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.
Joshua Rigsby says:
I used to work at the largest organic tea importer in North America. The most important thing to remember is that anything that comes in a teabag is literally the dust that’s left over after the tea is produced. The best quality tea far and away is whole or “loose leaf” tea.
As far as brewing the tea goes, here is an article I wrote a few years ago:
“How do you make a perfect cup of tea?”
Though we have worked with tea for decades we still find this question difficult to answer. Every culture on earth has a different way of preparing tea. Some prefer lots of sugar or milk, while others find the idea adding anything to tea repugnant. Some like it hot, some like it iced.
Add to this the myriad of regional, family, and personal preferences and it is easy to become overwhelmed with all of the possibilities.
There are, however, a few factors that can contribute to or detract from the tastiness of a quality cuppa. Making a perfect cup of tea basically comes down to three things: Tea, Temperature, & Time.
Tea – “Are all teas the same?”
There are five basic varieties of tea: white tea, green tea, oolong tea, black tea, and pu’erh tea. Each variety of tea has a different personality due to its oxidation level. Black teas are different from white teas, white teas are different from oolong teas and so on. The same variety of tea can be further distinguished by other factors, like the soil it was grown in, how tightly the leaves are rolled, or the altitude at which it was plucked. Generally speaking, the quantity and variety of tea that you have will determine the temperature and time you use. We recommend about a teaspoon of tea per 6oz cup.
Temperature – “How hot is too hot?”
Temperature is a tricky thing to regulate. Unless you have an electric tea kettle it’s almost impossible to tell what the temperature of your water is. This can be problematic, because it is very possible to “over brew” or “burn” your tea by scalding it in water that is too hot for too long. The conventional wisdom that says you should only steep your tea in boiling water is sadly mistaken here. We would recommend that you purchase a handy gizmo like a Zojirushi for preparing tea at cooler temperatures (see below for temperature recommendations).
Time – “How do I know if my tea is ready?”
The answer to this question usually comes down to a combination of the previous two factors. If you steep your tea for too long the tea will generally develop a “sour” quality that “buzzes” in the mouth. This is known in the industry as “astringency.” If you don’t steep for long enough then the tea will lack a “full-bodied” flavor and taste weak or watery. Below are some general suggestions according to the variety of tea you are brewing.
General Guidelines
The following are general guidelines originally published by the Specialty Tea Institute of North America:
Black – 4 to 5 minutes at a temperature of 200-212 degrees Fahrenheit
Oolong – 4 to 7 minutes at a temperature of 195- 205 degrees Fahrenheit
Green – 2 to 3 minutes at a temperature of 170 -190 degrees Fahrenheit
White – 3 to 6 minutes at a temperature of 170- 190 degrees Fahrenheit
Pu’erh 1 to 10 minutes at a temperature of 205- 212 degrees Fahrenheit
Keep up the good work Chuck.
Joshua Rigsby http://joshuarigsby.com
January 27, 2014 — 11:15 AM
Lynna Landstreet says:
I worship tea like you worship coffee. I worship tea as much as this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eELH0ivexKA
I do not use tea bags. I used to, when I was unreliably self-employed and sometimes on a very low income, but now that I’ve got a bit more disposable income, it’s loose-leaf only. Tastes so much better! I get it from a variety of places, but David’s Tea is the only one that’s a chain you can find in other places – the others are mostly local independent tea shops.
Black tea needs fully boiling water; green tea needs water that is not quite boiling. Oolong is sort of in between (since it’s semi-fermented), and opinion seems to vary about that one. How long to steep tea for is also somewhat variable, depending partly on the kind of tea and partly on personal taste. I steep mine for a little bit longer than some other commenters here – 5 minutes tends to be my default, but it varies a bit with the type. Many tea places will give you specific temperature and steeping time recommendations for the particular variety you buy – David’s Tea prints them on the label.
I use a little filter basket that can sit inside a teapot or a cup – it has handles that stick out to balance on the top of whatever cup or pot you put it in (in my case, usually a large teacup, shaped like the TARDIS, which has its own lid, so it’s kind of like a mini-teapot). There are also teapots you can get that have a filter basket of some sort built into them. Just don’t dump the tea leaves loose into the pot – some people like doing it that way, but it means you can’t take them out when the tea is finished steeping, plus it makes the teapot hard to clean – they get stuck in the spout.
And the lid part reminds me – it’s important for tea to be covered while it’s steeping, so that the volatile oils don’t escape into the air. If you’re making tea in a cup, stick a small plate over the top or something.
Particular kinds of tea I like: my default morning cuppa is David’s Organic Breakfast Blend, but from there I also really like the Wild Black Yunnan, Lapsang Souchong, and the Jasmine Black Pearls. Overall my favourite kind of black tea is keemun, a Chinese variety that’s got a beautiful, slightly bittersweet, almost winey taste, but can be kind of hard to find. David’s doesn’t have it, but some independent tea shops do, and Teavana has one keemun variety that’s very nice, but horrifically expensive (it’s also the only tea I’ve ever had from Teavana that I actually liked). I also like some kinds of darjeeling and assam – assam is a really robust, dark black tea with a strong flavour, which you definitely don’t want to oversteep or it will practically eat its way out of the pot. Darjeeling is a lot more delicate in flavour, almost floral, and also highly variable depending on where specifically it comes from – some kinds of darjeeling I really like, and some kinds are just meh. But the best way to find out what kinds of tea you like is just to start trying them!
January 27, 2014 — 11:18 AM
Kay Camden says:
Okay, why are there so many comments on a post about tea…on a writing website?
I’ll admit I skimmed the comments. Some good stuff here. It’s not gonna change my ways though, because I’m unsophisticated and very stubborn.
My tools:
black mug with faded Star Trek logo I stole from my husband (black mugs don’t show tea stain aw yeah)
Black & Decker Brew ‘N Go
My tea:
Lipton, ’cause you can get a mega box cheap at Costco
My process:
1. Pour water from my Sigg water bottle I carry to work into Star Trek mug.
2. Pour water from Star Trek mug into Brew ‘N Go.
3. Push button on Brew ‘N Go.
4. Get busy at work and forget I just heated water.
5. Remember water. Send it through Brew ‘N go again.
6. Remove mug and put Lipton tea bag in.
7. Remove tea bag…whenever.
8. Drop in one cube of sugar.
9. Stir.
10. Drink.
At home I might use a kettle. And maybe a different brand of black tea but it’s not gonna be much fancier than Lipton.
