tea noun ( tee) an aromatic beverage prepared from tea leaves by infusion with boiling water. Can diminish your troubles,calm your nerves and revive your brain cells.

Tea is best made with fresh, good-quality tea leaves in a pre-warmed teapot of your choice with boiling water and served in a fine-lipped, bone china teacup. Teabags are a great option for convenience, although, with more care and by using Tea leaves the results will be noticeable.

The art of a perfect cup of tea is not just about the beverage but the sense of ritual, conversation and stillness. A brief moment in the day to reflect as the kettle comes to a boil, to pause and think or let worries and ideas slip from the mind momentarily. Perhaps it is early morning, and faint thoughts are beginning to form about the day ahead. A cup of tea can be refreshing and comforting, energising and invigorating. Here is how –

• Fill the kettle with fresh cold running water and refill the kettle with fresh cold water before it is boiled again.
• Bring the kettle to a rapid boil which will bring out all the flavour of the tea by adding oxygen to (this will not happen if the water is boiled more than once)
• Heat the Teapot by adding some boiling water, swishing it around and rinsing it out before the Tea is added.
• Take some fresh tea leaves from an airtight container that has been kept away from strong flavours and perfumes or other more fragrant teas. Measure the Tea with a scoop and add one teaspoon for each person plus one for the pot and place in the teapot
• Pour the boiling water directly into the Teapot.
• The Teapot should be left to ‘draw‘ for at least 3 -6 minutes before pouring the Tea to get full flavour. This is also called ‘steeping the tea‘ leaves and the time required to draw or steep the Tea depends on the type of Tea. See below
• Whilst waiting for the Tea to draw collect a fine china cup and saucer or mug for each person, some cold full cream milk or a slice of lemon as desired.

These instructions are a general guide for making the Tea from the plant Camellia Sinensis. All other Tea – herbal, fruit, or fragrant mixes are called Infusions or Tisanes. There are five types of Tea from the Camellia Sinensis plant that vary in colour, taste, aroma, appearance, and flavour depending on the region, rainfall and climatic conditions of where the tea plants were grown. Tea is categorised by how much exposure to the air the farmers have given the tea leaves and how long they are left to ferment to bring out particular flavours.

Five Types Of Tea

Green Tea is a light, gentle and more delicate Tea than traditional Black Tea. The leaves are heat-treated to prevent oxidisation either by drying the leaves or steaming them which destroys the enzyme responsible for the oxidisation process. The Tea is a yellow, straw colour.

White Tea is gentle, delicate and subtle in flavour and comes from immature Tealeaves that are picked just before the buds are open. A white fuzzy down known as bao hao forms on the new shoots for the first few days of Spring. This down becomes white when the Tea is dried. The Tea shoots are left to wither to prevent oxidisation and carefully monitored by the tea makers.

Black Tea is from the young Tealeaves that are picked before they wither, rolled, then fully oxidised and fired to produce a strong flavour. Black Tea is categorized by region -Assam, Darjeeling, Keemun, Yunnan, Ceylon, Nilgiri and Lapsang Suchan. Black Tea is popular blended with oils, fruits and spices to develop specific flavours such as in Earl Grey Tea. Black tea and Bergamot oil.

Oolong Tea is semi oxidised and made from mature leaves that are oxidised in varying degrees to produce Teas with a wide variety of flavours and aromas.

Fermented Teas are called Pu’erh and made from larger leaves that are aged for several years, similar to the aging process of wine. Aged fermented Tea is a connoisseur’s Tea and is highly valued by age and the flavour profile developed over time. Some Pu’erh Teas are well over 30 years old. The Tea becomes a dark brew that is low in caffeine and is earthy and mellow.

Tisanes are not from the Tea plant, Camellia Sinensis, but are made from a vast array of herbs, plants, fruit and vegetable infusions. Tisanes have low caffeine levels and medicinal properties. In some instances, Tisanes are considered more gentle to the nervous system. They are popular due to the unique properties of each type or blend and are thought to bring all manner of flavour and subtle benefits to the body and mind.

Steeping Times for Tea

Green Tea is best made with water just before boiling point, steep for 2-4 minutes 74-79 C
White Tea is best made with water just before boiling point and steep for 2-3 minutes so 65-68 C
Yellow Tea is best made with water before boiling point steep 204 minutes 71-85 C
Black  Tea is best made with boiling water and steeped for 3-6 minutes 98 C
Oolong Tea is best made with boiling water and steeped for 5-7 minutes 79-85 C
Tisanes are best made with boiling water and steeped for 5-7 minutes 98 C

All content Di Baker 2020 all rights reserved

Images courtesy of Unsplash and Pixabay

Title quote by Jill Dupleix, “Old Food”, Allen & Unwin, Australia, 1998

Header Image Emile Eisman-Semenowsky 1859-1911