Tea is inexpensive, easy to find, comes in literally thousands of flavors, and tastes wonderful when made correctly. That being said, a pot of tea can be a little tricky to get right. Slight differences in how it’s brewed can make a huge difference in how good it tastes (and even impact its therapeutic value, in the case of many herbal teas). Whether you’ve recently started drinking tea or just want to make your regular morning (or afternoon, or evening) cup of tea more delicious, these pointers will help get you on the right track.
Heat the water to a rolling boil. Don’t let it anywhere near the tea bags until you actually see the surface of the water churning. While it’s possible to make tea with warm water, only boiling water can bring out the full richness and complexity of the tea’s flavor.
Warm the teapot. Pouring boiling water into a cold pot instantly cools the water – not by much, but enough to make a different in the taste of the tea. Run hot water from the tap over the teapot, or pour a little of the hot water from the kettle into the pot, swirl it around, and pour it out.
Put the tea bags into the pot and pour the boiling water over them. Tea releases its best flavor during the first few seconds of brewing, so it’s important that the water be as hot as possible when it first touches the tea bags. If you pour boiling water into the pot and then add the tea bags, the water will have too much time to cool. The number of tea bags to use depends on the type of tea you’re making and how strong you want to make it. For a large pot of black tea I use five tea bags. For green or herbal tea I use fewer, usually around three. You’ll want to experiment to see what tastes best to you.
Once you’ve poured the water, immediately place the lid on the teapot to trap the heat. Allow the pot of tea to brew. For black tea, I like to wait about five minutes before taking out the tea bags. Green tea and herbal teas generally take longer, usually between ten and fifteen minutes. Again, it’s a matter of personal preference. If you’re not sure, the back of the box will often give suggestions on how long to brew your pot of tea.
Pour the remainder of the hot water down the kitchen sink. It helps to unclog the drain.
Once you’ve removed the tea bags, the tea is ready to serve. If you like milk in your tea, add the milk to your cup first. Dumping milk into a very hot cup of tea will scald the milk, but pouring hot tea into milk will warm the milk gradually.
At last, you’ve brewed yourself a cup of tea that’s, well, exactly your cup of tea. Enjoy!