I’m pretty sure one of you is going to kill me in my sleep tonight so please tell my children I love them.
I also hate Star Trek.
January 27, 2014 — 11:30 AM
Christina Mercer says:
Great post! I drink tea all day, mostly black. Everyone’s done a great job covering the topic, but I will insert a bit about honey. I am a honey worshiper and I always add it to my tea, no matter the type. Sugar doesn’t even compare to the goodies honey provides, and I could write a whole page on that alone. When adding it to tea, wait until after the tea is brewed and the milk has been added, as straight boiling water can kill some of the awesome enzymes and such. 🙂
January 27, 2014 — 11:45 AM
Stephanie R. says:
Adagio.com has some fantastic blends (they even let you create your own!). They also have paper tea filters that you can just put a spoonful of loose leaf into. I love the filters because whenever I used a strainer– esp. with rooibos tea– little leaf/spice bits would still find their way into the cup. Davidstea.com is also great, and they send you three free samples with every order, so that helps a lot in terms of discovering what kinds of flavors you like.
January 27, 2014 — 11:51 AM
Ariel Avalon says:
I love tea. I prefer to drink loose leaf tea, which I love to buy at Teavana or else online since it’s the best quality I can find regularly that sticks in my budget. I have a tea pot that had the infusion basket in it for brewing loose leaf tea that I got back when I still worked at Starbucks and had my employee discount. I like to brew a full pot of it and fill up my two tea tumblers and a mug, so I end up with like 40 or 50 ounces of tea, but I can drink it warm. I just put in a small teaspoon of sugar unless I’ve been by a Starbucks lately, where I like to buy a bottle of their classic syrup and just pop a squirt in each. I don’t like my hot tea very hot. I just boil my water in a pot on the stove and then pop a thermometer in it and I don’t put it in my tea pot until it’s a temperature I want.
Then for iced tea, unless I have the money to splurge on loose leaf tea, I just use tea bags. If I use loose leaf, I use a coffee filter, otherwise I just toss the bags without their strings into the plastic basket of my coffee pot (which is my tea pot. I bought my husband a seperate coffee pot to keep his coffee taste out of my tea since making tea, I don’t find I need to wash the maker as often with vinegar as when it was a coffee pot only) I put in two tea bags (or about 4 tablespoons of loose leaf since I find a taste difference between the two) and then I fill it up and brew a full pot. I pop that into a pitcher with the sugar (3/4ths a cup for herbals and a full cup for black sweet tea) and then I fill up the coffee pot again and brew it again WITHOUT changing the tea bags. It makes the perfect iced tea.
Joshua’s comment above is amazing. I second about everything in it. I’m not a purist, but I do love my tea. There really is no right and wrong in my opinion. Everyone has different tastes. It’s the same with coffee. My mother can’t stand anything but Maxwell house and anything but a pure arabica blend makes me cringe (though, that is the coffee master in me talking). You have to drink your tea the way you want. The way it tastes best for you. Yes, loose leaf tea is pricier and better tasting, but if Lipton makes you happy, screw the haters.
January 27, 2014 — 11:54 AM
Joshua Rigsby says:
Thanks, Ariel. Your comment is amazing too. 😉 To say there is a right or wrong way to make tea is like saying there is a right or wrong way to make music. It’s all about personal taste and preference. That said, there are some practices that most people find agreeable (harmony vs. dissonance for example), and easier ways to achieve these than others.
January 27, 2014 — 12:31 PM
Rayne says:
I get all my teas, loose leaf, from adagio.com.
January 27, 2014 — 12:08 PM
Luke Matthews (@GeekElite) says:
Wow. I drink 2-4 cups of tea on a daily basis. I never find mine over-brewed or bitter. I only add sugar, never milk. And even though I drink that much tea, I read through these responses and found myself well below the classification of “tea snob”. I might be slightly higher than pencil shavings, but apparently not by much.
January 27, 2014 — 12:22 PM
denisewillson says:
Well, Chuck, I am a gourmet food buyer by day (Canada’s largest retailer of its kind), so I’m usually knee deep in tea. You DO get what you pay for, and WHERE you buy your tea is important. Most high-end retailers are very picky when sourcing tea products, and do much of the homework for you. The process is very much the same (hot water poured over bag / loose leaf sifter, steeped for 1-3 minutes, etc) no matter what tea you buy. It’s the quality of tea you want to pay attention to.
That said, please don’t nuke your tea. Bad call all around.
Denise Willson
January 27, 2014 — 12:22 PM
Gareth Skarka says:
I’m a PG Tips addict. Used to be hard to get here in the US — I’d have the Cubicle 7 guys bring me a stash when they came over to do conventions, but then the local British import shop in town starting getting it, and now they appear to have found a US distributor, because I’m starting to see it in the larger grocery chains, too.
The pyramid-shaped bag is pretty nifty, as it allows the tea to flow around a bit, more so than the typical US-tea-bag envelope.
But yeah, pretty much what has been said here a number of times: cool water, bring to boil, immediately pour over the tea, let sit for a few minutes, agitating it from time to time, then add sugar and milk.
I’ve tried other teas (various chinese varieties, all sorts of hipster-organic loose leaf stuff (we have a number of loose-tea infusers), but nothing does it for me quite like a plain ol’ cuppa “Builder’s Tea”: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Builder's_tea
January 27, 2014 — 12:27 PM
J.F. Constantine says:
Dear Chuck, Tazo and MIghty Leaf first of all.
Tea shops exist where they can sell you very hoity toity brands, and loose leaves, but IMO that’s not necessary.
I highly recommend Tazo’s “Thrive” for some caffeine and other herbs, and their “Refresh” and “Calm” for no caffeine. Mighty Leaf makes much fab-o tea. Their “Green Tea Tropical” rocks the known universe. There are many, many other great blends in both brands.
Good news: you can get both Tazo and Mighty Leaf in most supermarkets.
Get a proper tea mug with a lid on it. It’s okay to nuke the water – 1 cup of water per tea bag (I microwave mine in a glass Pyrex measuring cup for 2.5-3 minutes). Then pour it over your tea bag and put the lid on the mug. Let it steep for 8-9 minutes. Then remove and strain the bag – you can use a spoon, wrapping the bag string around the bag pulling it tight to let the extra tea drain into your cup. Then toss the bag.
I have a porcelain Chinese tea mug my own self.
