How to Brew Loose Tea

Tea Bags

The tea bag was an accident. A Boston tea merchant named Thomas Sullivan started sending his customers samples of tea in packaged small silk bags. The idea spread, and they eventually took over most of the US tea drinking market. Since silk was too expensive for mass-market use, Sullivan packaged his tea in gauze bags instead. Voila! Tea bags!

Most tea bags contain dust (fannings), so the flavor isn't as good as loose tea. However, some companies have started offering pyramid tea bags. The pyramid shape lets the leaves expand (so they can use larger pieces - more flavor - with tea bag convenience. Pyramid Teabags are also more eco-friendly, since they're sealed with heat instead of chemicals.

Loose Leaf Tea

Not as convenient as a tea bag, but certainly better than a brick, loose black tea is generally packaged in a canister. It stays fresher and retains more flavor. Tea connoisseurs swear it tastes better than tea in bags.

"May you always have walls for the winds, a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire, laughter to cheer" - Irish proverb

Tea Plant
All true tea comes from the camellia sinensis plant. The final product falls into one of three categories, depending on how long the tea is allowed to ferment: green tea, oolong tea, and black tea.




Black Tea
Black Tea is dried on special withering racks. Then, they're rolled, left to ferment in special temperature and humidity controlled rooms for two to four hours, and finally allowed to dry. Varieties such as darjeeling tea or assam tea are named for the areas in which they are grown (like wine).



Chai Tea
Chai is actually the generic word for tea in many languages. For many English speakers, it means "masala chai", tea that has been simmered with milk, spices, and sugar. There are many different recipes for chai tea, but most include ginger, peppercorns, cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise.


Green Tea
Green tea is not fermented at all. The leaves are plucked from the tea bush, and then steamed. When the steaming is finished, they're rolled and left to dry. I confess I'm not a huge fan, but it's packed with antioxidants. You can even get decaffeinated green tea. It won't keep you awake, and it may improve your health.



Oolong Tea
Oolong Tea is only partially fermented. The leaves are allowed to wilt slightly. Then, they are stirred in heated pans. This stops the fermentation process. When they cool, they are rolled and dried.




Loose Leaf Tea vs. Bagged Tea
When brewed, the larger loose leaf tea leaves release flavor and color more slowly than the broken and fine grades. Smaller leaves, which make up about 80 percent of the total black tea crop, produce a stronger, darker tea. It's a bit like the difference between regular or instant oatmeal: the instant oatmeal is broken into smaller pieces, so it cooks faster.



Photos from Wikimedia

A Cup of Tea No.2 Giclee Print
Mary Cassett

(top two photos from Wikipedia , bottom two photos from LePetitPoulailler)
How to Brew Loose Leaf Tea

Black tea is traditionally made by spooning loose leaf tea into a tea pot or cup and pouring hot water over them. The tea is allowed to steep for a few minutes, and the leaves are then removed. Your best bet is to use a tea ball.

Make sure you get a good one! I went through four of them before finding one I liked. The first one was too small. The next one got stuck together and had sharp edges that cut my fingers. The heavy, round German one broke the first time I used it. Finally, I found the Swissgold Tea Ball. The fine mesh means no floating leaves, It doesn't get stuck, and it cleans easily.

Use roughly one heaping teaspoon of leaves for each cup of water, increasing or reducing the amount of tea to vary the strength.

Bring the water to a full boil, to ensure the flavor of the tea develops properly.

Steep tea for about 4 minutes. Leaving it longer will make the tea bitter.

How to Brew Green Tea

Water should be just below the boiling point (80 °C or 185 °F). Green tea is more delicate and boiling water will burn it, producing a bitter taste. Steep for three minutes.

Making Oolong Tea

Brew oolong tea at 90 °C to 100 °C (194 °F to 212 °F). Warm the teapot before adding the hot water. High quality oolong leaves are often re-used three to five times. The third steeping is generally the best.

Serving Tea

A procelain tea pot will retain heat better. If you use a tea bag, don't squeeze it, you'll bring out a tannic, bitter flavor.

"Make tea not war" - Monty Python

An English friend of mine told me that the order in which the milk is added is often a reflection of class in British countries.

She said that working class people add the milk first and then the tea, while middle and upper class people add the tea first and then the milk.

George Orwell even weighed in on the topic.

The tea experts at the Twinings web site say to add the milk first so the milk cools the tea, preventing the milk from separating.

Of course, some teas are best without any milk at all. Use milk for English Breakfast, Darjeeling, Irish Breakfast, and Assam.

Skip the milk if you're having earl gray, Gunpowder, herbal tea, or fruit-flavored black teas.

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me" - C.S. Lewis

Tea Time Photographic Print
Garrett