Rules that will help you brew delicious tea at home with your own hands
According to Chinese tradition, it is recommended to refrain from spicy seasonings and alcohol if you want the aromatic bouquet of tea to be fully revealed to you.
The traditional Chinese tea ceremony prescribes: in order to experience the subtlety and variability of the taste of tea, the day before drinking the drink you should not consume salty and spicy foods or alcohol , as well as smoking or wearing perfume.
Without delving into traditional features, let's talk about the simplest method of brewing with your own hands at home, accessible to any city resident.
Granulated tea
Granulated tea is another equally popular type of tea, which is often chosen by Russian consumers. And if loose leaf tea speaks for itself, then in the case of the granulated version, the tea leaves will be presented in the form of unusual granules. In most cases, the birthplace of this drink is India, from where it is transported all over the world. In fact, granulated tea and leaf tea are based on the same raw materials. The only difference will be in the method of processing the tea leaves.
However, it is the processing method that can have a big impact on the subsequent price of the product. The thing is that the secret of producing granules lies in efficiency. This production method completely eliminates the possibility of waste, which makes it possible to achieve large volumes and, therefore, allows the manufacturer to reduce prices.
What should the water be like to make good tea?
Water from mountain springs is ideal for brewing tea.
Brewing tea is the process of extracting useful and tasty components from dry matter under the influence of water at a certain temperature. Incorrectly selected mineral composition or water temperature can minimize the taste and beneficial qualities of even the most high-quality drink.
Spring water taken from a source flowing in a valley may be too hard. Along with tap water, it is not suitable for brewing. The exception is soft mountain spring water - ideal for making tea.
For brewing in urban conditions, water with a mineralization level below 300 mg/l and with a hardness below 3 mEq/l is considered ideal. The data must be indicated on the label. Tea made from melted glacial water should make the drink soft and tasty.
What homeware to use to make a delicious drink
The bouquet composition of tea is best revealed when using clay dishes.
For brewing, choose traditional round porcelain or ceramic dishes. Earthenware, glass or porcelain do not disturb the aromatic range.
The aroma of green tea is better revealed in earthenware. It is not brewed in metal or enamel containers, as this leads to a sharp deterioration in taste and the release of harmful substances that affect the digestive system.
How to collect fireweed
We can purchase ready-made fireweed in specialized stores, markets or pharmacies, but going out into nature and collecting it ourselves is no more difficult, and most importantly, much more enjoyable.
The collection season in the middle zone is the flowering period, usually from early May to mid-August. In the spring, the tops of shoots and young leaves are collected, in the summer - inflorescences and leaves that have gained strength and maturity. Spring tea has a slight sourness, while summer tea has a spicy honey aroma. The collection of raw materials stops when the seeds ripen and the plants begin to “fluff”.
Brewing temperature
Temperatures of 80-90° C are only suitable for green varieties. Black tea does not reveal its taste when exposed to “raw” water; moreover, sometimes it emits an unpleasant fishy smell.
The water should be boiled and then cooled to 80° C. (At room temperature, it is enough to wait 4-5 minutes).
Important! Do not trust the electronic device and monitor the moment of boiling water yourself. The electric kettle will turn off a little later than the actual boiling time, due to which the boiled water will lose oxygen and the taste will become inexpressive.
Preparing the kettle for brewing tea
Before brewing, the teapot must be warmed up so that its walls are not cold.
The Chinese brewed tea in vessels made of red clay, which allowed air to pass through well, but at the same time allowed it to retain heat. In such dishes, its aroma revealed itself brighter, the taste became more refined.
Cold containers are not suitable for brewing. Before adding the tea leaves, pour a little boiling water into the teapot and wait for the walls to warm up, after which the water is drained.
Brew black loose leaf tea:
Almost always, tea manufacturers write incomplete information on the packaging. And you shouldn’t always believe it, for example, the same type of tea can be brewed with different water temperatures.
