Hot Tea- Whats Hot About It?
Tea is a drink done by infusing leaves to the tea plant in hot water. “Tea,” the word, refers to the leaves themselves. It is also the name associated with a mid-to-late afternoon meal among the British and other countries where the tea drink is used to serve along with various foods.
A perfect cup of tea takes the correct tea, water temperature, brewing equipment, and timing. Every type of tea has the proper technique; otherwise, you’ll end up with bitter unpalatable cup. Each type has its own temperature, timing and method. Some important basic information may sound difficult, but it is quite simple.
One major thing of note: Loose-leaf teas usually give you a much better cup than the highest quality teabags. You need a strainer when brewing in a teapot. It’s important that the leaves have room to expand. A large removable infuser is ideal for brewing that allows you to stop in a timely manner. Glass teapots are not advisable. You’ll need cozies to keep the tea warm.
As a general rule, a heaping teaspoon of high quality tea for a six-ounce cup can make taste differ, but your taste buds will tell you the correct amount. Each tea is unique for every tea drinker so there is no right or wrong amount of tea.
The water should be freshly drawn because there’s much oxygen in it, or better yet use bottled or filtered water. Teas have very subtle flavors that can be masked by water with chemical contents. Don’t let water boil beyond required period. Remember, only black teas are brewed with boiling water. Oolongs are best when it’s just below a boil. For the greens, it should be 180 degrees F or less; the cooler the temperature, the more apparent the subtle flavors will be.
The grade and the type of tealeaf are dependent on steeping time. Many teas require brewing time. Blacks should be three to seven minutes; oolongs should be one and a half to four minutes; the greens two to three minutes. Never ever let your tea steep beyond the recommended time for it will be unpalatably bitter. For a stronger cup, add more tea. Under steeping has pale water result and won’t give the correct flavor.
The Two Chinese Methods in Brewing Tea
Culturally, there are creative techniques for brewing tea. Basically, it requires very minimal equipment and a small indefinite time of attention.
Gongfu: In China, a method that brings out the very best of tea is the Gongfu. It is a formal tea preparation dating back during the Ming Dynasty. It takes sequence of repeated short infusions in small Yixing or teapot half-filled with loose tealeaves. The teapot is warmed first then the tealeaves are placed in the warmed teapot. It’s then filled with water, heated to a correct temperature. The tealeaves are immediately drained and rinsed. The teapot is filled again and steeped under required time. The greens do not require rinsing.
For five more subsequent steepings, an additional half minute is required but under the same water temperature. The first infusion has the best aroma while the second is more flavorful. For your particular cup of tea, you may need to experiment what the number is for your favorite teas. This method requires several small cups and best done for a group of tea lovers.
Guywan or chung: A Chinese cup with a cover, a lid and a saucer, with a straight-sided porcelain cup without a handle and functions like teapot. The lid acts as the strainer and keeps the tea warm. An elegant method used in China for green and oolong teas. The preparation is the same as the gongfu: rinsing the cup with hot water to purify and warm it. Hot water is then poured into the serving pitcher then into cups to warm them and then discarded. The tea leaves are placed into the warm guywan, or you can either decant the brewed tea to a cup or infuse the tea and drink directly from it.
Tightly rolled tea leaves or Puerh teas are usually flushed with hot water to ready them for brewing. Teas that do not need rinsing need just a few drops of hot water release the aroma of the tea. After rinsing or releasing the aroma add water for steeping and observing time and temperature required for brewing applicable for the type of tea.
