Brief Background Ramblings.

Other than water, tea is the drink most commonly imbibed on the planet. The Tea Council believe that there are great benefits to drinking four cups of tea every day, and although White and Green teas are generally accepted to contain greater numbers of healthy goodies, there are plenty of benefits to be derived from Black teas too.

The Chinese are probably the best known for their tea culture, and it is reputed that they have been enjoying infused leaves of the Camellia sinensis bush for over four thousand years. C. sinensis is one of two varietals of camellia which are grown for tea production, the other being C. assamica (found largely in Assam, India, but also cultivated in other regions of the world). Many Chinese attribute their longevity to their penchant for tea.

Chinese medicine has for millennia had at its foundation a profound knowledge of the uses and effects of herbs, spices, and plant derivatives. As such, it is no surprise that oriental cultures today still place a great belief in herbal remedies, often avoiding the need for strong manufactured or synthetic drugs. Rather than take on the malaise directly, the Chinese aim is, as I understand it, to support the body in its own efforts, thereby strengthening the immune system in the process.

In recent times, developments in freight transport and botanical knowledge-sharing have enabled plants from all around the globe to come to the world markets. One such recent arrival is Rooibos, used by South African natives for centuries but discovered for the west by Dutch colonialists in the late 19th century. Rooibos is naturally caffeine free and has been linked to aiding digestion and calming the mind in preparation for sleep.

The addition of natural scents to teas, typically jasmine, has been practised by the Chinese for a long time. More recently natural oils have been added - perhaps the most well know example is Bergamot oil, which gives the familiar flavour in Earl Grey teas.

The desire for olfactory meddling and innovation in flavouring technology, means there is now a reserve of knowledge in the field of infusion flavouring, notably in Hamburg, Germany: the result being that one can now purchase anything from Lemon Flavoured Green Tea to Strawberry and Cream flavoured Rooibos!

Preparation

There are many different schools of thought on how to brew tea, and that's before we even think about pre-tea milk-pouring issues! One of the great intrigues of tea is the personal discovery of one's own styles and tastes, and as such I don't like to dictate to people what they should or shouldn't do. After all, if you like something and it isn't causing any harm, who's to tell you it's wrong?

The guidelines below are just that: guidelines. It's your life, your taste, and your tea - so if you are unsure when it comes to brewing times, techniques etc., let these guidelines provide a starting point for your own personal exploration of how you like your tea.

Visual Temperature

The preparation of tea is so much a part of their culture, that the Chinese have named the various states of water at different temperatures. Here's a little trick if you have a kettle with a window, to help tell how hot the water is visually:

70-80°C: Known as Shrimp Eyes: when little bubbles are forming on the edges of the kettle or pan.
80-90°C: Known as Crab Eyes: when little bubbles are rising from the bottom.
100°C: Known as Dragon Eyes: rolling boil throughout the kettle.

Black, Oolong and Pu-Erh Tea

Suggested: 100°C, 1 heaped tsp per mug, plus one for the pot (c. 5g per mug). 3-5 mins.

In general, good quality Black Teas and Black Blended Teas need to be brewed for 3 to 5 minutes, with boiling water (Dragon Eyes). Obviously, the longer you brew the tea, the stronger and less delicate the flavour: as a general rule, if you are planning to take it with milk, brew it a little stronger.

Oolong and Pu-Erh teas can require a bit longer to release their full flavours, but this is very much down to individual taste.

Green Tea

Suggested: 70-80°C, 1 heaped tsp per mug (c. 3g per mug). 1½ - 3 mins brewing.

It is with Green teas that the greatest variation in recommended brewing times arises.

I take the view that when in doubt one should examine the practise of the historical experts first and then work from there. The Chinese re-use their loose leaf Green Teas many times over, each time pouring off-the-boil water over the leaves in their cup, until the flavour is gone. Some China green teas are reputedly best on their third or fourth brewings.

In an attempt to avoid the off-putting bitter, stewed flavour that people complain about in bad green teas, I suggest you first try brewing green tea for about 90 seconds and using water around 70-80°C (Shrimp Eyes). You'll know if 90 seconds is too short because the flavour will not be evident - you'll know if it's too long if there's too much of the tannic flavour for you.

In order to enable the tea to be used again, you could try using a teapot or infuser which separates the leaves from the water after brewing. And reusing the leaves makes it much more cost effective too!

White Tea

Suggested: 70-80°C, 1 heaped tsp per mug (c. 3g per mug). 3 - 6 mins brewing.

White tea is more delicate than Green tea and as such it takes a little longer to develop its flavour (try 5 mins). Subsequent brewings will probably be shorter. Again, 70-80°C for the water is what the Chinese use generally. Re-use the leaves and see how the tea changes its character with successive brewings.

Fruit Infusions and Herbal Infusions

Suggested: 100°C, 1½ - 2½ heaped tsp per mug (c. 6g per mug). 5 - 8 mins brewing.

As a general rule, pure herbal and fruit infusions will lack the strength of a black tea by dint of their ingredients and as such it is recommended to brew them for up to 8 minutes in order to extract a maximum of flavour. A number of our fruit infusions contain ingredients designed, as much as anything, to combat the lack of flavour. One such is hibiscus which on its own has a fairly acid, but not unpleasant, berry-like flavour.

And here comes the personalised bit: the amount of raw fruit infusion used broadly affects the strength of the underlying stronger flavours (e.g. hibiscus) rather than the lighter added flavours (e.g. cinnamon) - so you can control to a great extent through experimentation how acid/strong etc. the resulting liquor is.

 

Water

It might seem a little odd to have a paragraph on something so simple as water. However, whilst being tea's essential partner, water can also be its greatest enemy. Poor quality water, particularly chlorinated water or that of excess hardness, can alter the flavour of a tea dramatically.

For this reason, if you live in a hard water area (broadly speaking South East and Central England - Londoners should be particularly vigilant) you would be well advised to invest in a small kitchen-top water filter. Some "experts" say to use bottled water: I don't claim to be an "expert", but many bottled waters contain minerals which flavour the water and it can get very expensive if you are a prolific drinker [of tea, that is!].