HOW TO MAKE A CUP OF TEA?
Tea is the favourite drink of billions of people around the world. With more than 2 billion people starting their day with this hot refreshing beverage, there is no doubt that the world is consuming almost three billion tonnes of tea produced every year.
There are thousands of different types of tea from various regions and countries, each with its own unique flavour and brewing methods. Unfortunately, many people believe that preparing tea is just putting some hot boiling water over a tea bag, and it's just that simple.
However, this is certainly not true. The methods for brewing tea have evolved over time, and there are many factors to consider to make good tea. The quality of ingredients, steeping time and temperature, the use of proper utensils, rinsing, and more everything play a crucial role in ensuring that your cup of tea is as delicious as you expect it to be.
In today's article, we'll teach you how to make a proper cup of tea along with all the essential information needed to ensure that the cup of tea is splendid and filled with flavour.
STEP BY STEP GUIDE ON HOW TO PROPERLY BREW TEA
Thinking about how to brew a tasty cup of tea? There are many ways to brew a cup of tea, and as a result, there are also many ways to mess it up. But with our tried and tested method of making tea, you can never end up with a tasteless cup of tea. Here's how to do it.\
STEP 1- BOIL FRESH WATER
While it's your tea leaves that have the utmost importance in preparing a beverage that delights, the quality of your water does matter. It is the second most important ingredient of your tea, so make sure to get it right.
Always use fresh water instead of reboiled water. This is because freshwater is power-packed with oxygen, way higher than re-boiled water! This helps in enhancing the taste of your tea.
Another essential factor of brewing good tea is using water with low mineral content. Hard water contains minerals that ruin the tea's texture and flavour. This can result in a drink that isn't refreshing at all.
STEP 2- WARM THE POT
Warming the pot of water is not something you can avoid. If you don't heat your pot, you're missing out on one of the most crucial steps to maintaining an optimal brewing temperature.This will make your tea taste a whole lot better.
Simply put some hot water in your pot to transfer the heat of the water to the pot. Or, as an alternative, you can put your pot or kettle on the stove for a good 20 seconds to warm it up nicely but don't overdo it.
STEP 3- ADD TEA LEAVES/BAGS IN THE POT
The next step is to fill tea leaves or tea bags in the teapot. For tea bags, the rule is simple, use one per cup — the most common form of preparation. But if you're looking to upgrade your at-home experience with loose leaf tea, be sure to follow the ratio of one teaspoon for every cup and add one teaspoon for the pot.
Loose-leaf tea or a tea blend will give you much more flavour than tea bags. If you are starting out with loose leaf tea or a tea blend, it is a good idea to purchase from a trusted source. Buying from sources like Monks Chai helps ensure that you are purchasing high-quality, ethically-sourced blends.
Try Monk's Organic Specialty Chai, famous for its deepest flavours and organic ingredients, so you will never have to worry about the quality of the tea.
STEP 4- POUR WATER & RINSE
Now put warm water into the pot full of tea leaves and rinse. The rinsing of tea leaves before brewing is not strictly necessary. But it is important if you are using tea that contains minimally processed tea leaves, such as white tea or green tea.
You must also rinse if you intend to use compressed teas, heavily baked oolongs, loose leaf tea, or you spot some debris in the tea. However, if you see that your tea does not need rinsing, you can skip this step of the instructions to speed up the brewing process.
STEP 5- POUR & STEEP
The process of steeping tea is vital to deliciousness and full taste. Good tea is all about extracting the flavour and nutrients from the leaves without developing bitterness. Pay attention to how long you steep for and how hot the water is — both these factors can affect the final flavour of your drink.
Tea brands generally list the steeping time and temperature on the product packaging. But if you are a tea connoisseur, keeping this information on your fingertips about some commonly used tea is a great idea. Also, be informed that different teas have different optimal steeping temperatures — green tea needs cooler water, while black tea or pu-erh needs warmer water.
For instance, for black tea, steeping time is 3-5 minutes, and temperature range is 194℉ – 208℉ (90℃ – 98℃). For green tea, white tea, oolong tea, steeping time is approximately 3 minutes, and an optimal average steeping temperature is 85 ℃ (185 ℉)
STEP 6 - ADD SOME EXTRAS
Now that you've learned the best way to make tea, you can drink it in its pure, natural, and delicious form. But you can change it up a bit with a little something more. Add some extras to your brew!
By far, the biggest tea accompaniment is milk. Add dairy milk to your tea to experience your drink in an entirely new way. Whole milk provides a creamy taste and texture, while skim milk is lower in calories and less dense. Dairy free alternatives as we like to call them milk like soy, oat and almond milk are also a great choice, offering similar taste and added benefits of plant based alternatives.
You can also add sugar and honey to tone down the bitterness of your tea, but it increases the calories in your cup of tea. For green tea, lemon, ginger, and honey are perfect choices. It all comes down to personal preference, and this step is entirely optional.
STEP 7- ENJOY YOUR TEA
We have taught you the easiest way to make tea with all the details. Time to get brewing! When it comes to enjoying tea, there are many ways to do it. You can brew a whole pot and enjoy it with some friends or family members — or pair it with a snack on its own (cookies never hurt).
HOW TO MAKE MASALA CHAI?
Chai or Masala Chai is one of India's most popular traditional teas, but its popularity has filtered through to coffee houses,cafés, and homes worldwide. A gift from India, this sweetened, spiced tea beverage is perfect for the cold months and a nice break from dark beverages like coffee and black tea.
Masala Chai means "spiced tea," and it's essentially a blend of black tea, milk, water, and spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, clove, star anise, nutmeg, and black peppercorns.
You can make your own masala chai at home with an easy recipe, or you can choose organic, plant-based, and hand-made in Australia Monk's Organic Specialty Chai for a hassle-free experience. Here's how to make homemade masala chai from scratch
- Please take all the spices and crush them in a mortar and pestle or on a chopping board with a spoon. This will help activate the oils in them.
- Boil water, put the tea leaves or tea bags, spices, and let it steep for appropriate time according to the tea used.
- Next, add the milk. You can use full cream organic dairy milk, but we prefer plant-based options. The choice is totally up to you.
- Allow the masala to boil fully until froth appears on the tea. You can also double boil it for a richer texture. When the froth appears, take it off the heat until it settles down. Then put it again on the heat source to repeat the process.
- Then allow it to simmer on low heat until a creamy golden brown colour is obtained. There is no specific limit to how long you must allow it to simmer. Go with the flow and follow your heart.
- Next, strain the tea and finish it off by lightly dusting it with freshly ground cinnamon or grated nutmeg.
- When you're done with it, following all the steps above, it's time to enjoy your masala chai and cookies!
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