Start your morning off right with a piping hot cup of black tea or power through the afternoon with an iced blend. You can enjoy the robust, full-bodied flavors when you brew black tea properly. While there is no one right way to brew tea, there are a few guidelines when it comes to temperature and quality that will ensure your success. Read on to find out how to make black tea perfectly every time.
Brew the perfect cup of black tea by starting with premium tea leaves. Check out our collection of the best black teas and blends right here. Black tea is a true tea made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Black tea is considered among the strongest of the true teas. Other true teas include the mild mannered white tea and green tea along with oolong tea and aged pu-erh tea.
These are the only teas in the world that come from the actual tea plant. All other tea types are derived from roots, flowers, stems, and herbs of other plants.
Black tea is revered in many societies for its health benefits. Black tea may help prevent cardiovascular disease, increase weight loss , and boost immune health. These health benefits are largely due to the high concentration of antioxidant polyphenols and tea catechins naturally present in the tea plant leaves.
Black tea also contains anywhere from 40 to 60 milligrams of caffeine. The leaves are harvested from tea plantations and subjected to an in-depth processing method. The leaves are initially withered to lower moisture content. Once the leaves are withered, they are rolled into distinctive shapes including spindles, pearls , cakes, and balls.
The leaves are then oxidized to create a deep black color and rich flavor. To accomplish this step, the leaves are rolled and nicked to allow enzymes in the leaves to react with oxygen. When this reaction occurs, the leaves begin to turn brown and develop flavor and aroma. The leaves are then subjected to a drying method to end the oxidation process. Most black tea leaves are roasted in ovens or pan-fired in large woks.
Some unique blends—such as Lapsang Souchong —are dried over pine fires, resulting in new flavor profiles. Once the leaves are dried, they are sorted and graded based on quality. They are then packaged for sale in tea bags and as loose leaf teas. Turkey, Korea, Taiwan, and Nepal also produce black teas that are less popular.
These black teas range in flavor from fruity and floral to smoky and earthy. The most popular black teas come from India. The heavy hitters include Assam, Darjeeling, and Nilgiri. A typical white tea steep time is about two to three minutes.
White tea can be made either from the first buds and tips of the tea plant, or from more mature dried leaves. White teas undergo minimal oxidation , and have a light body and delicate, mellow flavor. A typical oolong tea steep time is about two to three minutes. Usually produced in China and Taiwan, oolongs are unique teas that are partially oxidized , placing them somewhere in between black teas and green teas. Oolong teas can be infused multiple times , with subtle variations in flavor to be enjoyed in each successive cup.
We recommend infusing pu-erh teas for four to five minutes , similar to black teas. Pu-erh teas can also be prepared using the Chinese Gongfu method, where tea is infused successively for multiple short steeps. We recommend infusing purple teas for two to three minutes. Purple tea is produced from the leaves of the camellia sinensis plant, which is the same plant from which black, green, oolong, and other types of tea are made.
Unlike other types of tea, however, the leaves of this new varietal are purple instead of green. The tea was first discovered growing wild in the Assam region of India, and is now grown commercially in Kenya, Africa. A recommended herbal tea steep time is five or more minutes. Like black teas, herbal teas should be prepared using boiling water. Some herbal teas, especially those with potent spices like ginger and turmeric, can be infused even longer for an extra flavorful cup.
Rooibos teas can be infused for five or more minutes without growing bitter. The longer you steep your tea, the stronger it will be. While this can sometimes be a good thing, as in the case of hearty, robust black teas or some herbal teas, infusing your tea for too long can also result in an unpleasantly bitter, over-strong taste. This is especially the case with more delicate teas like green tea, which can quickly become bitter if you steep them for too long.
Steeping teas for too little time will result in a mellower, weaker cup of tea. While some people prefer their teas on the mild side, infusing your tea for too short a time can prevent you from experiencing the full depth of flavor of your tea.
A hearty black tea that you plan to take with milk and sugar might do well with a steep time of five minutes, while a delicate green tea might do best with a steep time of only one or two minutes.
When we give our customers instructions for how long to infuse their tea, we generally provide a small range. This is because infusing tea is not an exact science, and personal preference plays a big role in how long you should infuse your tea.
Some people prefer teas on the milder side, while others prefer them to be very strong. Our recommendations for how long to steep your tea are suggestions, not hard and fast rules. Feel free to experiment with different steep times in order to achieve the tea of your dreams! Have questions about steeping a particular tea type?
It's not just time, but it's also the temperature to consider when making the ideal cup of tea. Different teas prefer different temperatures to get the best taste and compounds. Here are the ideal steeping times and temperatures, according to the experts, depending on the type of tea you're making. Black tea. Steep your black tea for 3 to 5 minutes whether you're using tea bags or loose-leaf tea.
In most cases, this is the only water for tea that should be boiled at temperatures between F and F 93 to C. Sencha Tea Bar suggests that more delicate black teas such as Darjeeling and Keemum should be brewed using water between and F 82 to 88 C. Green tea. Green tea doesn't take as long to steep. Sencha Tea Bar suggests 2 to 4 minutes for loose leaf, 1 to 3 minutes for tea bags. Some fans say you can get a lovely cup in only 30 seconds. But remember, if you're drinking tea for its benefits, you have to let your tea steep.
A study published in Beverages found you get more polyphenols the longer you allow your tea to steep, but 5 minutes is a good compromise. Generally, the water for green tea should be heated right before boiling in order to avoid any bitter flavors. Oolong tea. Most tea experts suggest about 5 to 7 minutes for loose leaf and 3 to 5 minutes if you're using oolong tea bags.
Oolong should be heated to just below boiling. You can also allow water to boil and then let it cool for about a minute before adding your tea. White tea. It's a quick dip for white tea leaves, as they need only 2 to 3 minutes for loose leaf or 30 to 60 seconds with tea bags. Water for white tea doesn't need to get very hot. Experts suggest just F 71 C. If you don't want to use a thermometer, Sencha Tea Bar suggests removing water from the stovetop once tiny bubbles start forming at the bottom of the pot.
Herbal tea. Unlike the four above teas, herbal teas are made from a mix of flowers and plants like chamomile and ginger. Because the ingredients are varied, so are the brewing times and temperatures.
0コメント