How to Brew the Perfect Cup of Tea with Gourmet Teas

We buy gourmet teas because they are superior to the cheap tea bags sold at the grocery store.  However, to truly appreciate the depth of flavor of gourmet teas, you have to brew them properly.  No matter how expensive your tea is, it will only be as good as your brewing technique. 

That being said, there is no right or wrong way to brew tea as a lot of it boils down to personal preference.  Nevertheless, the way you prepare tea will have a dramatic impact on its flavor.  In order to make the most of your purchase of gourmet teas and get the most enjoyment out of each cup, follow these simple steps to brewing the perfect cup of tea. 

Use High Quality Water

Avoid using tap water for brewing your gourmet teas.  Tap water goes through municipal water treatments that add chlorine, fluoride, and salts, which can destroy or mask the subtle flavors of gourmet teas.  Used filtered water to prepare gourmet teas or better yet, use artesian spring water.  Not all bottled water is appropriate for brewing tea so choose the type of water based on your personal preferences.  Tea connoisseurs recommend the following bottled water brands for brewing tea: Volvic, Crystal Geyser, Rocky Mountain, Fiji, and Aquator, to name a few. 

Choosing good water is the best place to start when trying to improve the flavor of your gourmet teas.  No matter how great your tea, tea pot, and tea cups are, it will taste like low quality tea if you use low quality water.  Never add hot tap water to your tea water to speed up the boiling process.  Hot tap water contains impurities from your home's hot water heater. 

The key to finding the best water for brewing gourmet teas is looking for soft water.  Soft water is water that is not heavily mineralized.  Avoid using water that is labeled as "mineral water."  However, you don't want to use water that is too soft either, or in other words, water that is artificially softened.  The best type of water to use for brewing tea is water from glacial sources.  Look for water that comes from "glacial springs" or "glacial undermelting." 

You can also use a home tap water filter to keep your tea from tasting "scummy."  You can try brewing tea with water from two different sources and try both at the same time to determine which water is better. 

To judge the quality of water for tea, smell it and taste it.  If you can actually taste something besides crispness and cleanness, avoid using the water for tea.  Water that has a mineral taste may be pleasant to drink but it can ruin the taste of fine teas.  Furthermore, water that has any smell whatsoever should not be used for brewing tea. 

Water Temperature

Aside from the quality of the water you use, it's also important to brew your teas at the right temperature.  Heat the water in a glass, ceramic or clay teapot until it reaches a boil (212 degrees Fahrenheit).  Allow the water to cool a bit before brewing the tea.  Generally speaking, you should brew your green tea at 180 degrees, Oolong tea at 190 degrees, and black tea at 200 degrees.  The temperature of the water you brew your tea with is especially important for green tea because it is so delicate.  However, you can increase the temperature of the water with successive brews as high quality gourmet teas can be brewed two to three times. 

Choose the Best Gourmet Teas

Finding high quality gourmet teas is not always an easy task.  At grocery stores, you can only find tea bags filled with low quality tea leaves.  Your best bet when buying tea is to go with a specialty provider of gourmet teas.  A great way to find quality gourmet teas is to visit a tea house and try out all of the different varieties of tea.  Generally, the best teas are loose leaf and not in tea bags. 

How Much Tea to Use

Generally speaking, you should use about 1 to 2 teaspoons of tea per 8 ounces of water.  You can gradually add more tea to that amount to achieve the flavor and body you desire.  No matter how you choose to brew your tea, make sure that there is room for water to circulate between the leaves for the best flavor. 

Ways to Brew Tea

There are several different methods for brewing tea and they include brewing loose tea leaves in a teapot and using tea socks, tea balls, or basket filters.  Brewing loose tea leaves in a teapot allows the tea leaves to unfurl completely and creates a strong, flavorful cup of tea.  Basket filters fit in tea cups and mugs and make individual cups of tea.  They are usually made of plastic, stainless steel or ceramic.  Cleanup and disposal of basket filters is very easy.  Tea socks are fabric enclosures that work like basket filters.  The problem with using tea socks is that they get stained and retain the flavor of the tea. 

While there is no best way to brew tea, most tea connoisseurs can agree that using a tea pot is ideal.  Brewing your gourmet teas in a tea pot allows you to appreciate the depth of flavor more than any other method.  Pay attention to the temperature of the water you use and what kind of water you use to make the most of the tea drinking experience.