I always use glass in the micro – no plastic! Hence the Pyrex glass measuring cup.
You can add milk or sugar after all of this as you wish. Me, I drink mine straight. 🙂
Also, because this is Texas where I live, I also sometimes make a marvy iced caffeine-free tea in the spring and summer. I make it by the pitcher and drink it straight so I have no calories to worry about. I cannot overstate the refreshing quality of this tea. This is an awesome thirst quencher!
Here’s the “recipe”:
Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger
Celestial Seasonings Black Cherry Berry
Take 3 “double” bags of each of the above teas and put them in a pitcher with a lid. When you open a box of this tea, you’ll see what I mean by “double” bags.
Heat 6 cups of water (micro or stove, doesn’t matter) and pour it into the pitcher with the tea bags. Steep for 9 minutes with the lid on. These bags have no strings, so you can still strain them with a spoon, but you’ll need another spoon to press on them to get the excess tea into your pitcher. I use the lid and press them with the spoon against the pitcher lid.
Add 4 cups of ice and let it sit until the ice is melted (about 4 minutes). Put it in your fridgie to chill. Ahhh!!
Yes, I’m a native Texan (the only kind), and “no” I do not like “sweet tea” (like almost everyone else in the South and Southwest). What can I say, I march to the beat of my own drummer, dammit! 🙂
Enjoy!
January 27, 2014 — 12:30 PM
AJ Booloodian says:
That’s a lot of tea advice, but I see one thing missing (or I overlooked it). Some people mentioned adding honey, milk, and sugar. You can also add brown sugar or fruit preserves (seedless is better for obvious reasons). Vanilla sugar is also amazing in loose leaf tea.
January 27, 2014 — 12:35 PM
Robert Guthrie says:
Do yourself a favor and start simple.
Black tea, 1 bag.
Put in large mug (1 bag makes a good 10 floz of tea, but only if you brew it all at once).
Boil water, pour over tea bag.
Start a 3 minute timer (or a bit more, never longer than 5 minutes!)
Take the tea bag out after the timer goes off.
Throw that bag away. Don’t be all Great Depression cheap-ass bastard here.
Enjoy.
Makes Chemex coffee making look like rocket science by comparison, doesn’t it?
When you move on to loose leaf tea, it’s pretty much the same ritual, just replace the tea bag with the infuser & proper dosage of tea leaves. Then you can get fancy and adjust the temperature for other less aggressive flavors of tea as your palate for the stuff gets more sophisticated.
Note that over-steeped “bitter” tea is about 10 times less bitter than perfectly brewed dark roast coffee. You may not be able to tell it’s better, especially if you take it with milk. But it is better, and you’ll notice the difference if you go back to your heathen ways.
January 27, 2014 — 12:35 PM
Harleen Mittal (@HarleenMittal) says:
Let me quickly preface by saying that I’ve been following your blog for awhile now and I can’t believe THIS is the post I finally decide to comment on but what the shit, here it goes.
I’ve got a tea addiction. I only drink it once a day, but if I don’t have this elixer of life as soon as I wake up, I gradually turn into the force—and, it won’t be with you. I prefer masala chai—I’m not talking about the weird shit that you get from the two-tailed mermaid down the street. I’m talking about authentic, straight-up Indian style, classic, you could die it’s so good, masala CHAI!
The ingredients of this easy-to-make, aromatic, heavenly brew involves black tea, an assortment of spices, sugar, and a splash of half and half. Why half-and-half and not regular milk or cream? Cuz half-and-half has a magic that makes the difference between meh, not bad chai and OH MY GOD THIS IS SO GOOD MY BRAIN IS GOING TO EXPLODE, I CAN DIE IN MY SLEEP NOW, I LOVE YOU chai:
Ingredients:
Boiling water (duh)
Brook Bond Taj Mahal Orange Pekoe Black Tea*
Sugar
Half and Half and 1/4 tsp of this*: http://imgur.com/blCyLTD “MDH T-PLUS SPICE BLEND FOR TEA AND MILK”
*you can find these ingredients at any Indian supermarket.
Directions:
Add sugar, spice mix, and tea bag to a cup.
Pour in the boiling water and let it steep for 3-4 minutes.
Add a splash of half and half until it looks caramel brown colored.
Stir and effing enjoy the wonder that is masala chai. #die_happy
January 27, 2014 — 12:45 PM
Jessica Nelson says:
I think I was lucky growing up, in that my mom dated a man from England, so our cupboards were always stocked with Bigelow and Twinings, and Earl Grey (flavored with bergamot, this often tastes like Froot Loops to me, in a way) and Darjeeling have been favorites for as long as I can remember (although I will drink Lipton if I’m sick or broke and someone gives it to me and I haven’t got anything else. They also have a loose leaf option.). I’ve never liked tea with milk, though. A spoonful or lump of sugar is perfect for me.
I also love Bigelow’s Green Tea Chai, if you find yourself liking green teas with added spices. It has the perfect blend of flavors for a Chai.
January 27, 2014 — 12:47 PM
Marm (@ladymarm) says:
I’m a tea snob. But I’m also lazy. I prefer loose black teas, but ordering good ones can get expensive (I usually order online from EnglishTeaStore.com when I can afford to). Thus, I have devised the lazy woman’s way to passable tea for tea snobs.
1. Obtain a box of Lipton *loose* tea – pretty cheap at ~$5 per 8 oz. box, but can be a little tough to find sometimes.
2. Obtain cheapo Chefmate coffee maker from Target – only ~$10, so I don’t particularly care if I have to replace it a couple times a year. I like this one in particular because I don’t drink an entire pot of tea at once, and other coffee makers I’ve tried tend to scorch the tea (burnt flavor) either while brewing because the water is too hot, or scorch it in the pot not long after brewing because of the high-temp warming plate. The Chefmate does a decent job of keeping half a pot of tea warm several hours before scorching. It must remain a dedicated tea pot, however, because running coffee through even once, ruins it for tea.
3. Run a couple pots of water through the new maker, and be prepared to toss out the first pot of tea you brew also – it tends to still taste plastic-y for a bit.
4. Toss in between 2 and 3 tablespoons of tea into the filter, depending on how strong you like your tea, and brew as you would coffee!
5. Profit! Or, y’know, enjoy better tea than the crap in the bags.
January 27, 2014 — 1:12 PM
barefootbodhi says:
I’m a hardcore tea snob and only drink loose-leaf, whole-leaf teas, or matcha. I usually prefer green or oolong teas, but lately I’ve been working on a Steampunk novel and have found myself drinking copious amounts of strong Assam black tea along with shortbread biscuits or scones to keep the creative juices flowing.
