How to brew a cup of tea

There are many parameters that affect the taste of tea such as the amount of leaf, water temperature, teapot used and steeping time. for more information visit www.teacuppa.com/tealibrary.asp

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Chinese teas or any other tea, teapot, teacups, water, timer, kettle, tea strainer

1. * How much loose tea should I use to make a cup of tea?
   To make an 8 ounce (250 ml) cup of tea, use the following chart as a guideline. The best is always trial and error to suit your preferences.
   
   
   
   White/Yellow tea 2 tsp. (20 ml)
   Green tea 1 tsp. (10 ml)
   Oolong tea 2 tsp. (20 ml)
   Red/Black/Pu-Erh tea 1 tsp. (10 ml)
   Scented tea Start with 1 tsp. (1 gm), and increase to desired taste
2. Water temperature
   
   Green tea/Flower Scented tea 75°c ~ 85°c
   White & Yellow tea 80°c ~ 90°c
   Oolong tea 85°c ~ 95°c
   Black tea/Red tea/Pu-Erh tea < 95°c
3. Judging the water temperature visually
   Chinese have little tricks when it comes to brewing tea, one very popular is how to judge the temperature of the water visually. It goes as follow:
   
   Shrimp eyes (70°C - 80°C): little bubbles at the bottom of the recipient
   Crab eyes (80°C - 90°C): bubbles are rising from the bottom
   Dragon eyes (100°C): full boiling water
4. Water Quality
   Tea is only as good as water. We recommend using non-chlorinated water for brewing tea, especially for subtle green and white teas. Chlorinated tap water destroys the flavor of tea. For hospitality establishments, we recommend using a carbon block water filter system which gives water a pH level of slightly over 7 or with bottled spring water to yield more satisfactory results.
5. What kind of teapot should I use?
   Different teapot is used to brew different types of tea. Please refer to our chart at Classification of Tea.
6. What is the recommended steeping time?
   This is probably the most personal parameter in brewing tea, it really depends on how much leaves do you use and how strong you like your tea. Therefore, the best suggestion we can offer is to start by trying the tea with short steeping for the first brews and increase the time if necessary. The table below gives you a general guideline of the steeping time for each type of tea.
   
   Tea Steeping Time
   Green/White/Yellow/Scented Tea 1-4 Minutes
   Oolong tea 1-3 Minutes
   Pu-erh tea 2-10 Minutes
   Black/Red tea 2-5 Minutes
7. Rinse the tea leaves
   This step removes any dust from the leaves and opens them up to release the tea's aroma. Add enough dry leaves to the teapot to fully cover the bottom of the teapot. Pour hot water over the tealeaves and immediately pour this water into the wastewater bowl or draining tray. Remove the lid and savor the aroma of the leaves.

Tips & Warnings

• Does the way in which tea is brewed affect the quality that much? Yes. The best tea in the world can be ruined by improper brewing.
• This brewing parameters serve as a general guideline only. We recommend that you try different brewing parameters according to your personal preference and taste. What water temperature is suitable for brewing chinese tea? Different tea types have different water temperature requirement.