Tips for the Perfect Cup of Tea
"There is no trouble so great and grave that it cannot be diminished by a nice cup of tea." Bernard-Paul Heroux
At Chocolatea we want to help you have the best tea experience possible. Tea tastes best when properly brewed and steeped for the correct amount of time. Below are some simple pointers on how to make your tea taste its best. The preparing of tea is a ritual in itself, enjoy it!
*We recommend using 1 teaspoon of loose leaves per 1 cup ( 8 ounces) of hot water. This measurement works best for black, green, oolong and rooibos teas. Remember that lighter-weight whites and herbals will need more tea per cup ( Approx 2 teaspoons per 8 ounces) you can always adjust these measurements to suit your personal tastes.
*It is essential that tea is never allowed to over infuse, as this will make the tea taste bitter. For stronger tea add more leaves rather than infusing for longer than recommended. At the end of a timed infusion, remove you tea leaves.
Our time recommendations are:
"There is no trouble so great and grave that it cannot be diminished by a nice cup of tea." Bernard-Paul Heroux
At Chocolatea we want to help you have the best tea experience possible. Tea tastes best when properly brewed and steeped for the correct amount of time. Below are some simple pointers on how to make your tea taste its best. The preparing of tea is a ritual in itself, enjoy it!
*We recommend using 1 teaspoon of loose leaves per 1 cup ( 8 ounces) of hot water. This measurement works best for black, green, oolong and rooibos teas. Remember that lighter-weight whites and herbals will need more tea per cup ( Approx 2 teaspoons per 8 ounces) you can always adjust these measurements to suit your personal tastes.
*It is essential that tea is never allowed to over infuse, as this will make the tea taste bitter. For stronger tea add more leaves rather than infusing for longer than recommended. At the end of a timed infusion, remove you tea leaves.
Our time recommendations are:
1-3 minutes steep for green tea
3 minutes for black teas
3-4 minutes for oolongs and whites
5 minutes (or more) for herbal and rooibos
Consider a beverage thermometer to be sure that you are infusing your teas at the approproate temperature. Remember that black, herbal and rooibos teas infuse best with with boiling water while greens and whites should use water at 160-180 degrees. Oolongs vary but we recommend 180 degrees.
* Use loose leaf tea whenever possible. The tea used in tea bags is usually broken, dusty bits of lesser leaves.
*It is best to boil fresh tap or bottled water (not distilled water) and avoid reusing water that has already been heated or boiled. This is "flat" water and the oxygen has been depleted making it less than ideal for a good cup of tea.
*A tea strainer or infuser basket is preferable for infusing loose leaf teas (rather than a tea ball or clamping spoon) in order to give the leaves plenty of room to expands and fully infuse.
*For the more advanced tea enthusiast, try using a small gram scale to weigh your loose tea. Some teas have small or broken leaves and some large and whole. Weighing is the only way to know how much to use, roughly 2.5-3 grams for every 6 ounces of water.
*To make amazing iced tea, brew double strength tea then pour over ice. It will be crystal clear, any tea works so try a variety! Also if you enjoy sweet tea try adding our raw sugar crystals to your water before adding your leaves. It is a delicious and naturally sweet way to enhance your tea.
You can find everything you need to brew the perfect cup or tea in our store, and if you have any questions please feel free to contact us. Our goal is to make you love tea as much as we do!
3-4 minutes for oolongs and whites
5 minutes (or more) for herbal and rooibos
Consider a beverage thermometer to be sure that you are infusing your teas at the approproate temperature. Remember that black, herbal and rooibos teas infuse best with with boiling water while greens and whites should use water at 160-180 degrees. Oolongs vary but we recommend 180 degrees.
* Use loose leaf tea whenever possible. The tea used in tea bags is usually broken, dusty bits of lesser leaves.
*It is best to boil fresh tap or bottled water (not distilled water) and avoid reusing water that has already been heated or boiled. This is "flat" water and the oxygen has been depleted making it less than ideal for a good cup of tea.
*A tea strainer or infuser basket is preferable for infusing loose leaf teas (rather than a tea ball or clamping spoon) in order to give the leaves plenty of room to expands and fully infuse.
*For the more advanced tea enthusiast, try using a small gram scale to weigh your loose tea. Some teas have small or broken leaves and some large and whole. Weighing is the only way to know how much to use, roughly 2.5-3 grams for every 6 ounces of water.
*To make amazing iced tea, brew double strength tea then pour over ice. It will be crystal clear, any tea works so try a variety! Also if you enjoy sweet tea try adding our raw sugar crystals to your water before adding your leaves. It is a delicious and naturally sweet way to enhance your tea.
You can find everything you need to brew the perfect cup or tea in our store, and if you have any questions please feel free to contact us. Our goal is to make you love tea as much as we do!