If you want to get into loose tea, I have a strainer mug from ForLife (the “Curve Asian Style” one) that I got as a gift after admiring it at my boyfriend’s parents’ house, but they’re not expensive, and they work well for loose teas. The strainer is nice and big, and it comes with a cover. I also found an electric kettle that heats water to a set temperature rather than just to boiling.
January 27, 2014 — 1:19 PM
Toni Kenyon says:
*Shudder* I’m British born, so tea making is something that has been thrashed into me from an early age! Empty the kettle and fill it with fresh (preferably filtered) water. While the kettle is boiling make sure that the tea pot (not one of those new-fangled glass things) is clean.
Add one teaspoon of loose leaf tea for each person you are serving and one for the pot.
While you continue to wait for the water to boil find a China cup and saucer. Tea should always be drunk out of china otherwise it doesn’t taste right – don’t ask me – it’s like the microwave it works but I don’t know why.
If you are drinking fermented tea (ie not green tea or herbal tea) add milk to the cup.
After the kettle has boiled, let it stand for a moment (if you’re drinking green tea – add water to the tea in the teapot – green tea goes bitter if the water’s too hot).
Then pour the water into the teapot – it should be just off boiling. That’s a judgment call – can I tell you how mentally scarred I am from pouring the hot water on the tea too early or too late and ‘ruining’ the brew!
Turn the teapot five times in a full circle to circulate the tea – or my (still) preferred option, just stir it with a teaspoon.
Put on the tea cosy (every home should have a garish orange and brown knitted tea cosy, complete with tea stains and the pouring side) and leave for a few minutes to draw.
Put scones, cheese & cucumber sandwiches and Angel cakes on the platters for serving.
Pour the tea into the china cups and voila!
Espresso coffee from scratch is so much easier…. But I still drink gallons of Earl Grey from my china cup.
January 27, 2014 — 2:43 PM
Lynne Connolly says:
I probably drink about, oh, somewhere around 8 mugs of tea a day. And maybe one coffee. I’m British and I live here.
The water you pour on to proper tea HAS to be boiling. Those bubbles push air through the bags, and when the water is boiling something magical happens. If it’s not boiling, it makes a brown liquid that is a hollow imitation of the real thing. It will taste of something, but it won’t have the “ah” factor. Or “oo” as one slogan has it. Tea made in a microwave is like stewed tea.
You don’t need fancy pots, infusers or special blends. Don’t over-fancy it, unless that preparation gives you pleasure. Don’t buy Liptons, it’s horrid. As soon as your children have come off the teat, start giving them tea. Make it in a Brown Betty. Our teapot only ever needs warming in the mornings. The rest of the day it’s already warm.
The first time I visited Texas, I asked for tea in an expensive restaurant. They said “hot or cold?” My editor cracked up, because, she said, of the expression on my face. Then they brought a cup of hot water and a teabag. I gave it back to them and had coffee. There’s the secret. Have what your hosts are best at. The coffee was much better than anything I’ve had at home.
Oh, and used teabags are great for putting on compost heaps. Gardeners love them.
Try making custard without boiling the milk, or bread without letting it prove a second time.
January 27, 2014 — 3:40 PM
Toni Kenyon says:
Hi Lynne,
I don’t use bags, so there’s plenty of space for hot water and tea leaves to ‘mingle’. 🙂 One of my favorite teas are the oriental teas that come as little tight balls. You soak them in hot water and they open into squid-like flowers at the bottom of the cup. Fantastic for giving to friends who aren’t expecting to find an octopus residing in the bottom of their tea cup.
January 28, 2014 — 2:25 PM
Keziah Hill says:
I’m a tea person and have my morning ritual. I make a pot of tea with half ordinary old black tea and half Earl Grey. I find the combination cuts the overly floweriness of the Earl Grey (in fact I’m drinking it as I type). Other times I like it straight, but just not in the morning. I have an old tea pot bought in a Chinese food market that has in internal wire basket for the tea and an insulated cover that goes over the whole pot. I’m not all that fussy about temperature and steeping. Just boil the water and fill up the pot. By the time I assemble the mug (a large Robert Gordon) and get to my desk, it’s ready. I live 105ks from Sydney in the Blue Mountains so it’s supermarket bought. But on trips to Sydney I stock up on some Monk Pear from T2 in Newtown. Russian Caravan is another favorite. At work it’s tea bags just because it’s more convenient, but really, leaf is the best way to get a good cuppa.
January 27, 2014 — 2:55 PM
Sarah Dalton says:
Oh, now HERE’s the controversial post. Forget self-publishing we have an honest to God tea philistine here.
You microwave the tea? Seriously? What-the-fuck.
British girl here to save you from mediocre tea.
First, you want a nice English breakfast tea. We’re talking Twinings or Taylor’s of Harrogate. You need to boil your water, in a kettle. Then get a nice teapot (all right, I don’t always use a tea pot, and I drink it out of mugs, not tea cups with saucers, whatever, complain to /r/britishproblems) put in one bag, or two if you want it strong, fill with boiling water and let it brew for at least a minute (this is called ‘mashing’ in South Yorkshire, bit of trivia for you) stir the tea in the teapot to check it’s brewed, then pour and add the milk.
Controversial subject – milk first or milk last. Milk LAST. Mainly because I like it super milky. I’m probably a minority though.
Enjoy 🙂
January 27, 2014 — 4:13 PM
Paris Marx (@parismarx) says:
All these amazing people are giving you a ton of great information, so I’m not going to repeat it all, but instead add my experience over the past couple months.
I’ve been addicted to tea for many years and I despise coffee. I love trying different kinds, but when it comes to your regular black tea I always took it with milk and sugar.
For the past two and a half months I’ve been in the Middle East where they only put sugar in their black tea, and I have to be honest, I’ll never go back. Give it a try without the milk. In my opinion, after a short adjustment, it’s much better.
January 27, 2014 — 4:29 PM
Gabryyl Pierce (@Gabryyl) says:
One of my (other) fav writers is Kait Nolan, who is a huge tea fan, Apparently there is a social network site for tea called Steepster: http://steepster.com/seanachi
January 27, 2014 — 5:45 PM
furrama says:
I drink a mix of straight up green tea and mix a bit of chi in there, and drink it sweet and cold. I grew up southern, so while I grew up on sweet black iced tea I don’t really like how strong it can be. White tea doesn’t have enough punch to it.
