How to Brew the Perfect Cup of Tea Every Time

Photo by CN Digital StudioThese days tea is becoming more and more popular in the United States. In fact, according to the Tea Association of the USA, American consumed over 65 billion servings of tea. About 80% of it was black teas such as Earl Grey, Lipton Black, and English Breakfast blends; 19% of it consisted of various green teas; the rest were oolong, white, and other teas.

Still, these number aren't truly all that impressive on a world scale. While tea is the number one consumed drink in the world behind water, it's number five in the United States behind soda, coffee, beer, and milk. In addition, unlike the rest of the world that generally takes tea hot, Americans prefer iced tea (85% of the tea we drink is iced).

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Yet interest in tea is rising in the United States and consumers are looking to drink better teas. Companies like Twinings and Stash have seen increased sales in the past few years and are releasing more and more flavors of tea. Teavana has seen an explosion in online sales and as of September 2011 has opened up 179 stores in 26 states (Teavana third quarter gains increased 35% in 2010).
So why all the fuss? Perhaps it's the fact that the health benefits of tea are becoming known. Plus, higher quality teas are more available than a few years ago.

If you haven't had the chance to begin exploring tea, well, now is a fine time to start.
It's generally accepted that loose leaf tea is of a far higher quality than bagged tea. Bagged teas are usually low quality teas, often the powder found at the bottom of a barrel of imported/exported tea.

Generally, the more intact the leaf and the fresher the tea then the higher the quality based on its harvest time and care taken in aging and drying. Higher quality, however, means higher price.
So you've decided then, to buy som quality loose leaf tea. What are things you can do to ensure the best possible cup?

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Freshness: Tea generally stays fresh for about a year. However, it should be protected. Treat it as you would flours or grains; keep it out of light, in an air-tight container, and avoid extremely high temperatures.
Brewing Temperature: Tea can burn. The difference between a rich and delicate cup and a bitter swill can be decided between a matter of seconds or degrees. A good rule of thumb when it comes to brewing tea is to keep water at under 180F for white and green tea, around 195F for oolong and black tea. Not a rolling boil, but look for bubbles the size of those in champagne as a good indicator of water temperature if boiling in a pot on a stove top.

Brewing Time: Different teas have optimal brewing times. Green teas are persnickety; darker emerald-colored teas only need about 30 seconds. Lighter greens only about 1 minute. Black and oolong teas prefer 3-5 minutes. White teas are generally brewed to taste.

Brewing Method: A good cast iron tea pot with a wide and deep wire mesh basket is generally considered to be best. You want the water to be able to free flow through the tea leaves in order to extract the flavor and antioxidant minerals.

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