How To: Brew the Perfect Cup of Tea

There's a big difference between a good cup of tea and a bad cup of tea. Here are our tips to ensure you get a great cup every time.

How to make a proper brew

Tea leaves can be fickle things if you don't treat them correctly. There are several things affecting a brew of tea, from temperature to time. Keep those in mind when you're brewing, but adjust where necessary to get the most from your tea leaves.

1. Heat your water to the necessary temperature. Prior to boiling, allow the water to run from the tap to make sure the water is nicely aerated. Scroll below to see the ideal temperature at which to brew your tea. It will differ, and it matters whether your tea is black or fruit-based.
2. Add tea and water. Depending on whether you use teabags or loose leaf tea, and whether you're making a batch with a pot or just a single, your method may differ here. Put your teabag into your cup and pour the brewed hot water over it, stirring.
3. Wait patiently: different types of tea brew to perfection at different speeds.
4. Customise your tea as per your liking. Sweeten your tea with honey or sugar, or perhaps add in a lemon slice to boost your body's ability to absorb iron.

What is the difference between types of teas?

You need to know what type of tea you're drinking in order to know how to brew it to perfection. Almost every tea comes from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, including black, white, green and oolong tea.

• Oolong Tea – compared to green and black, oolong tea is partially oxidised. This means tea leaves are exposed to air to dry, resulting in their subtle, complex and wide range of flavours.
• Black Tea – the tea is fully oxidised, meaning tea leaves create a dark, rich body of tea, high in caffeine.
• Green Tea – the tea is largely unoxidised. Their colour is green and the flavour is mellow and light, though the colour and taste may differ by Chinese or Japanese methods of harvestation.
• White Tea – the tea undergoes the least amount of oxidisation. These teas are usually subtle in taste, floral and light, and low in caffeine.
• Herbal & Fruit Tea – strictly not tea, as they are not made using any leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. They are also entirely caffeine-free.

Temperature and Time

Temperature and time play a huge part in the perfect brew. Over-brewing can leave tea bitter with an unpleasant feeling in your mouth. Under brew, and the complexity of flavours in your tea won't develop.

Here are our guidelines for timing and temperature:

• Black Tea – 100°C, 2-4 minutes
• Fruit Tea – 100°C, 3-5 minutes
• Floral & Herbal Tea – 100°C, 3-5 minutes
• Oolong Tea – 80-90°C, 3-5 minutes
• White and Green Tea – 80°C, 1-3 minutes

These are intended as a guideline only. Please follow the specific brewing instructions when they're provided with each tea.

Ratio

The tea to cup ratio is important to consider. We recommend approximately 1 teaspoon per cup, but always check the brewing instructions of each blend. Fruit teas may require 1.5 to 2 teaspoons per cup, as they are chunkier than normal tea leaves.

Brewing Tools

Having a few simple brewing tools can help the tea to infuse properly.

The Infuser Bags are easy-to-use, single-use bags made from high-grade Japanese Tea Paper. Try a Tea Infuser and when the appropriate strength and flavour has been reached, simply remove the tea, or tisane, from pot or cup and enjoy.

Quality of Tea

This may seem obvious, but how do you know if it’s a quality blend? If you're able to, touch and smell the tea. Good-quality tea should have a distinct scent: by sniffing the tea, you should be able to get a beautiful aroma coming out from the dry tea leaves. Good quality tea leaves should be whole, smooth and not overly dried.