convention, I’ll make you some tea.
January 27, 2014 — 11:02 AM
Betsy says:
Different tea varieties have different flavors. Tea can be delicate, strong, better without milk, or at their best combined with milk. Generally, I like plain hot green tea–no milk, no sugar. But, the Indian lady down the street makes wonderful chai (from scratch, not from a mix), and I like that, too. It seems a completely different drink to me, sort of like hot cocoa even though it doesn’t taste like chocolate. I can’t imagine combining Japanese tea with milk. That just seems wrong.
Tea varieties taste different from each other, even if you leave milk, sugar, and spices out of the equation. Plain green tea and Darjeeling are my personal favorites. I’ll drink loose leaf or tea bags. How long you steep the tea also depends on the variety. I almost always want it steeped for a shorter time than what the instructions on the box or package say to do. If you leave the tea bag/leaves in your cup of tea, it becomes bitter after awhile.
You should go to a tea shop (yes they exist). They’ll let you try some different teas there and you can start to figure out what you like. The material of the cup that you drink from affects the flavor too. My sister-in-law advocates only drinking tea from bone china cups for that reason. I’m less picky and I use mugs. The neighborhood Korean restaurant serves tea in metal cups, which I guess is somewhat common in Korea. I found that all I could taste was the metal.
January 27, 2014 — 11:09 AM