I have tried gourmet teas, but everything is based off of black, green, or white ( basically), with additives and extra flowers or fruits or various bits of burned wooded things. But that stuff is more for drinking hot, and I really only like hot teas on cold days and when I’m sick.
January 27, 2014 — 6:11 PM
Kim Ward says:
First and foremost, Lipton I not tea, mint is not tea, camomile is not tea (herbal tisane maybe, infusion, sure, but not tea.)
Second, no bag! Use loose tea, put it in the bottom of the pot, boil the fuck out of the water, pour it into the POT, not a cup, and let it steep a good three minutes.There’s a little metal bit that looks like a Lilliputian broom with no handle. That’s what you can put in the spout of the tea pot to keep your tea leaves out of your cup.
Third, chai MEANS tea, so it’s purely idiotic redundancy to say chai tea…
Fourth, real tea is something dark and Indian like Darjeeling. A hearty British, Irish, or Scottish blend is the best choice.
Fifth, you can add a lump or two of sugar, maybe a bit of half & half or cream (but GOD NOT low fat anything, all that does is look like hot water someone waved a dirty sock over.)
Then,sit back, enjoy!
January 27, 2014 — 7:23 PM
Annie says:
I used to think that I was a big tea drinker, then I read the comments. My personal preference is green tea with jasmine, specifically flowering tea but that might just be because it looks really cool blooming in a glass teapot. I get the water simmering first, then leave it for a few minutes (because who bothers with timers? Not I!) and when I get back to it all I do is add sugar or honey depending on what I have on hand.
January 27, 2014 — 8:10 PM
StaceyHH says:
I love tea, and go out of my way for high quality loose-leaf, but am also a hardcore coffee addict. So the tea thing is as much about the ritual as about the drink. Since it’s ritual-heavy, there’s a certain emphasis on the proper tools.
Matcha is always in an appropriate bowl, whisked with a bamboo whisk in the correct motion, Senchas are always made in a Tokoname-style sencha teapot.
Oolongs get clay pots or porcelain, depending on how roasted they are, the pot may need to hold heat or release it. Sometimes I use a gaiwan instead of a pot for a very special tea.
I use yixing for puerh, because reasons.
White teas and very delicate teas (like silver needle,) get very thin porcelain or glass, for quick heat release so they don’t get that stewed taste.
Water temp and steep time is very important.
I use single serving pots if I’m brewing for myself only, because the first steep tastes different than the 3rd. (3 steeps? yes, and sometimes more, depending on the tea and prep method.)
The short version of all of this is that for me, tea takes time and attention, which is part of its appeal, and I like a little art with my tea, so go out of my way to use beautiful handcrafted tools. If I just want something with caffeine to toss down, I’d rather have coffee. It gets the job done faster and tastes great. If I want hydration with flavor, I use a brew system like ForLife or the pour-thru devices, and teabags (I like Mighty Leaf and Lupicia.)
January 27, 2014 — 8:13 PM
Natalie says:
what’s your tea ritual like?
My tea ritual is usually boil enough filtered water in my electric kettle for a cup or two. Add prepared tea setup (different depending upon the type of tea I feel like) and enjoy. If I’m feeling fancy and want an extra smooth (oh yeah) experience, I use my china teacups. Yes. It does indeed taste different in china versus your standard everyday mug. This is one of the great mysteries of tea-science.
If I feel like putting on my fancy pants, I’ll pull out the blind one-legged bushbaby-picked loose leaf – you know, the EXTRA fancy stuff. If I’m making tea for a crowd or am just really tea thirsty, I pull out the ceramic tea pot and fill its bulbous belly with hot water and tea leaves (it has a built in strainer). I recommend BeeHouse teapots for loose leaf brewing. Or, the easy to find mesh teaballs.
where do you get your tea?
If I tell you I’ll have to ki… You know what, you have a trustworthy face so I’ll spill the beans, er… leaves.
If I am lazy and don’t want to fuss with loose-leaf, my go to for bagged tea is Twinings, Dilmah, or Tazo (in that order). For loose, I go strait for the good stuff, either Teavana (the Youthberry White blend mixed half and half with the Wild Orange Blossom herbal is fantastic) or my absolute favorite, Palais des Thés (the FLEUR DE GEISHA is a wonderful cherry flavored green tea and THÉ N°25 NOIR is a fabulous light bodied citrus spiced black tea).
How do you brew it? Is there a temperature thing?
A technique?
I think everyone covered this quite well. To add my preferences, dairy before hot water (reduces the chance of scalded/off milk flavor), lemon with earl gray (for the love of Picard, NO dairy), remove green tea and most black tea varieties after the recommended steeping time or you’ll get bitter tea-face (unless you like that sort of thing, I don’t judge…)
Happy brewing! Do let us know when you level-up. 🙂
January 27, 2014 — 8:41 PM
Whoa, Molly! says:
I’m such an Australian: black tea (I like English Breakfast, Lady Grey, Irish Breakfast), milk, sugar.
Tea just isn’t tea any other way. You can have bags or loose-leaf or have it brewed by a kind Sri Lankan man on a tea plantation in the mountains – but it has to have milk and sugar!
Making my mum a cup of tea was the first kitchen thing I learned to do. I was probably…eight? Tea reminds me of being a kid, of mum’s friends coming over and having a cuppa, me trying not to spill the mug but always doing it.
I drink about three cups a day, down from five or six last year (I have to cut back! That’s just too much tea!)
January 27, 2014 — 9:22 PM
minimalism ftw says:
I’m a morning minimalist. I just skip the brewing and drink hot water. Next step, it’s going to just be filtered water–not heated. My eventual plan is to get down to this morning ritual: wake up. Drink water from the tap. Proceed with the day.
January 27, 2014 — 9:25 PM
Diana Clark says:
Not a tea snob, per se, but I do enjoy a good cuppa. And a good cuppa involves water that has been boiled in a kettle, and tea that is steeped in a pot, one that is never washed with soapy water. (Soap will take away the tea residue, dontchaknow, and if you have plenty of residue, it subtly influences the flavor of the tea. Over a course of years.) I like tea from Teavana, various flavors for various moods. Vanilla Roobios is a good one. Earl Gray is predictable, but I do like bergamot. Lastly, keeping the pot of tea warm until you are done with the first cup requires a tea-cozy. There are some out there that aren’t horrid. Honest.
