Five tea brewing mistakes to avoid for the perfect cuppa
The thing with tea addicts — whether they brew their own tea or not — is that many of them assume that they are tea connoisseurs as well. And, more often than not, there are customised recipes up a tea lover’s sleeve. Despite it, not everyone gets it consistently right. Tea expert Vikram Mittal and chef Nishant Choubey warn us against tea brewing mistakes that we can avoid to get that perfect cup.
1) TIMING OF ADDING BOILING WATER
An amateur’s mistake — pouring boiling water over tea. The recommended way, according to experts, is adding the tea leaves or tea bags after the water has been boiled and cooled a little. However, keep in mind that each tea is different and therefore requires different temperature of water while being brewed or steeped. For example, the ideal way to enjoy green tea is steeping it into not so hot water, otherwise it will taste bitter.
2) SQUEEZING THE TEA BAG
If you are making tea without milk and squeezing the tea bag against the side of the cup or teapot, then your tea will taste bitter. However, if you are making tea with milk and the water and milk have been boiled together then you ought to steep the tea bag for a longer time, for the flavour of tea to blossom.
3) TAKING THE LID OFF YOUR TEAPOT/CUP
According to experts, for most teas, it’s better to take the lid off your teapot or cup while steeping the tea. The reason being that it allows oxygen, which is essential for tea to reach its best flavour. It also prevents over-brewing of tea. However, this does not work for black tea.
4) AVOID USING TAP, MICROWAVED OR REHEATED WATER
Using tap water means there will be a chemical taste to your tea. Microwaved water brings a metallic taste to your tea. Reheated water has already lost oxygen, which means your tea will be flat. Besides, all of them are not recommended, health wise. The water should be cold, fresh and filtered. Also, never reuse tea bags, it’s unhealthy and unhygienic.
5) WHEN TO ADD MILK
Milk should be added after the water has been boiled and cooled along with tea leaves/ tea bag. Try to keep the quantity of the milk less, if you want the flavour of the tea to be prominent. If the quantity of the milk is more, then it tends to overpower the flavour of the tea.