If you like!
The classic additions to black tea are honey, milk, sugar and lemon.
You should NOT add anything to green or oolong tea; they are meant to be consumed as is.
How do I use a tea ball or infuser?
Fill a kettle with fresh cold water (ideally filtered). Turn on to boil (see temperature guide below)
Place one teaspoon of dry tea leaves, per standard cup (250ml), into the infuser.
Place the infuser in a cup
For black tea, chai, rooibos, fruits blends and herbals pour water boiled at 100oC, into the cup
For green tea pour water (almost boiled) at 80-90oC, into the cup
You will see colour emerge from the tea leaves in the cup almost straight away but you should allow the leaves to infuse (steep) for 3 – 5 minutes to get the full flavour.
If you use a large cup or mug, adjust the “1 teaspoon per 250ml” guide accordingly. A bigger infuser is better for larger mugs or travel cups.
Tip: Try not to overfill the infuser, as the water needs to be able to circulate around the leaves and most tea leaves will swell when immersed in water. Tea balls (round mesh infusers with a hinge and clip) and springjaw infusers (round with a spring and clip and handle like tings) are generally small and hold approximately 1 teaspoon of tea and can restrict the natural expansion of the leaves when brewing. These are ok if you like weak tea and perhaps use less than 1 teaspoon of tea per 250ml.
Our favourite infuser is the style that fits over most cups and mugs and has a lid to keep the tea warm whilst brewing and a drip saucer to sit the infuser on between making cuppas. This infuser style allows full expansion of the brewing leaves and if you like your tea stronger you can add more than 1 teaspoon of leaves easily.
Good quality tea leaves can be re-used, that is you can make a second or third cup of tea from the same leaves. The brew will be weaker and each time contain less caffeine (see our other article on caffeine in tea.
Our favourite infuser is: Mug Infuser Stainless Steel with lid/saucer
How much tea should I use?
For black, green and oolong tea use one teaspoon of tea per cup. No need to add “one for the pot”
For white and herbal teas start with one teaspoon and increase to two teaspoons according to taste.
How do I make tea in a teapot?
How is tea produced?
The first step in tea production is the harvest. Most harvesting is still done by hand, which is very labor-intensive but a better result is achieved as the picker can choose the high-quality tip leaves and leave the coarser leaves toward the bottom of the branch.
The harvested leaves can be processed in two ways: CTC or orthodox.
CTC, which stands for “crush, tear, curl,” is used primarily for lower-quality leaves. CTC processing is done by machine; its name is actually fairly descriptive. The machines rapidly compress withered tea leaves, forcing out most of their sap; they then tear the leaves and curl them tightly into balls that look something like instant coffee crystals. The leaves are then “fired,” or dehydrated.
Most tea connoisseurs are not very interested in CTC tea, since this process does not allow for the careful treatment that high-quality leaves merit. But CTC has an important and legitimate role in the tea industry: since it is a mechanized process, it allows for the rapid processing of a high volume of leaves which otherwise would go to waste. It is also good for producing a strong, robust flavour from leaves of lesser quality; in fact, for many varieties of leaf CTC is the preferred processing method.
The orthodox method is a bit more complex, and is usually done mostly by hand. The process differs for black, green, and oolong teas. The basic steps in the production of black tea are withering, rolling, oxidation, and firing.
First, the leaves are spread out in the open (preferably in the shade) until they wither and become limp. This is so that they can be rolled without breaking.
Rolling is the next step. This is rarely done by hand any more; it is more often done by machine. Rolling helps mix together a variety of chemicals found naturally within the leaves, enhancing oxidation. After rolling, the clumped leaves are broken up and set to oxidize.
Oxidation, which starts during rolling, is allowed to proceed for an amount of time that depends on the variety of leaf. Longer oxidation usually produces a less flavorful but more pungent tea. Many texts refer to the oxidation process by the misleading term “fermentation.” However traditional and evocative the term may be, I think it is best avoided. Oxidation of tea leaves is a purely chemical process and has nothing to do with the yeast-based fermentation that produces bread or beer.
Finally, the leaves are heated, or “fired,” to end the oxidation process and dehydrate them so that they can be stored.
Oolong is produced just like black tea, except that the leaves are oxidized for less time.
Green tea is not oxidized at all. Some varieties are not even withered, but are simply harvested, sometimes steamed, fired and shipped out.
Tea seems to quench thirst, why is that?
A perhaps unexpected benefit of tea drinking is the resulting increase in water consumption, which protects against dehydration. Since caffeine is a mild diuretic, the benefit is not quite as great as drinking plain water; but it is real nonetheless. Two cups of tea are approximately equivalent to one cup of plain water in their hydrating effect.
