Brewing a great cup of tea is a fairly straightforward process. However, newcomers to the world of tea often make common mistakes right off the bat. Although some mistakes might sound minor, they can hurt the blend’s flavor. To ensure you’re getting the best experience out of each blend, take some time to learn about three common tea brewing mistakes.
Brewing With Leaves
If you want to make the most out of your tea-drinking experience, brew with loose leaves. Brewing loose-leaf tea is easy and produces a better beverage. One reason loose-leaf is better than brewing with tea bags is that the latter contains “dust and fannings,” which are as pleasant as they sound. Dust and fannings are broken tea leaves, which will do nothing but worsen the flavor of your tea.
Additionally, tea bags restrict the expansion of tea leaves. When tea leaves can’t properly expand in the hot water, they won’t provide as much flavor as they would otherwise. In short, if you want the best tea experience possible, ditch the bags in favor of loose-leaf blends. Luckily, finding premium green tea leaves online is just as easy as finding tea bags.
Neglecting Water Temperature
Another common slipup that results in a lackluster cup of tea is brewing at the wrong temperature. Plenty of people simply boil their water before steeping the tea leaves inside. If you want the best cup, be mindful of the temperature. Below are the best brew temperatures for the top tea types:
- Black and rooibos—200 degrees Fahrenheit
- Green and white—170 degrees Fahrenheit
- Oolong and yerba maté—180 degrees Fahrenheit
Using the Wrong Water
The final of our three common tea brewing mistakes might sound a bit odd at first, but the wrong water will result in a bad tea-drinking experience. By “wrong” water, we mean tap water. Theoretically, you can brew loose-leaf tea in tap water. The leaves won’t erupt into flames, but tap water will diminish the tea’s flavor. If you want to get the best flavor out of your tea leaves, steep them in filtered water.
