Tea leaves can be sensitive to temperature. If the water is too hot and leaves steeped for too long, the tea might be too bitter. You also won’t get the best taste if you steep the tea leaves in cold water for a short time.
With this guide, hopefully, you’ll be able to get the most rewarding tea flavours when you brew yourself a cup of hot or iced tea. Follow the simple tips below to enjoy hot and cold teas the right way.
Making tea using a teabag
Steeping a tea bag in a cup sounds straightforward. However, many of us are not doing it right, so we miss out on tasting the good tea flavours.
To extract the best flavours, here’s what you should do:
-> Place the tea bag in your cup.
-> Once the water is boiling, pour over the tea bag and let it steep according to the recommended time. It’s often printed on the side of tea box, on the packet seal or on the tag of your teabag.
-> Remove the teabag when the time is up. Remember not to steep too long or too quickly.
-> Add milk or your sweetener of choice to the tea. Enjoy!
Making loose-leaf tea
To steep loose-leaf tea, it’s best to have a tea infuser on hand to keep things neat and convenient. Tea infusers can come with your teapot (looks like a basket) or you can buy a single-serving tea infuser, which sometimes comes in adorable designs.
With single-serving tea infusers, you can place the loose leaves inside it before placing the filled infuser in the mug.
-> Fill the infuser with the amount of tea leaves specified on the package of the tea box. It’s usually measured in teaspoons so don’t panic.
-> Once the water comes to a boil, pour over the tea infuser and steep it according to the recommended time. Alternatively, you can just lower the infuser into a pot if you plan to brew a whole pot of tea.
-> When the time is up, remove the infuser from the mug.
-> Add milk or your preferred sweetener and enjoy your drink!
Making iced tea
Steeping your tea in iced or cold water is good if you prefer a milder tea flavour. But to get the best taste, you’ll need to take an extra step.
-> Bring the water to a rolling boil and pour over the tea bag or tea infuser.
-> Steep according to the recommended time. If you prefer a stronger flavour, steep for another 30-60 seconds.
-> Remove the infuser and stir.
-> Add in your sweetener of choice.
-> Let it cool before pouring over ice and enjoy the delicious iced tea.
Making cold brew tea
Cold-brew tea gently extracts the tea flavours from the leaves during the steeping process, and results in a smoother taste.
The process may seem time-consuming but it’s definitely rewarding when you finally get to taste that delicious, smooth tea. And really, isn’t that the most important thing?
-> To make 4 cups of cold brew tea, pour 5 servings of loose tea leaf into a French press with the plunger up.
-> Pour 4 cups of water over the tea leaves and cover.
-> Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. If you steep it longer, you get stronger flavours. You can absolutely steep it overnight for 8 to 12 hours.
-> When you’re ready to serve, remove the press from the refrigerator and press down the plunger before pouring over ice.
-> Add in your preferred sweetener and enjoy your cold brew!
This article was first published in theSun Buzz Health-Tea edition. If you like to know more about drinking tea, check out the 10 healthy benefits of tea that are backed by science and the tea blends you should try at home.
