Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Tea Brewing

Don’t let the fancy teapots fool you! Brewing the perfect cup of tea is easy. We’ve outlined simple instructions as well as some tips below.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring fresh, cold water to a rolling boil.

2. LOOSE TEA: Add tealeaves to a teapot, fill-your-own teabag or infuser basket. Use 1 to 2 teaspoons (adjust to taste) per cup (8 oz) of water. TEA SACHET: Place tea sachet(s) in teapot or cup. Each sachet brews 1 to 2 cups (8-16 oz) of tea.

3. Pour boiling water over black & herbal tea. Allow water to cool slightly before brewing Green Tea, White Tea and Mat’. Cover.

4. Infuse (steep) leaves for suggested time (see chart). Do not oversteep or tea may become bitter.

5. Remove tea sachet, bag or infuser from water or strain leaves. ENJOY!

ICED TEA
To make fresh iced tea, follow the directions above but use twice as much tea to account for dilution by ice. Once cool, pour over an ice-filled cup and garnish with lemon, fruit or mint.

Brewing loose-leaf tea is as simple as brewing a teabag’only instead of a teabag, use an infuser or Fill-Your-Own teabag to keep the leaves out of your cup. By replacing your old teabag with an alternate method, you will be rewarded with a much higher quality, better tasting, and healthier brew.

ADDITIONAL TIPS:

START WITH GOOD WATER
Even the best tea will taste only as good as the water used to prepare it. Avoid distilled, mineral and soft tap water which will weaken tea's flavor. Bottled, spring or filtered water is best and will provide a much livelier and more aromatic infusion.

NEVER OVER STEEP
Over steeping can make tea taste bitter. If you prefer strong tea, do not over steep; simply use more leaves.
DON’T JUDGE BY COLOR
Different types of tea will yield their own unique hue. For example, White Tea naturally brews a pale, golden color while Black Tea will yield an intense, deep ruby-red or chocolate brown. Instead of using color to tell you when a tea’s done steeping, simply use a timer.



The chart below can help you get started:
VARIETAL AMOUNT/8oz STEEP TIME

WHITE 2-3 Teaspoons 4-5 minutes

GREEN 1-2 Tsp 1-3 minutes

PEARL 1 tsp 4-5 min

OOLONG 1-2 Tsp 4-5 min

BLACK 1-2 tsp 4-5 min

RED 2-3 tsp 3-5 min

YERBA MATE 2-3 tsp 3-5 min

CHAMOMILE 2-3 tsp 4-7 min

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