by Michael Allen Smith

I by no means had a lot respect for tea. I loved the beverage, however it didn’t curiosity me as a lot as espresso. That each one modified in September 2007. I went to a tea store in Seattle and tried a number of teas. Not the uninteresting Earl Gray or the natural crap, however high-quality unfastened leaf tea. I bought to drink various kinds of tea brewed on the proper temperature for the optimum brewing time. And in an hour, I gained a newfound respect for tea.

At that tea store, I spotted that the tea journey is similar to the espresso journey. The vast majority of espresso consumed is both poor high quality, made incorrectly, or each. The identical is equally true for tea. Most of what passes for tea is bland. Similar to with espresso, I made a decision proper then and there that I might supply high-quality teas and study to brew them appropriately. No extra bagged tea, no extra boiling water, no extra over-steeping.

I went to tea tastings, took tea courses, went to tea festivals, and brewed a number of completely different teas. Many of the teas I attempted I had by no means identified existed earlier than. Espresso will at all times be my past love, however I made a decision that I needed to take that journey with tea—the identical journey I started with espresso a few years earlier than.

Inside 6 months, I used to be a tea aficionado. Tea went from blah to ah!

If I haven’t satisfied you to take a position effort and time into high quality tea, let me say that good tea at all times tastes higher than OK espresso. Tea is way much less perishable than espresso and, usually, cheaper. This text might be geared towards the espresso drinker who needs to stand up to hurry shortly on tea.

Sorts of Tea

All tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. What makes teas completely different is the extent of oxidation and fermentation. Oxidation, in easy phrases, is the browning of the tea leaves. Inexperienced teas will not be oxidized, whereas black teas are totally oxidized. Oolong teas are partially oxidized and may fluctuate from low oxidation to excessive oxidation. Pu-erh teas are fermented and aged. They could be a few years outdated or a long time outdated.

While you examine tea, notice that many books and web sites use the time period fermentation as an alternative of oxidation. It may be complicated. For our sake, fermented applies solely to Pu-erh teas.

Here’s a record of the fundamental tea varieties. That is an summary. Complete books have been dedicated to cataloging the completely different varietals of tea.

1. White Tea – White tea is created from the primary buds picked and has a lightweight colour.
2. Inexperienced Tea – This tea is pan-fried or steamed to forestall oxidation.
3. Oolong Tea – Oolong teas are partially oxidized teas. They could possibly be calmly or darkly oxidized. They could even be roasted. Some are aged. That is the place you’ll discover many tea lovers. A few of the world’s best and costliest tea vegetation are used to make oolong tea.
4. Black Tea – Black tea is totally oxidized tea.
5. Pu-erh Tea – One other space of excellent tea is the pu-erh (pu’er), which is split into two teams: uncooked (inexperienced) and cooked (black). Uncooked pu-erh is fermented inexperienced tea. Cooked is fermented black tea. The tea is likely to be one yr outdated or a long time outdated. I as soon as had pu-erh tea that was 40 years outdated.
6. Natural – Natural tea isn’t tea. You would possibly prefer it, however it’s not tea. Nevertheless, Chai is a combination of tea and herbs. See our Conventional Chai Tea Recipe for extra info.

I’ve observed that tea folks suppose espresso drinkers will choose black tea essentially the most, however my commentary is that espresso aficionados most like oolong and pu-erh. Black tea doesn’t maintain our curiosity in comparison with black espresso. The distinctive flavors present in oolong and pu-erh are extra attractive. My favorites are uncooked pu-erh, lighter oolongs, and a handful of inexperienced teas.

Pu-erh tea from The Tao of Tea.

Gear

Earlier than we get into brewing tea, I wish to cowl the gear we are going to want. Espresso drinkers are inclined to view making their beverage in a scientific means. We measure and time every thing. Some tea folks do that, however not practically as a lot. They like utilizing fancy teapots and admire conventional tea ceremonies. None of which, in my view, makes the tea style any higher. It’s good for particular events, however not crucial for our functions.

Tea is all about water temperature, steep time, and dose. We are going to ignore every thing else.