January 27, 2014 — 10:48 PM
Siddhartha says:
Full disclosure: I am a tea snob and have been one since I was in my teens. Also, I am from a part of India (Bengal) where people pride themselves in being tea snobs.
I drink 6-7 cups of tea a day. My morning tea is a blend of Assam CTC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crush,_Tear,_Curl) and Darjeeling tea. I like my first cup made in the traditional Indian way (what is often called “Chai” by people who don’t know that Chai means tea):
1. Boil a mix of filtered water and milk. (Chai is often made from pure milk. I don’t like the taste / flavour of milk. Thus the water and the boiling.)
2. After the mix has come to a boil, pour in the CTC tea. How much tea? That depends on the variety of the tea and the strength that you want. I usually go for 3/4 teaspoonful per cup.
3. Simmer the tea till it reaches your desired strength – it is 2-3 minutes for me.
4. Bring the tea to a boil and turn the heat off. Put in the Darjeeling.
5. Steep for 2-3 more minutes. Strain and drink with or without sugar.
Now that the Brits and other tea snobs are baying for my blood, let me describe my afternoon and evening cups of tea.
1. Put Darjeeling tea leaves into a teapot. Darjeeling tea is usually marketed as black tea, but it is technically oolong (not completely oxidised).
2. Bring water to boil.
3. As soon as it comes to a boil, remove it from the heat and pour it into the teapot. Steep for 5 minutes. I usually steep it till the tea reaches a dark-ish golden colour.
4. Strain into cups and drink without milk. You should drink it unsweetened, but putting it sugar is not considered blasphemous by the liberal tea-drinkers. DO NOT, REPEAT DO NOT put sugar in your Darjeeling in front of a staunch conservative tea drinker like my dad.
A few varieties that I sometimes like:
1. Masala Nimbu Chai: A decent tea steeped in water, poured over lime juice (Nimbu) and spice mix (masala). The spice mix usually contains a bit of dried ginger powder, a little bit of cardamom powder and a little bit of nutmeg powder, all mixed with a bit of sea salt.
2. Butter tea: a strong tea mixed with butter and a little bit of salt.
A few tips and tricks:
1. Always try to buy your tea leaves loose, not exceeding 100g or so.
2. Try to get single-estate tea leaves. That gives you much better consistency from cup to cup.
3. Store tea leaves in metal containers, ideally never more than half full. Keep a teaspoon inside the container for ease of access and to prevent inadvertent exposure to moisture.
4. Both bone china and coffee mugs are fine. You can also try glass tumblers – they keep the tea warm for longer and concentrate the aroma.
5. If you use a teapot, rinse it but do not wash or scrub.
6. Please don’t use teabags. There’s absolutely no reason to use teabags. Related:
7. Tea does NOT need elaborate rituals and arcane instruments. For a good cup of Darjeeling, all you need is a kettle-full of hot water, some tea (that you can put directly inside the kettle), a strainer (even a clean cloth can work in a pinch) and a cup or mug or tumbler. Using a teabag just to save on the strainer seems unreasonable.
8. Be adventurous. Try everything. Even the ones with Yak butter, Especially the ones made with Yak butter. Yum!
January 28, 2014 — 1:40 AM
Velvet Fletcher says:
I’m a big tea fan, but I don’t have much of a ritual. I do know I cannot drink teabag tea anymore. It tastes like dust.
I buy good quality loose leaf tea, either from a local shop when I’m in the big city (I’m in rural Australia) or online most of the time. I throw a teaspoon into my teapot (I have a 2 cup pot for everyday use and this makes it the perfect strength for me), pour over recently boiled water and leave it alone for 5 minutes. Come back, pour, add milk. No elaborate ritual, nothing tricky.
For me, tea is all about finding what you love. I’m a big fan of flavoured black teas, drunk with milk and no sugar. Other people can’t stand flavoured tea. Try lots, see what works. Personally, I think making good coffee is much trickier than making good tea.
January 28, 2014 — 4:57 AM
Robert Mitchell says:
Holy store-brand grass clippings! There are folks on here that make tea snobs look like philistines…to me, tea is what you drink when you can’t drink any more coffee because you’re flying through your evening like a plastic puck on an air hockey table and you want to get to bed before zero dark asscrack. I’m impressed my this display of samurai tea mastery. Who knew so many word nerds were also tea nerds?
January 28, 2014 — 5:49 AM
Marc Cabot says:
Geekery is a state of mind: one rarely meets a person who is only geeky about one thing. 🙂
January 29, 2014 — 4:45 PM
Robert Mitchell says:
So right Marc. I am down-the-rabbit-hole-nerdy about so many things (just not tea). I see the hole and now it is tempting me…must step around it…
January 30, 2014 — 6:07 AM
The Grumpy Girl (@thegrumpygirl_) says:
So many comments on tea <3 I admit I didn't read all, but thank you to the person who posted the Professor Elemental video. I'll be chanting "Herbal! NO THANKS!" all day now 🙂
I love tea so much, and live by the "Keep Calm and Put The Kettle On" rule. Recently, I came home sad and feeling terrible and crying my eyes out, and my wife just silently put the kettle on and made me tea. True fucking love.
As for my tea, I'm lazy and clumsy, especially in the morning, so I only fiddle with loose tea in the latter hours of the day. In the morning and basically whenever I'm in a hurry it's the following:
1. boil water in electronic kettle, clueless as to what temp it has because I'm not fancy schmancy enough to have a kettle that is privy to that kind of information.
2. take biggest mug I can find, drop a Tetley's bag in and fill with boiling water. I like it best when it's scalding as I pour because I have this belief that it'll be stronger and wake me up better
3a. if I have time or other things to do in the kitchen I will diligently wait for a couple of minutes, fish the bag out, pour shit tons of milk in (seriously, loads, Brits scowl at me)
3b if I have to leave the kitchen I just pour the milk and leave the bag in, Builder's tea style. Because if I leave the room there's no chance I will remember that there was supposed to be tea, and will return hours later to a sad cold cup of tea gunk. I mean, come on, it's Tetley's and I'm no dowager so it's good enough for me.
That reminds me, must go and put the kettle on.
January 28, 2014 — 6:00 AM
Rah says:
Boil water in an electric kettle until it’s finished boiling [[so about 100C]]
Put teabag in cup, or put loose tea in tea strainer then put that in cup.
