Brewing Tea

Tea is the second most popular beverage in the world. Only water is rated higher in world consumption than tea. It is estimated that somewhere between 18 and 20 billion 6 oz. cups of tea are drunk daily on our planet. An extension of numbers shows that the United States only imports enough tea annually to keep world usage rates going for 2 days. We have a lot to learn!

Tea has lots of things going for it; it is healthy, tasty, can be drunk hot or cold and has no calories. The only drawback for some is that it contains a stimulant called caffeine. Personally, I like caffeine, but a growing contingent of folks do not. My goal is to fill the casual tea drinker in on the types of teas and at what temperatures these teas brew the best. This entry is by no means exhaustive, but hopefully you can take a way a kernel of knowledge from it. I almost always brew my tea in a teapot, or when I am lazy, in a cup. There are all kinds of contraptions for brewing tea from tea infuser balls to tea infuser sticks. I heat the water in a tea kettle. I like the nostaligia of hearing the whistle. I use loose tea most of the time because it is much better than bags in terms of flavor.

Basic Types of Tea- Black, White and Green teas all come from the Camellia sinensis bush. What makes them different is in where the leaves come from on the bush and how the leaves are processed.

Black Tea- Fully fermented during processing. Leaves are picked from the mid section of the tea bush branch toward the trunk. Many times black teas are heat dried in big rolling bins similar to a clothes dryer. Black tea is the most common variety we drink around here. (36mg caffeine per 6 oz. cup) water temperature: 200 - 212 degrees; steeping time: 4 - 5 minutes

Green- Not fermented at all, unprocessed grassy taste (20mg caffeine per cup) Picked from the ends of the tea bush while leaves are opening. Water temperature: 170 - 190 degrees; steeping time: 1 - 3 minutes

White- Sometimes called Silver Needle (15mg caffeine per cup). The leaves are picked and harvested from the tips of the tea bush before the leaves open fully, when the buds are still covered by fine white hair. Hence the name. White tea is scarcer than the other traditional teas, and can be quite a bit more expensive. Charcterized by a light and sweet flavor. Water temperature: 170 - 190 degrees; steeping time: 1 - 3 minutes

Red Tea- Not really a tea (technically a Tisane, or herbal tea, because it is not made from the Camellia sinensis plant)-- instead it is made from the dried and oxidized leaves of the South African Aspalathis linearis plant. Often, Red tea is called Rooibos (from the Dutch South African language meaning red bush). Little to no caffeine.

Herbal Tea- Also called Tisanes are not teas at all. They are a grouping of herbs, zest, flowers and more that are a substitute for tea. Some are quite good! Water temperature: 212 degrees; steeping time: 5 - 7 minutes

Cool Trick! Decaffeinate your tea at home. (only for loose teas, sorry) You may decaffeinate your own tea by pouring hot water over the tea leaves, waiting 30 seconds, then pouring off that first infusion. This removes roughly 2/3 of the caffeine per 6 oz. Don't exceed that 30-second time frame, however, or you will lose much of the vitamins and antioxidant effects, as well as flavor. Depending on the kind of black tea you are drinking, this method will lose some of the flavor, which I think will be acceptable to most who want to reduce caffeine. This only works for loose tea, however, not for tea bags. Tea bags are designed to brew very quickly -- the leaves are in very small pieces, called "dust", which enables the tea to brew more quickly. You would lose much too much flavor with a tea bag.