Tang dynasty cup, 618-907
How to make the perfect cup of tea
Not just once
These rare teas are of such high quality that the same leaves can be infused several times. Each time you brew the tea different subtleties
of the delicate flavours will be released.
It is essential that the tea leaves are not left to stew once they have been brewed to the desired strength. Straining the tea completely will prevent the leaves from becoming bitter.
In China it is widely believed that the second brew of fine tea is the best.
Teaware
In the 8th Century the celebrated poet Lu Yu wrote that in order to enjoy a really delicious cup of tea a porcelain cup should be used, preferably beside a lily pond in the company of desirable women.
Tastes may differ but Lu Yu's suggestion that tea is drunk from a porcelain cup is highly recommended, the
smaller and finer the better.
Just as a fine wine may not live up to its full potential when drunk from a mug, the same can be said of fine teas.
It is not recommended that you use a teaball strainer for any of our teas since the leaves and tips need room to expand. It is much more effective to use a tea pot and a strainer - or our hand-filled bags .
There are three methods to ensure perfect brewing:
- Two tea pots method. The first tea pot is used to brew the tea. Once the tea has steeped to perfection strain into the second warmed pot.
- Warm cup method. Pour the freshly boiled water into the number of tea cups required. The water can then be returned to the teapot with the tea. In this way the water is measured and none will be left in the pot once it has been brewed and poured.
- Hand-filled Tea Bags.
White Silver Tip and White Whole Leaf Tea
White tea is the purest and most delicate of all teas. It needs longer brewing time than other teas. Allow the tips to steep for 4-6 minutes.
For a subsequent brewing less time is needed to steep the White Silver Tip Tea because the water will have already penetrated the tips, allowing the flavour to be released. It can be brewed many times without becoming bitter.
Green Leaf, and Jasmine Silver Tip Tea
Green teas should be brewed for a shorter time - about 2- 3 minutes for the first brew. If you are going to make iced tea or to sweeten the green tea with sugar you may want to let it steep longer to bring out the more robust tannic flavours.
Oolong
In China Oolong is drunk from tiny cups and each sip savoured. It is brewed in the same way as green tea but the best results are achieved by making it in small quantities with a high leaf to water ratio. The number of infusions depends on your own taste but oolong is often re-infused over six times revealing different subtleties of flavour each time.
Once brewed the aroma can be savoured for a moment before the taste.
Black Tea
For black tea the steeping times really differ with preference. If you want to drink the tea on it's own (without milk) 3 minutes is ideal but if you want to build the strong tannic flavours you may want to leave it longer. It takes longer than a tea-bag because we use whole leaves not tiny particles of tea and it takes longer for the water to penetrate the leaf. We hope you agree that the flavour is well worth the wait.
Temperature
The water is best freshly filtered and should not be re-boiled since this diminishes the oxygen content of the water.
For BLACK, GREEN and WHITE tea the water should be below boiling. This is because the amino acids (which produce the tea's flavour) dissolve at lower temperatures than tannin. Tea made with water at 100°c will be more astringent and less sweet.
Ideally stop the kettle just before it reaches the rolling boil- when small bubbles form along the sides of the kettle. Alternatively the warm cup brewing method is an excellent way to cool the water.
If you are a real stickler and want to get it exactly right white teas are best at about 70°c.
For green and glack teas use water around 85°c
For OOLONG tea, on the other hand, hotter temperatures are critical to getting the top notes of flavour and fragrance. Use freshly boiled water where bubbles are forming across the surface just before it reaches a rolling boil.
Milk and sugar?
White teas are so delicate and naturally sweet that you won't need to add sugar or milk. With green we recommend honey over sugar. With black tea anything goes. We only sell the best leaf teas - and they do not need anyhing but it's entirely a matter of taste.