Pour water [[approximately 155ml]] over tea
Whilst tea is brewing add three tablespoons [[45ml]] of soy milk if it’s a tea that’s good with milk, or one teaspoon of sugar if it isn’t.
Leave to brew for usually three minutes, but this depends on the type of tea, they have different optimum brewing times, then remove teabag.
Drink and enjoy.
My favourite teas to have with milk include any black tea that’s chai, earl grey, or vanilla.
January 28, 2014 — 12:58 PM
Jessica Meddows says:
Are you a Torontonian? There’s a tea festival on this weekend you should go to!
January 28, 2014 — 2:34 PM
Chippy says:
I’m definitely a tea drinker – the closest I get to coffee is when it is mixed with chocolate.
It was only a few years ago that I realised people made tea using a microwave… I was amazed as I have always used a kettle to make tea, and it never occurred to me that you could make tea with a microwave.
I was almost as amazed as when I found out there was such a thing as a drive-thru ATM. o.O
January 28, 2014 — 2:40 PM
teaandbones says:
I am a blooming tea enthusiast-I’m working to open my own coffee shop and bakery one day, and tea is something I just fell into. Got started learning on this blog: http://artoftea.com/wordpress/ It also seems like you have gotten lots of amazing advice from the comments, so I’m going to start some excavating of my own in your comment section..
January 28, 2014 — 3:12 PM
Liss Thomas says:
I’m a tea snob. There! I said it! Teavana is my tea maker of choice and loose tea is the game. I like sweet fruity teas and I like them hot. Stop by and get a sample… If you’re not scared of getting hooked.
Just saying…
January 28, 2014 — 3:24 PM
Christine Reyes says:
I spend an unreasonable amount of time wishing people would ask me this exact question. Very rarely does anyone willingly listen to me talk about tea.
I definitely prefer Chinese and Japanese tea over the British style… not so much a fan of the cream/sugar thing. For Chinese tea, I would start with either Verdant (verdanttea.com) or Yunnan Sourcing (yunnansourcing.com). The first is run by some real tea lovers who focus on small farms and high quality, rather than mass distribution (kind of like the Tonx of tea, imo). The latter is a little more intense; when you order from them, you are literally going to get a box shipped to you from China. Last time I ordered, I decided to be cheap on the shipping and it took 10 weeks for it to arrive. Completely worth it, though… if you don’t know much about the difference between British-style black tea and Chinese black (or red tea, as they call it), I would start with the Yi Mei Ren (a search on the site should lead you to it), which is the easiest to brew and blew my mind the first time I drank it.
For green teas, I always go with Japanese, which are steamed rather than roasted and have a buttery, vegetal taste. I think Den’s has the best (www.denstea.com). Sencha is the most popular, but I really enjoy their Bancha Suruga as well. Den’s is also really good about giving specific brewing instructions for each of their teas.
As for ritual — For true tea snobbery, you need a yixing clay teapot, but those are only good for one specific kind of tea, usually a puerh or an oolong (don’t even get me started on oolongs!). You don’t really need a swan-neck tea kettle. The best way to brew most Chinese teas is gongfu style brewing, which basically means really highly concentrated tea. I fill my little teapot about 1/3 with leaves, rinse with boiling water for no more than 2 sec, then brew the first round for 5 sec and add 2 – 3 sec for every consecutive round. That’s all that’s needed to really get at the depths of flavors that quality teas offer.
For lazy brewing, I like to use a teapot that has a mesh filter built into the inside, not a removable basket (Den’s has some good ones). This lets the leaves expand to their fullest potential, which can be really fun. Some start out as tiny little pearls and expand into full-sized, 5-inch, rake-able leaves. It’s bonkers.
In general, the goal for tea is not to make one giant pot at a time (though certainly some people do this). The more nuanced teas depend on making up to 15 brews of the same leaves. It’s amazing to write to — boil water, sit down with a teapot, and make one round after another for an afternoon. You’ll taste different things each round, and the flavor will continue to come out strong for much longer than you might think.
January 28, 2014 — 8:58 PM
danzierlea says:
<- admits to being a little bit of a tea geek
I'm still learning. But I have teapots and a favorite store (that'd be Fava Tea; I think they have two shops but they definitely have a website).
Some teas I like: I have a weakness for British imported teas, but they seem to always come in bags, except for the tea brick I got as a souvenir from a living history fort in Washington State. (Very good, hard to get any off the brick though.) Taylors of Harrowgate is my go-to, although they come bagged only in the US. My bagged stock includes: Yorkshire and Yorkshire Gold, nice for an after-breakfast tea; Earl Grey (because Patrick Stewart was my hero in grade school), English Breakfast (add sugar), Irish Breakfast (add cream), Scottish Breakfast (add eggnog if you can stand it, heavy whipping cream un-whipped otherwise); Ginger Snappish (Bigelow, I think) for colds (add sugar, honey, and lemon; tastes like crapsicles but they stab the sore throat germs to oblivion); and something green or white that was brought to me from east Asia and is perfectly illegible. Tastes good, though.
My looseleaf supply includes Gunpowder, which is kind of a smokey Earl Grey; Blood Orange and Blood Orange pu'ehr, which I mix and have hot with rock sugar when hubby is in a tea mood; Lady Grey; Foxtrot, some five varieties of Earl Grey; Rootbeer because I have a kid; and I have two scoops of something called Phoenix Pearls that's kind of like dragonfruit, but it's been discontinued so that's a rare treat.
Generally I make my tea by either nuking a cup of water for two minutes, plunking a teabag in it for two to four minutes, adding 2 teaspoons of sugar, and draining the cup, or by following the directions on the container for time, temperature, amount of looseleaf to add to the strainer (which fits in the teapot and makes for easy cleanup and leaf-free tea) and then put a terry towel over the pot since I have no true tea cozies. I have one caveat, which is that almost every kind of tea has to have a teaspoon or two of sugar added. It tones down the plant-y edge.
Also, if annelyle posts, take her advice. She gave me some great tips once which I have, um, not followed very well. (Sorry!)