To make glorious tea, you will want:

1. A mug tea infuser or teapot with a filter.
2. Temperature-controlled kettle.
3. Timer
4. Digital scale (non-compulsory)

We’re brewing with a slim vary of temperatures simply off a boil with espresso. Teas have a a lot wider vary of brewing temperatures. The much less oxidized a tea is, the extra delicate it’s to water temperature. Black tea might be positive with water simply off of boil, however a Japanese sencha desires water at 155° F. You can screw round with a thermometer in a daily kettle or pot, however we don’t want to try this anymore. Bonavita makes a kettle you possibly can program to the precise diploma you want. It is a godsend for making glorious tea, and the goose-neck makes it perfect for espresso pour-overs such because the Kalita Wave and the AeroPress.

That’s all of the gear you will want. You don’t want the drip tray or the particular gong fu pots.

Easy methods to Make Tea

With espresso, the brewing variations are decided extra by the gear than the bean. That isn’t true with tea. Every tea kind has its personal brewing suggestion, which varies by water temperature and steep time. In the event you do a search on instances and temperatures for brewing tea, you’re going to get wildly completely different suggestions. Most advise temperatures which can be too excessive for inexperienced or lighter oolongs.

Many teas may be steeped a number of instances. Oolong and pu-erh teas will often style higher on subsequent steeps. Teas which will value extra are sometimes those that may maintain as much as many steeps. Listed below are my common tips for tea temperatures and first steep instances. Begin right here and modify to your tastes. Good tea outlets will embrace particular directions for every tea on the bag.

While you brew a second, third, or better pot of tea with the identical leaves, chances are you’ll step by step lengthen the brew time or improve the temperature.

Espresso drinkers may be very particular about dosage. In a number of of the tutorials on this website, I counsel utilizing a gram scale to optimize the brewing ratio. Measuring by quantity when making espresso is usually a little inexact, and measuring by quantity in tea is much more problematic.

Take a look at the 2 teas beneath. The Japanese kukicha is flat, whereas the Taiwanese oolong is airier. Different teas are rolled into balls and a few are packed into desserts. A tablespoon of every will yield completely different quantities of tea. A digital scale solves the dosing downside.

Our go-to brewing ratio for espresso is 17 to 1. Which means 17 elements water for each 1 half espresso. For tea, it’s a lot increased. I’ve seen ranges from 50 to 1 as much as 80 to 1. When coping with ranges this huge, it speaks to the truth that tea doses are considerably forgiving. If you’re set on nailing down an optimum ratio, get a digital scale with 0.1 gram precision.

In my view, the dose is the least essential variable in terms of making nice tea. Sourcing glorious tea, utilizing filtered water, getting the temperature proper, and never over-steeping are way more essential. Ratios are extra essential for espresso. Although I exploit my scale religiously for espresso, I often comply with the quantity dosing directions supplied by the tea vendor.

Kukicha brewing directions from Adagio Tea.

Sourcing Good Tea

I’ve been to many tea outlets, they usually appear to fall into two camps. The most typical are those specializing in black and natural teas—suppose British. The opposite group is the Asian tea outlets specializing in inexperienced, oolong, and Pu-erh teas. I strongly choose Asian outlets. They have an inclination to have the teas I’m extra enthusiastic about making an attempt.

Similar to espresso drinkers hunt down single-origin espresso from a area, tea store homeowners needs to be cognizant of the labels they use. A generic label reminiscent of “Oolong tea” is suspicious, whereas “2014 Spring Alishan” is clear and extra informative.

Mail order is a good choice. These within the Seattle space can discover high-quality tea from Floating Leaves, Miro Tea, and Phoenix Tea (Burien).

Take the Journey!

My fellow espresso drinkers, I invite you to take the tea journey. I’m not saying will probably be higher than espresso—it in all probability gained’t be—however will probably be fairly superior and really pleasant. If you’ll have a backup beverage, tea is a good choice. Simply use the ideas on this article, and also you’ll be forward of most tea drinkers.

Don’t fiddle with the alligator-style or caged tea filter. Oolong teas are sometimes rolled into balls that may’t be unrolled until there may be room. The in-mug type of infuser lets the tea develop totally. Plus, it’s simpler to fill and clear.

Assets

Espresso and Tea Tasting Notes For Inexperienced persons – A technique for studying which teas you want the very best.

Printed on June 17, 2018