Categories

By Niki Sullivan

What makes a delicious ice cream and might help you live a longer, healthier life?

Unless you’ve been under a rock for the past decade, you probably know that tea has more than a few health benefits. But if you’ve relied on bagged teas for your fix, you may be convinced that all tea is bitter and expensive.

Thankfully, you’re wrong. A cup of tea, prepared correctly, requires neither loads of honey nor money.

But therein lies the problem: A pile of leaves doesn’t come with directions, and the number of tea gadgets on the market makes you want to run back to the bagged tea aisle.

We consulted tea experts on how to brew the perfect cup – and have compiled recipes for sneaking tea into your favorite dishes.

DISCLAIMER

To be clear, we’re not talking about tea bags here. Not only do those come with directions, but also they’re a whole different beast.

Don’t believe it? Open up a box of tea bags and a bag of loose-leaf tea, take a whiff and you’ll find out one of the reasons why: Loose-leaf tea smells fresh, while most commercial tea bags have a faint smell, if any. The same goes for flavor.

The reason, said Tobin Ropes, who owns Mad Hat Tea Co. in downtown Tacoma, is that tea bags use a lower-grade leaf and contain only bits and pieces of the leaves. They also may be stored on the shelves for years – far too long for fresh-tasting tea, he said.

Another disclaimer: We’re also not talking herbal teas. All true tea comes from one plant: Camellia sinensis. Leaves from the plant are harvested at different times and processed in slightly different ways to yield green, oolong, black and Pu-erh teas.

Herbal teas, also called tisanes, are made from any other type of dried plant. Let’s leave them for another day.

A PRIMER

Although all true tea comes from the same plant, there are hundreds of types of tea. The strong Assam teas from India, delicate jasmine green tea from China or Japan and the earthy cakes of black Pu-erh tea all call for different preparation methods. Steep too long, and the tea will be bitter. Use water that’s too hot, and you might vaporize the flavors. (See box.)

That said, there’s a large degree of personal preference.

Ropes stayed up until all hours of the morning steeping teas in different time increments to find out what he preferred. He kept a notebook to catalog his research. But for all the effort he’s put into it, he doesn’t expect others to have similar tastes.

“I have people come in and say, ‘I steep my tea for 10 minutes.’ And I say, ‘good for you!’” Ropes said, without sarcasm. His shop, which stocks dozens of types of tea, opened last year, and he’s since met a lot of people just trying out loose-leaf tea.

CHOOSING A TEA

To get a good loose-leaf tea, you’ll probably have to venture to a tea shop (see box). But even there, qualities may vary.

“Not all bulk loose-leaf teas are created equal,” said Amanda Bevill, who owns World Spice Merchants in Seattle.

She recommends smelling the tea before you buy it. If the tea doesn’t smell at all, it’s not a good sign. (White tea will always have a very subtle scent.)

Ropes, who has samples of tea varieties on display in the store, said tea should be stored in a cool, dry place away from heat. He keeps his tea in airtight bags.

The importance of storing tea correctly can be demonstrated by the small bowls of tea in his shop: None of them has a detectable smell. He puts them out so customers can see and touch the tea before drinking it.

Smell a tea all you want, but you won’t know if you like the flavor until you actually drink it. At Mad Hat Tea, like many shops, you can get a cup of any tea prepared on site, but not all shops offer that chance.

Ropes and Bevill both recommended buying small quantities – even just enough for one cup – of different types of tea to find which one suits you best.

STORAGE

Once you’ve settled on a tea, Ropes recommends buying enough for a couple of weeks. Buying frequently will ensure freshness, he said.

Bevill likes storing the tea in airtight glass jars, either in the cupboard away from light or in colored glass. Metal containers also work, although she recommends staying away from aluminum or other reactive metals, which can affect the flavor of the tea.

Ropes prefers sealed opaque plastic bags or fold-top bags stored in a cool, dry place.

AND FINALLY, PREPARATION

A good cup of tea starts with the right water, Ropes said. If you have a water filter, use it. If not, he suggested boiling water and letting it cool.

When you’re ready to make tea, don’t bring the water to a boil – it’ll basically vaporize the nuances, Ropes said.

Instead, he and Bevill pointed out different steeping temperatures for different types of tea. If you don’t have a thermometer handy, don’t worry. The general theme is that lighter teas require lower temperatures, whereas darker teas can withstand hotter water.

Ropes recommends using about 2 grams of tea per 6 ounces, or more for stronger tea. That translates to a pinch or two per cup.

And then comes the brewing vessel.

“It can be kind of baffling because of all the various gadgets,” Bevill said. She recommends a basket-type infuser or a French press pot. The most important thing is giving the water ample contact with the tea, which is why she stays away from the small teaspoons and balls that don’t allow much water circulation.

THE REST IS HISTORY

Pour the water into the cup with the leaves, wait anywhere from one to five minutes, depending on the type of tea, and you’re set.

But for a relatively simple act, Ropes likes to turn it into a meditative practice. First, he rinses the tea with a splash of cold water to “wake it up.” Then he waits patiently. When the tea is finally in his warm mug, he cradles it between his hands between sips.

“The true health benefit in tea is making it,” he said.

“When you feel you’ve just had enough with the boss, I don’t think coffee’s going to help,” he said with a laugh.

If you liked this article, you might enjoy Learning to Steep your Tea or Reading the Tea Leaves.