To obtain maximum taste and aroma, do not use iron utensils. Porcelain is ideal. To get a drink without bitterness , you should fill it with hot water for 3-5 minutes before starting the procedure. After the container is warmed up, put 1-2 spoons of tea leaves there;
When your kettle boils, let it sit for 7-10 minutes so that the water temperature drops to 80 degrees
Fill the bowl with the tea leaves and cover the top with a napkin or towel. In 5 minutes your tea is ready.
When you have a mug, but no teapot.
Sometimes there is such a problem: there is tea, there is water, there is nowhere to brew it, what to do? The editors of 2tea found an original and at the same time simple way to solve this problem.
We will need a plastic cup or, for example, a yogurt box, the tea itself and a mug.
We pierce holes as in the picture:
Then we put it in a mug and put the tea leaves there. Be careful, 80 degrees is still too much, the plastic will melt!
In a thermos:
The peculiarity of tea in a thermos is the fact that the time required for brewing is less , but the drink turns out much stronger. To slightly reduce the astringency and bitterness, we recommend adding a spoonful of honey. The procedure is simple, take 2 tablespoons of leaves, put them in a thermos and fill them with water. Brewing time is approximately 1-2 minutes . Tea is ready.
The condition for preparation is the correct dosage of tea leaves.
The simplest recipe for brewing black tea at home: 1 teaspoon (2-3 g) per 1 tbsp. water; for green tea this figure is reduced by 2 times. For a family of 3-4 people, purchase a teapot with a capacity of about a liter
Usually they throw in one tsp. tea leaves for one glass of water
In China, soft spring water from high mountain sources is used for brewing. In the 17th century, such water in local Chinese markets cost no less than the price of tea itself.
Sage Leaf Supplement
In the absence of contraindications, such as pregnancy, epilepsy, high blood pressure, diabetes, you can add 1 tsp to the tea while brewing. dry crushed sage leaves. The characteristic bitterness will not be to everyone’s taste, but softened by mint and honey it will give the drink a piquant note.
Attention! Pregnant women, as well as people suffering from epilepsy, high blood pressure and diabetes should not drink sage tea
Benefit for health
The healing properties of Ivan tea are so great that it is hardly possible to list them all. Let's look at some of them:
- one of the most important properties of fireweed is the ability to alkalize the body, which makes it possible to use fireweed tea as a means for the prevention of cancer;
- fireweed infusion is especially useful for men due to the chanerol it contains, which has a healing effect on the prostate gland and helps alleviate the condition of prostatitis and adenoma;
- fireweed tea has a mild sedative effect, relieves stress, promotes deeper sleep;
- with regular consumption of fireweed tea, the incidence of colds and acute respiratory viral infections decreases, since the vitamin C contained in the drink increases resistance to viruses and strengthens the immune system;
- For hypertension, the drink has a stabilizing effect. Potassium and magnesium have a beneficial effect on the vascular system, remove excess fluid from the body, thereby normalizing blood pressure;
- Being a natural antiseptic, fireweed tea promotes the healing of wounds and scratches, stops inflammatory processes in the throat and oral cavity.
Other additives in the recipe
- The addition of dried tea rose petals will give the tea a fruity taste and delicate aroma.
- The Cardamom spice will invigorate the body and strengthen the nervous system.
- The characteristic fresh taste of mint will help you invigorate in the early morning and calm down before going to bed.
- One small piece of cinnamon will give the drink a spicy aroma and invigorating properties.
- The spicy, refreshing aroma of anise seeds cannot be confused with other spices: it has an antipyretic effect and relieves headaches.
The ideal water for brewing is soft, sweet water from a high-mountain source, but in urban conditions it is better to give preference to soft water with a low level of mineralization.
Boiled, but not overboiled water is ideal for brewing pu-erh, oolong and red teas. Clay, porcelain and earthenware dishes are considered the most suitable for brewing.
On the website “Culture of Tea Consumption” you will also learn how to drink hibiscus correctly during pregnancy to avoid harm to health, as well as about different varieties of this wonderful drink: Da Hong Pao, Bai Hao Yin Zhen, Gunpowder green tea, Milk Oolong
