How to Brew Tea – Properly

Ivy — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 01:46:49 +0000

As a child, my mother would tell me that I would learn to appreciate coffee once I became a grown-up, and that I would slowly move away from drinking tea. I’m now 23 – and that didn’t happen.

I became a tea nazi, instead. I need to have my tea brewed a certain way to get my “fix” every morning. And it’s gotta be English Breakfast – no wussy fruit infusions, no strange spices, and certainly no milk. Good tea should taste amazing alone.

So today, I’m going to teach you plebeians how to brew black tea bags. I’m being specific here because different type of teas are brewed differently, and since I only drink English Breakfast, which is part of the black tea family, I don’t know know how to brew anything else. (This is also why I call myself a tea nazi, not a connoisseur. But I digress.)

Tip #1: Use fresh tap water

It must come directly from the tap. Mineral water has um…minerals in it; these minerals tend to interfere with the brewing process. Also, water that has been still for a while will make the tea taste flat. So this also means you can’t use electronic water boilers.

Tip #2: Use boiling water only!

While the water is being boiled, put your tea bag in the mug. And wait. The moment your (electric) kettle goes off, run like you’ve seen Sadako and quickly pour the water into your mug! Even one second too late is no good; the tea will taste sour and flat. It’s gotta have that loud boiling noise as you’re pouring into your mug. This heat brings out the aroma and richness from the tea leaves.

Tip #3: Don’t touch! Let the tea brew!

Don’t stir. Don’t put your spoon in there. Just don’t touch! Let the bag sit for about 30 seconds – 1 minute, and then take it out. Higher grade teas will rarely over brew, so you can let it sit for a bit longer. I like my tea bitter so I sometimes leave the bag in the mug. But I doubt most people would enjoy that kind of bitterness. Haha.

Tip #4: Add milk and sugar later

If you insist on having sugar and milk, only add it after the tea been brewed. Adding milk before will prevent the tea from brewing. Although whenyou put sugar in your tea has tea doesn’t have a substantial effect, sometimes I find that the tea tastes a little chemical-like when I put sugar before adding in the water. So just to be safe, add it only after the tea has been brewed.

Et voila! You can now enjoy a good cup of tea!

Misc. Tip: Don’t export teas on your own!

I learned an important lesson when I moved from Malaysia to Canada: teas are heavily dependent on local water. While living in Malaysia, I used to drink Boh tea. It somehow complemented the less-than potable tap water there. The tea tasted very full-bodied. Then when I moved to Toronto, I decided to bring some Boh with me. But no matter how I brewed it, it was just horrid with Toronto’s tap water. There was a distinct piercing metallic taste. I couldn’t find the right tea… until I went to local supermarket to pick up Red Rose tea. It was no way as aromatic as Boh tea, but it tasted like tea, at least.

And now that I moved back to Singapore, nothing has come close to 1872 Clipper Tea Co. (not to be confused with Clipper Teas.) This is really how all tea should taste like! According to 11872 Clipper Tea Co., it’s also gourmet tea. And being gourmet, it’s a pain to find it. Lucky for me, it’s served at the Five Foot Way in my office building. So I get my frequent fix, but at a premium price (even after staff discounts!).

Hope you found this entry useful! All this talk about tea is creating a craving. Time for me to pay Five Foot Way a visit!

Are you a tea or coffee person? What kind of teas or coffees do you like?

Tea of the Mist

Ivy — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 05:37:06 +0000

I’ve always been an avid tea drinker. My daily tea usually consists of black teas because only they are strong enough to leave a bittersweet aftertaste, which then ends with a sort of sour afterthought in the middle of my tongue. I never drink tea with milk. Just a lot of sugar to counter the bitterness since I never take out the tea leaves or tea bag from my drink. And I would wait for my tea to hit that exact temperature and finish it in a few sips. I have no idea what the temperature is since I don’t have a food thermometer. One degree too hot and my tongue will be swollen from being slightly burned, my throat would sizzle in agony. One degree to cold, and the tea loses flavor immediately. All I’d taste is bitterness and flatness. I generally dislike infusions as well, because I like tea for tea not strange fruit, flower or herb mixes. But I make exceptions for jasmine green tea. And recently, I’ve made another exception, a strange one at that: Kiri no Koucha Milk Tea 霧の紅茶ミルクテイー

Kiri no Koucha Milk Tea

I don’t drink milk tea, I don’t drink infused teas, and heck, I would never be caught dead drinking teas masquerading as some soft drink. This tea is supposed to be everything I don’t like, and yet… I’m addicted. I walked to Korean Town in the rain to get me 3 cans today because that’s all I could carry along with my groceries.

My first encounter with it was a month ago, when my boyfriend and I went to Korean town to pick up some groceries. As usual, we’d idlely stand in front of the drinks section because the supermarket has a range of mysterious drinks from the Far East. Out of curiosity, my boyfriend picked up this can that strangely looks cute and elegant at the same time designed with a mix of Japanese and English words.
The English reads:

Prepared according to the time-honored golden rules of English tea-making, using the finest teas selected for the most discerning connoisseur. You can enjoy the fashionable & fascinating tea time.

My boyfriend was laughing at how strange the English was. Well, that’s expected from a Japanese product but for some reason the strange English had my mouth watering. Or maybe it was just the logo of the cup of tea with cream that looked like something the Duchess of York would drink out of. Whatever the case, out of curiosity, I bought one.

The taste was quite strange at first. When I opened the can, I detected the scent of a flower and maybe a few spices. At first sip, the tea was smooth and refreshing like cold green tea. Then the cream and milk momentarily overwhelms the tea. At the peak of the taste, I begin to taste the spice, which then is gentle toned down by the mild sweetness. And the aftertaste? There’s no mistaking it; it’s exactly the same as my usual black tea. That sour afterthought lingering in my tongue was simply exquisite.

The taste is so unique that it was impossible to forget. Well, humans generally don’t forget smells and tastes but this taste would linger in my mouth for weeks. I couldn’t forget how it is smells like or how it tastes like. I even kept the can from the first try. I just had to go back for more. And I will after I finish my last can tomorrow.

霧の紅茶ミルクテイー Kiri no Koucha. The character 霧 (Kiri) in Chinese means “mist”. I guess this would mean that this exquisite soft drink is “Tea of the Mist” or “Misty Tea”. What an appropriate name for such a mysterious taste.

Do you like tea? Are you addicted to any drinks? What about habits on how you like your drinks? Do share your experience!

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Sorry I’ve been away from the blog scene. I’ve had to run errands these past couple days. I will be returning comments soon!

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