If you’ve never understood the lure of tea, there’s a good chance you’ve made bland tea – which, we agree, is not something we’re ever going to get excited about.
The upside is that the issue can be easily remedied, as long as you can find it in your heart to give tea another chance. Here, we’ll offer a few simple tweaks that will make your tea taste better instantly. Then, if you’re feeling adventurous, we’ll explore some foolproof ways to take your tea to another level.
How to nail the basics
As with coffee, a quality cup of tea begins with quality tea. So, if you haven’t already, switch from the paper tea bags you bought in aisle six to a loose-leaf tea. The bags often contain broken, stale leaves. The fresher loose-leaf tea will yield a smoother, richer flavor.
Now it’s time to make your tea. Start with filtered or bottled water. Tap water contains minerals and chlorine that can alter the tea’s flavor profile in a negative way.
Heat it in a kettle with a thermometer. This will enable you to control the water temperature, which is critical because different types of tea have different needs. For a delicate tea like green tea, the water should be warmed to 160°F to 175°F. Any warmer than that and you’ll run the risk of scalding the leaves. By contrast, a bold tea, such as black tea, needs boiling water (212°F).
Controlling the water temperature allows you to extract most flavor from a given tea.
Finally, pay close attention to how long your tea steeps. If you let it go for too long, you’ll end up with bitter tea. Too short, you’re back to bland tea. Again, different teas have different needs. A delicate tea should steep for two to three minutes, while a bold tea should steep for four to five minutes. There’s some room for experimentation, but this should occur in 15-second increments, not minutes.
Take your tea to another level
Once you’re feeling more confident in your brewing methodology, start exploring. There are so many different ways to play with tea, some as simple as adding a squeeze of lemon or a dollop of melted dark chocolate. Here are some of our go-tos:
A pinch of warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom is transformative on a winter morning. And it has the added benefit of enhancing wellbeing. Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties and aids digestion, while cinnamon may help regulate blood sugar levels.
A popular caffeine-free option, chamomile tea contains active compounds, like the antioxidant apigenin, that act as mild sedatives, naturally calming the nervous system, reducing stress and promoting better sleep. If you tend to crave something sweet at the end of a long day, its floral notes sing with the introduction of a tablespoon of honey.
A tall glass of iced tea hits the spot on a hot and humid afternoon. A splash (or more) of a sweet fruit juice like passion fruit or pineapple can create an entirely new flavor profile that’s somehow even more thirst-quenching.
Be meticulous about the basic steps. From there, the possibilities are endless.