January 28, 2014 — 11:16 PM
creativeinnerspace says:
When I make my pot of tea in the morning (loose white tea with Chinese herbs), I also make a thermos flask of rooibos tea. This I do with a bag, boiling the loose stuff is messy and doesn’t taste different to me. This way, once the two cups of tea in the pot are gone… six more cups of steaming hot tea… with no caffeine or tannin, for the rest of the morning. I have had renewed interest in this African ‘redbush’ tea (rooibos) since my 9-year-old became an avid fan of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series… We listen to the audio books and sip bush tea just like Mma Ramotswe…
January 29, 2014 — 2:31 AM
Grace says:
Welcome
Behold: Rishi Golden Yunnan Black Tea. Loose leaf, organic and awesome.
Tasting Notes: Malty and rich with a mellow, jammy sweetness and subtle accents of plum and raisin
Add a bit of honey and milk. Enjoy. http://www.rishi-tea.com
Also, for an afternoon tea: Jasmine Pearl Green Tea. The scent, unless you don’t like jasmine which would be sad, is heavenly.
January 29, 2014 — 3:23 AM
caszbrewster says:
Much like coffee, American consumers are just now learning the fine art of tea. I’m fairly new to being a tea snob (I’ve been a self-described coffee snob since about 1994). My hubby bought me a tea infuser (like a coffee french press, but for tea) and some organic loose-leaf teas. With the infuser came this great booklet (much like others have posted above) on how long you steep different teas and at what water temperature. The great thing about my infuser is that once the tea is steeped, it just pours into my cup and I don’t have to worry about a bag, or leaf dregs…just pure tea love. That was for my birthday in November. I’ve since been having a daily tea time — right about now (3:30 or so every day). I love monkey-picked oolong, but I’m a sucker for a good looseleaf chai, too. There’s some great Turkish jasmine and hibiscus teas that I adore, as well. I do honey in my tea. No milk. Sometimes for my old tea bags, which I’m still working through, I will add a little lemon, but not often. I used to leave my bag in my mug, too. I don’t do that any more since becoming a tea snob convert.
January 29, 2014 — 6:38 PM
sullivan102013 says:
I wouldn’t call myself a tea snob. Yes I drink it. I used to slaughter it like you do. Like the whole microwave thing.
But then I got addicted to lemon tea and ginger tea.
And I drink it almost every night.
I think it shouldn’t be as complicated as making your complicated and snobbish coffee.
Just boil your water.
Use a bag. Use loose tea leaves.
It shouldn’t take you a half an hour just for one cup of tea.
January 29, 2014 — 10:47 PM
Brooke says:
I’ve read through most of the comments above and while most of it is good generic advice, it might be a bit much to take in at one go. A good place to start learning about tea is http://www.teaclass.com/ by Adagio Teas. Very useful bitesized classes. As you progress to higher levels of tea snobbery you’ll learn that even tea grading can be controversial depending on the type of tea you’re drinking.
Tea drinking is also subjective and personal in many ways. While the general brewing rules apply, the same tea can vary by estate, year of harvest, method of brewing, and your own personal preference (just as an OCR or any bean will taste different in Chemex vs espresso machine etc., and even then the prepared grind is different).
As many others above have advised, start off by drinking loose leaf. At the very least, get ready-packaged loose leaf tea in roomy sachet teabags. It’s important that the leaves have lots of space to expand when steeping. ALWAYS remove your teabag after the recommended steeping time, and your tea should never taste bitter and astringent.
Darn, you’ve just reminded me that I’ve been putting off doing up a coffee vs tea comparison chart.
January 30, 2014 — 8:44 AM
Dan says:
Why, you just need George Orwell’s 11 rules of tea-making, of course.
http://www.booksatoz.com/witsend/tea/orwell.htm
January 31, 2014 — 4:31 AM
EMH says:
Microwaved tea tastes best in an aluminum container. (kidding. Don’t do that.)
I drink black tea, sencha (basic green) and some herbals, mostly low- to mid-grade stuff cause I don’t have the patience or funds for super high end tea, but I do insist that my leaves taste like tea, unless they’re herbal and should taste like the relevant herb. Absolutely no yuppie sissy “flavored” teas (this means YOU Teavana).
It should smell like tea when you open the container. If you can’t smell anything, it’s old and/or dirt grade, don’t bother. Lipton is crap. Tazo is ok though a bit pricey. Twinings is decent if it’s fresh, but in a lot of American supermarkets it’s been on the shelf for months and is worthless (and it’s expensive). Trader Joe’s Irish Breakfast is my preferred morning brew: it’s good and strong, cheap but decent flavor. Best is to buy looseleaf from a tea shop that has a wall of big tea jars and will let you take off the lids and smell them. Don’t be tricked into buying any tea that costs more than $4/oz (about 40 cents/serving) unless it is a very special tea.
If you get looseleaf, don’t use those little dangly tea balls, they don’t allow the leaves to unfurl enough for full flavor (note: this is called “the agony of the leaves,” not making that up). Use one of those little baskets that fits in your cup, or a teapot, not a tiny tea ball.
Black tea is really the only kind that needs milk, and only strong black tea (not Darjeeling). Milk will overwhelm the delicate flavor of other teas. The finer it’s ground, the cheaper it is and the faster it brews, so if you’re using bagged tea, 4 to 5 minutes is too long to steep. I usually pull my tea bag after 3 minutes. I also pull the water off the stove just before boiling (I live at sea level so boiling water is actually a little too hot). The more delicate the tea, the cooler the brewing water should be. black tea: use water just about to boil, or boiled and turned off for half a minute. Green tea: a little earlier, or turned off and cooled for a full minute. Herbal tea: use water that’s just starting to bubble, but you can steep it longer.
Add the milk after the tea has steeped. If you must use a microwave to prepare the tea, heat the water plain first, then add the tea, then add the milk after taking the bag out. Nuking watery milk is lamesauce. I’ve had bad luck with exploding mugs and burned-out microwaves, I never trust those demonic machines, so I use the stove whenever possible to make tea.
You would probably like smoked tea, it tastes like bacon. Try lapsang souchong or Russian smoked tea. It’s pretty strong in flavor, so milk is appropriate. I have tried and failed to like Earl grey: that bergamot oil just doesn’t do it for me, smells great but tastes nasty.
if you like fancy green teas, try a Chinese apothecary, they have a billion kinds. It’s fun to go and sample and listen to them lecture you about how tea can fix this or that ailment. I just drink looseleaf sencha (a basic Japanese green tea).
The herbal teas I like include: mint, ginger, chammomile, and hibiscus/jamaica. I’ve never cared for rooibus (African “red” tea) or yerba mate. Mate is caffeinated, most other herbals aren’t.
February 1, 2014 — 7:35 PM