Tea Brewing
Here are the golden rules to make the perfect cup of tea. Use them and you will never go wrong.
Empty the kettle and refill with fresh cold water from the tap. Filtered water is even better, for if the quality of your water is poor so will be the taste of your tea. Never use reheated water as this contains less oxygen and gives the tea a flat taste.
Use a little hot water to warm the teapot and once warm tip it out.
Heat the water to the correct temperature for the type of tea you are making (refer to our comprehensive guide for all our teas).
The following is a general guide:
- Black Teas & Herbal Infusions 100° C
- Green Teas 70° – 80° C
- Oolong’s 85° – 90° C
Measure the correct amount of tea for the teapot being used, generally one heaped teaspoon per cup (225ml)(refer to our comprehensive guide for all our teas). And either place directly into the teapot or into an infuser and then into the teapot. To use an infuser or not is a personnel choice, however, excellent quality whole leaf tea need room to infuse probably, so our preference is to place the leaves directly into the pot and use a tea strainer when serving.
Immediately the water reaches the correct temperature pour the water over the tealeaves.
The next step is crucial for many teas if you are to avoid your tea from being bitter; it is the time that the tea is allowed to stand after pouring the water (known as the steeping time). (Refer to our comprehensive guide for all our teas). When trying a new tea we recommend take little sips at various intervals until the tea has been steeped to the strength and intensity that you like. Increasing the steeping time to make tea stronger will spoil the taste, so if you wish stronger tea increase the amount of loose tea used when measuring it for the pot.
If using tea bags the tealeaves are generally much smaller and therefore the steeping times will be shorter than for whole leave loose tea.
As soon as the tea has reached the ideal intensity pour immediately using a tea strainer, or if using an infuser remove it from the pot to bring the infusion to an end.
Buy the best possible tea you can, store it in an airtight container, away from strong smells
Finally to really enjoy you’re cup of tea pay attention to the teapot being used. Ideally it should be bone china, porcelain, glass or cast iron.
| Black Teas | Teaspoons per cup (225ml) | Water Temperature ℃/(℉) | Steep Time (minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASSAM OP | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 3 – 4 |
| DARJEELING | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 2 – 3 |
| CEYLON FOP | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 3 – 4 |
| JAVA OP Malabar | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 2 – 3 |
| Keemun OP | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 3 – 5 |
| Lapsang Souchong | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 3 – 5 |
| Kenya GFOP1 MARINYN | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 3 – 4 |
| Nilgiri TGFOP1 | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 3 – 4 |
| DRAGON MOON | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 3 – 4 |
| ENGLISH BREAKFAST | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 3 – 4 |
| IRISH BREAKFAST | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 3 – 4 |
| FIVE O’CLOCK TEA | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 3 – 4 |
| HIGH GROWN CEYLON | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 3 – 4 |
| LADY LONDONDERRY | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 3 – 4 |
| PAVANE ORANGE PEKOE | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 3 – 4 |
| PEACOCK FINE BLEND | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 3 – 4 |
| PEACOCK TRADITIONAL BLEND | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 3 – 4 |
| PRINCE OF WALES | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 3 – 4 |
| EARL GREY | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 4 – 5 |
| CHRISTMAS TEA | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 3 – 4 |
| ORIENTAL SPICE | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 3 – 4 |
| FLAVOURED BLACK TEAS | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 3 – 4 |
| Green & Specialty Teas | Teaspoons per cup (225ml) | Water Temperature ℃/(℉) | Steep Time (minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GUNPOWDER | 1 | 80°/(170°) | 3 – 4 |
| CHUN MEE | 1 | 80°/(170°) | 3 – 4 |
| SENCHA | 1 | 70°/(158°) | 2 |
| SENCHA FUKUJYU | 1 | 75°/(167°) | 2 – 3 |
| YUNNAN | 1 | 75°/(167°) | 2 – 4 |
| FORMOSA OOLONG | 1 | 85°/(185°) | 3 – 5 |
| JASMINE | 1 | 75°/(167°) | 2 – 4 |
| PU ERH | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 4 – 5 |
| WHITE TEA | 1 | 70°/(158°) | 5 |
| FLAVOURED GREEN TEA | 1 | 80°/(170°) | 2 – 3 |
| Herbal Infusions | Teaspoons per cup (225ml) | Water Temperature ℃/(℉) | Steep Time (minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Breaker | 2 | 100°/(220°) | 8 – 10 |
| Flower Dance | 2 | 100°/(220°) | 8 – 10 |
| Evening Lights | 2 | 100°/(220°) | 8 – 10 |
| Organic End of Day | 2 | 100°/(220°) | 8 – 10 |
| Lemon Chai | 2 | 100°/(220°) | 5 – 8 |
| Rooibos | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 5 – 8 |
| Flavoured Rooibos | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 5 – 8 |
| Rooibos Herbal Mix | 2 | 100°/(220°) | 8 – 10 |
| Honey Bush | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 5 – 8 |
| Mate | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 6 – 8 |
| Ayuvitalian Tea | 2 | 100°/(220°) | 5 – 8 |
| Fruit Infusion | 1 | 100°/(220°) | 6 – 8 |
