Preparing Tea

Brewing, storing & decaffeinating

The comments below are meant as a general guide to help those with little or no 'loose tea' experience. Various teas respond differently to water temperature and timing. A knowledgeable source for suggested temps and times will be the tea vendor, from whom you purchased the tea leaf itself. If no suggestions are forthcoming, resort to your best guide - your own personal taste. Experiment. Also check out my page on how to decaffeinate your own tea at home and some tea storage tips.

Tea Brewing Tips some suggestions for tea preparation	Measure the correct amount of tea leaves into the teapot. Warming the teapot first is optional (I rarely do). Note* make sure the teapot is intended for 'food use' and does not contain any metals - such as lead, in the glaze as many 'decorative' pots do. Bring fresh, cold water to a rolling boil in a kettle or saucepan -on the stove *never* in the microwave! The water needs the bubbles generated by a stove top or electric kettle. Microwaved water just doesn't create as good a brew. Trust me on this! Note* if your water quality is questionable, consider using filtered water as this can make all the difference in your final brew. Immediately pour over the dry tea leaves in the pot. Or, if you are brewing green, oolong or white teas you will want to let this water cool for 1 minute before pouring over the tea leaves. These teas are more delicate than black (or herbal teas/tisanes) and will be 'stewed' by boiling water, rather than steeped. Let the tea steep (brew) for the appropriate time for that particular tea - to ensure a perfect (no bitterness) cup. Note* each tea may have different suggested brewing times for optimum flavor and smoothness. Pour the prepared tea through a fine mesh strainer into your cup, or pour the entire pot through the strainer into another teapot. This second pot is the one I put a teacozy on. It will remain hot and with no bitterness from oversteeping, for a couple of hours! Note* Using this "two pot" method is nice for serving tea to company or if you are preparing more than you can drink in one cup. Make sure that you warm this second pot with hot water first. It keeps the tea from cooling too quickly. Taste first and experience the tea, before adding milk, lemon honey or sugar - if desired. Many teas are best 'straight-up'. Green, white and Oolong teas are usually brewed at a lower temperature. Let the water come to a full boil, then cool for a minute or so before pouring over these types of teas. Pour and enjoy the moment.... Ahhhhh.... nectar of the gods.....
Tea Storage Tips how to protect your tea treasures	Many fine tea importers tell us that true tea - Camellia sinensis, has a shelf life of 1-2 years. Tea, if kept properly will not spoil but it does go gradually stale. Tea that has had flavors, fruit, herbs and spices added may not last as long as this. Most likely 6 months to 1 year. In order to insure that the fine teas you purchase are going to last until you can consume every drop, be sure to follow the general guidelines below: Do not buy tea in tremendous amounts. Keep your stockpile small enough to be able to store properly. Store dry tea leaves in an airtight container. The smallest container that will hold your tea. (less air space to draw out tea's natural essential oils and any other added flavors) Make sure that the air tight container you use is free of any odors. Tea quickly absorbs the odor of anything it is in contact with, and will taste of whatever was residing in that tin before. Be sure to store your tea away from: heat, light & moisture.

I have found it interesting that so many people are unaware of the simplicity of making tea with loose tea leaves, in a teapot. I am constantly being asked how to prepare tea. I have had customers that try, with increasing frustration, to jam a strainer down into the teapot. Several have poured boiling water over tea leaves placed in a strainer, expecting the 'drip action' similar to ground coffee to give them a flavorful cup of tea. The possiblities for failure are endless, but so too are opportunities for success. Preparing tea should be a joy, not a challenge.

It's no one's fault that growing up in the United States might mean that exposure to tea is via 'tea bags'. If you are really adventurous, you may be exposed to brewing teas in a tea ball type infuser, which is basically a reusable metal tea bag. Not much of an improvement, except maybe in the quality and diversity of the loose teas used. Even though a teapot might be used, it always seemed to be a receptacle for the tea ball or other type infuser. A surrogate cup for the surrogate tea bag.

The joy of brewing tea, loose in a teapot, comes not just from the opportunity to explore a whole world of teas that are not always available in bag form, but also the extraordinary pleasure that arrives from the tea preparation itself. Although there is great joy in doing so, not all of us need to perform some elaborate ritual of a beautiful asian style, because in the handling of such items as cherished teapots, cups & saucers, or even that funky old, treasured mug, we are creating our own personal tea rituals and traditions - daily.

The selecting, measuring and preparing, the texture and crackle of the dried leaf and tea's aroma in the tin as you scoop out your portions - all add to the total tea experience. The tea kettle, as it comes to a boil plays my favorite song and whistles with gradually increasing impatience until, just at the right moment - full boil. It lets out a little whimpering cry as I lift it from the heat. The wafting aroma as the water hits the dry leaf, the 'agony of the leaf' as it dances and swirls in the pot - becoming saturated to relinquish it's mysteries, also make up part of my personal tea ritual.

In many respects the ritual of tea preparation is quite like the judgment of the tea itself - flexible, individual, unlimited. There are no hard & fast rules. There are however, suggestions that can make tremendous difference to the resulting brew, such as water temperature, brewing times, milk/no milk, sugar or not. Tea is something we lovingly prepare, sometimes accent with tasty treasures and present to ourselves and others - a nectar to sip, savor and dream over.

Steam rises from a cup of tea and we are wrapped in history, inhaling ancient times and lands, comfort of the ages in our hands. F. Greenbowl