How to Make Tea Like a Tea Sommelier
Making a perfect pot of tea is all in the details. Learn the proper way to brew tea.
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups water + more to warm teapot
- 1 tablespoon loose black tea
Instructions
- Boil water.Different types of tea require different water temperature to brew. Check the tea packaging to see the recommended water temperature.If using an electric kettle with temperature setting, set it to 208°F for black tea. Heat a little more water than needed so that it can be used to warm up the teapot. Use filtered water for brewing. Water is the only other ingredient in tea, so better water equals better tea.
- Warm up the teapot.Take some of the boiled water and fill half the teapot and give it a few swirls then throw out the water. We're warming the teapot so that when the hot water for tea goes in, the water temperature won't drop too much.
- Put tea into teapot and add hot water.I add the tea into the pot first to make sure all the tea leaves get in contact with the water.
- Cover teapot and steep tea for 5 minutes (for black tea).Set the timer on your phone to steep it to the correct amount of time. The steep time is different for each kind of tea so check the tea package to see what is recommended. Oversteeping tea will make your tea bitter.
- Strain tea leaves and pour hot tea into a cup.Add milk and sugar to black tea if you like.Once the pot is empty, feel free to pour more hot water (using the same tea leaves that are already in the teapot) and set the timer again. For the second steep, add 1-2 more minutes since the tea leaves will have lost some flavor from the first steep.
Notes
- General rule of thumb is to use 1 ½ teaspoons of tea for every 8 ounce cup of water.
- If you like a stronger brew, instead of steeping tea for longer, add more tea leaves.
Nutrition
Calories: 1 | Carbohydrates: 1g | Sodium: 12mg | Calcium: 7mg