Brewing the perfect cup of tea isn’t difficult or complicated. If you start out with good quality tea, the only thing you need to add is hot water and time. Keep in mind, there are many different ways to brew tea but these instructions are for a good basic cuppa.
How much tea to use
For most teas, you’ll want 1 teaspoon of tea for every 8 oz cup (about 240 ml) of water. As there are as many varieties of tea as there are stars in the sky (okay, maybe not quite that many), you may want to adjust for your taste.
What to use (teapots, tea bags, etc.)
As long as you stay away from plastic, you can use any food-safe vessel for brewing tea. I use a press pot most days.
How hot should the water be to brew tea? How long should tea be brewed for?
For different varieties of tea, there are optimal water temperatures for brewing. However, if you’re not one to take the temperature of your water (ain’t nobody got time for that!), using water that has rested for 1-2 minutes after boiling is fine. If you ARE the kind of person that would enjoy taking the temperature of your water, here’s a chart that includes how long your should brew tea for:
Tea Type | Temperature | Time |
---|---|---|
Black | 96 C / 200 F | 3 – 5 minutes |
Green | 82 C / 180 F | 2 – 3 minutes |
White | 82 C / 180 F | 2 – 3 minutes |
I find that over brewing results in a harsh bitter flavour so keeping time is important, especially for black teas. Other than that, you can hardly go wrong. If you weren’t sure before, now you know how to brew tea perfectly.
🙂
There ain’t nothing like a nice spot of tea 😉 thanks for the tips, I never really knew how much to steep it for and ways ended up with tea that was too weak or too strong.