Basic knowledge of tea: How do I prepare tea correctly?

How to properly prepare tea

If you do a little research on the topic of tea preparation, you might think it’s at least as complex as quantum physics. It’s definitely not! Let us show you.

There is not one preparation recommendation for all teas. This varies greatly depending on the type of tea. We can influence 3 parameters in tea preparation:

Water temperature & quality

Brewing time

Tea quantity

However, you should only change the brewing time and amount of tea to your liking. When it comes to water quality, you can take steps to improve it. The temperature, on the other hand, should be left at the recommended values.

The recommended water temperature depends on the type of tea. Many types of tea are sensitive to water that is too hot. Green teas in particular quickly become bitter as a result. The assumption is that the wrong preparation is the reason why some people are averse to tea.

As with coffee, you can completely ruin the taste of the beverage by preparing it incorrectly. It is extremely important to keep all three factors in mind!

Factor #1: The right amount of tea

The more tea you take and the longer the brewing time, the more intense the flavor. Here you should first follow the package instructions. These give you a good starting point to build on to figure out what suits your gusto.

• Could the taste be more intense? Just take more tea.
• Is the tea too strong for you? Take a little less next time.

Tastes vary, so the “optimal” amount for you may also vary. It is best to take a teaspoon at hand, so you have a consistent dosage measure. You’ll see, soon you’ll develop a sense of what “enough” is.

Important: Change only one factor at a time. If you extend the infusion time and adjust the amount of tea at the same time, you won’t know later which of the two changes is now responsible for the taste.

Be sure to use a filter that allows the tea leaves some room to unfold. In this way, you ensure that the flavor reaches the cup in the best possible way.

Factor #2: The brewing time

As mentioned at the beginning, a longer brewing time intensifies the flavor. However, the result is not comparable with the variation of the amount of tea. Just give it a try, you will surely notice the difference. Here, too, you can first refer to the preparation recommendations, which are usually a solid starting point.

Factor #3: The water temperature & water quality

Incorrect water temperatures can completely ruin the taste of the most beautiful tea. As mentioned above, the recommended infusion temperature should be maintained.

By the way, if you need 70 °C hot water, you don’t have to boil the water first. The water does not change its chemical structure due to boiling. This way you save energy and time.

You can alternatively enjoy teas cold. You can find the appropriate method in the table above. For more details, check out this article on cold infusions.

For the preparation of tea, soft water is much more suitable than hard. The only thing is that you usually can’t choose which water comes out of the tap. If you are not satisfied with the result, a table filter can help. This removes unwanted substances and provides softer water.

Soft water ensures that the taste of the tea becomes finer. Also, you avoid a film of tea, which floats on the surface.

For the sake of completeness it should be mentioned that the water should always be fresh.