Make a Good Cup of Tea

Good tea is not just something hot to drink. It's a beverage that's steeped in romance and ritual, and a history filled with everything from quiet ceremonial tradition to colonial imperialism to turning Boston Harbor into a giant teapot (not fit for drinking). Somewhere between those extremes is a cup of tea mere mortals can enjoy.

Steps

Setting Up

  1. Start with the water. Whether you use bags or loose tea, water is the second most important ingredient. Off tastes in your water, such as chlorine, iron, or sulfur will make your tea noxious to smell and drink. Fill an empty kettle with 1 cup (250ml) fresh, cold water. Tap water is acceptable for most purposes, but a truly great cup of tea starts with filtered water or spring water. Never use distilled water, or previously-boiled water. The more oxygen in your water, the better the tea will taste.
  2. Plug in the kettle and turn it on. If you don't have an electric kettle, you can use a stovetop tea kettle—as long as it lets you get the water hot, it's good.
  3. Bring the water to a boil. Wait until the kettle switches off automatically or your tea kettle whistles.
    • Optional: Wait for the water to cool off. Some teas are steeped with boiling water, while some are steeped in water that's slightly cooler. Experiment with your tea to find what works best.
  4. Rinse out the cup with boiling water.

Steeping

  1. Place the tea bag or loose tea into the cup. If using loose tea, spoon in 1 teaspoon per cup. You can also use a tea ball, or an infuser, but use the same amount of tea.
    • If milk is desired, add into the cup. Some believe adding milk before the hot water is best, others feel tea brews best in hot water, and don't add milk until the tea is done steeping.
  2. Add water. Pour water from the kettle into the cup until 4/5th full. Leave room for milk, if you wish to add that.
  3. Let steep. Wait for three to five minutes to let tea steep—more or less depending on the type of tea you are making, and the recommended brewing time.
    • About one minute for green tea.
    • Three to six minutes for black tea.
    • Six to eight minutes for Oolong teas
    • Eight to twelve minutes for herbal teas.
    • Note: if you like stronger tea, don't steep longer—add more tea, instead.

Serving

  1. Use a teaspoon to remove the tea bag. Discard it, or recycle it, as desired.
    • If sweetener is desired, place a spoon of sugar or honey into the cup and stir thoroughly.
  2. Drink the contents of the cup at a leisurely pace and enjoy the goodness that is tea. You might like to add some biscuits or a piece of cake on a plate with your tea.

Tips

  • Try varying the time that you allow the tea to steep before you add the milk.
  • You can also heat water on the stove using a saucepan or an old-fashioned tea kettle. The tea kettle should make that familiar high pitched whistling noise when the water is boiling.
  • By pouring the tea on top of the tea bags slowly, most of the water will run though the bag, reducing the time needed to brew.
  • If you prefer tea warm rather than hot, make the tea using boiling water and let it cool on its own or adding ice cubes. Using warm water will make a very weak tea.
  • Putting the tea in the water before you boil it will produce stewed tea. It's a very strong tea usually drunk with a lot of sugar and is not to everyone's taste.
  • Enjoy with cookies or tea cake.
  • If you're making green tea, don't steep it for more than a minute or two. After a while, it becomes saturated and begins to get bitter.
  • If you don't have an electric kettle and must use a microwave to boil water, it should take about 1-2 minutes on full power to reach boiling point. Let it cool before making tea.
  • Using tea bags gives you many opportunities to change the taste of the beverage:
    • If you have an espresso machine, try putting the tea bag in the espresso metal cup. Tea pours through the tea bag instantly (there's no need to wait).
    • If you can handle the tea bag by its string, you can shake it inside the cup of hot tea after a few minutes. The tea is going to taste stronger or have a little more 'aroma'.
  • If you prefer using tea leaves, the tastes achieved by being patient might be infinite:
    • Try combining different leaves of similar tastes, buying different brand or quality, (many famous English teas brands' names are the surname of the families that used to make the mixture).
    • Grannies used to keep apple skins inside tea leaves' wooden boxes for a few months until the tea tasted like apples. Then, when poured, try adding some cinnamon.
    • When brewing leaves instead of a bag, try boiling the water in a kettle, then pouring the water over tea leaves in a teapot. The teapot should then be drained and refilled with boiling water, effectively brewing the tea twice. This method of only drinking the second batch is a traditional Eastern method, and is used to make sure that any impurities are washed from the leaves.
  • Familiarize yourself with the type of tea you are making, as most teas require water that is less than hot for brewing, a particular water to tea ratio, (especially when using powdered teas like Latté) or a require a certain brewing time.
  • If you have not made a cup of tea before, put a tea towel or saucer underneath the cup in case you spill anything.
  • Add honey, lemon, cinnamon, etc. for flavor.

Warnings

  • Mixing milk and lemon in your tea can cause the milk to curdle.
  • Don't use too much sugar or honey if you are diabetic. Try products like Agave Nectar instead. It lowers glycemic value and tastes great on your tea.
  • Taste carefully! Not only is it painful to burn your mouth, but it also damages your taste buds, making it more difficult to enjoy the tea.
  • Don't stew tea in an electric kettle.
  • Don't let your tea get too cold!
  • If you are drinking the tea for health purposes—like for EGCG intake—do not use milk, as the casein it contains binds to the EGCG. If one desires a milky or creamy flavor, use soy, almond, wheat, or other substitute milk instead of milk derived from an animal.
  • Pour the water from the kettle carefully—the steam may burn you.

Things You'll Need

  • Tea bag
  • Kettle or water heater
  • Tea cup or mug
  • Teapot (optional).
  • Electricity or direct heat source e.g. fire, gas or electric hob
  • Water
  • Teaspoon
  • Milk/Sugar (optional)

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Sources and Citations

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