3 Steps to your perfect cup of tea
This post discusses the three steps to making your perfect cup of tea.
Step 1: Choosing the right tea
A good tea doesn't necessarily mean the best tea available, but one that's suitable for the occasion.
We have to ask ourselves:
What kind of emotion or sensation do we want our tea to evoke?
Who are we making the tea for?
In the morning, we usually need something to wake up our senses and motivate. Earl Grey packs a zesty punch, or try a caffeine free citrus blast with our gorgeous Lemon Verbena or I speak Be Better Chakra tea, need a gentle lift with less caffeine? Any of our whole leaf, spring flush green teas give a tasty gradual lift to set you up for the day 😊
At the end of the day, when we want to slow down and get a good night's sleep, Chamomile Dream, I Love, or Fresh Bloom help to wind you down, relax and get you in that coveted REM sleep mode.
Another thing to consider is the weather: when the weather is hot, you may want to choose a refreshing tea like Berry Fruity or Lemon Harmony, or prepare a cold tea with our zesty Lemon Verbena. In winter, teas or blends with warming ingredients that stimulate our circulation and boost immunity would be the best choice, wouldn't you agree? Have you ever tried our Ginger Zest, or I am Be Better Chakra tea?
As you can see, these simple suggestions give you a wide range of teas to choose from for different occasions, but I imagine that many of you are still developing your tea palate. Open to some new teatastic adventures?
If you are still not sure which tea would suit you best, please contact us via chat or contact form.
We’d be delighted to give you all the necessary guidance to help you choose a tea for every occasion.
Step 2: Use water at just the right temperature
The first thing to consider is that the majority of aspects related to the tea's quality depend on factors beyond the control of the consumer.
The conditions of plantation, manufacture, and transportation- all play a vital part.
Here at Solaris we take the stress out of tea for you.
We only supply teas produced by organic and high-quality suppliers.
However, there's one aspect of the tea's quality that is solely under your control: BREWING!
To begin with, it is a common misconception that all teas should be brewed with boiling or steaming water.
Did you know that there is a specific temperature at which each tea variety should be prepared at for optimum flavour and effect? Very few varieties require using water very close to 100 °C/ boiling point!
Let’s also clarify that when we talk about tea we mean any preparation from Camellia sinensis plant or other variations of the Tea bush including black teas, green teas, white teas, blue tea-oolong and pu erh.
Herbal infusions often require longer infusion time at higher temperatures, although this also varies depending on plants included in the blend.
Why?
As the temperature of the water rises, there is a greater amount of substances that are extracted from the tea leaves, and some of those extra compounds do not necessarily enhance our tea's flavour.
In fact, they often add significant bitterness to the tea or cause unpleasant mouth astringency.
Water temperatures recommended by the tea specialists refer to the right conditions to extract the maximum flavour from the leaves, in other words, to preserve the particular taste of that product without risk of excess bitterness of astringency, or as we call it in technical terms, without any sensory edge.
As a result, we should use the specific temperature for each type of tea rather than using boiling water to prepare tea.
In our packaging this information is included, and we will add it at the end of this article as well, but let's discuss the third and last mistake first, as it's directly related to this one.
Step 3: Leave the tea in for just the right amount of time
The third of the 3 mistakes also relates to the preparation of tea and is very similar to what I explained earlier, except here, the mistake relates to the length of time the tea leaves remain in the water.
Experience has also shown that it is a mistake to let the tea leaves sit in the water for too long, i.e. to over infuse.
In fact, in the same way that water temperature affects the quantity of substances extracted from tea leaves, the longer the tea is infused, the more these substances are extracted.
In order to perfect this final step we should keep in mind that tea in our cup should present a balance between taste, aroma, and texture.
As such, to enjoy the best tasting tea, you don't have to extract everything that the leaf can offer you, but just enough so that you'll enjoy it to its fullest!
In order to make sure you perfect the art of your perfect cup of tea, here are the recommended infusion temperatures and times according to the variety of tea! You can also find it in all of our packaging:
Black tea: 75 °C - 90 °C - 3 to 4 minutes
Green and yellow tea: 70° to 80 °C - 1 to 2 minutes
White tea: 75° to 85 °C - 3 to 5 minutes
Blue Tea (oolong): 75°- 95 °C - 5 minutes
Puerh: 95 °C - 5 minutes
By choosing the right teas for the right occasions and preparing them appropriately, you will always enjoy the best experience!
Get your favourites from our website! We can deliver anywhere in the world!
www.solaristea.com
