Since it’s discovery by the Chinese emperor Shen Nong, tea has been refreshing the man kind for generations. This 5000 year old drink eventually became the most popular beverage in the world after water thanks to her amazing health and functional benefits. Here I am referring to Black, Green, Oolong, White teas etc manufactured with the leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis. As a universal tea enthusiast, I respect all the types of tea drinkers. No matter whether you drink hot tea with a cup / mug or Iced tea with a glass, it’s really worth learning on how to make a perfect cup of tea from a Tea Expert like Angela Pryce. This Lady is a tea expert and consultant @ International Trade Centre, UK & East Africa. She has also served well reputed British tea firms like Twinings as well as Fortnum & Mason as a tea sourcing & blending specialist.

As Angela wrote to The Guardian, the key to a perfect cup of tea is high-quality ingredients. She encourages to use leaves rather than tea bags, as the pieces are larger and give more flavour. While bags give the water a burst of colour and provide a quick brew, the flavour is duller. As she further explained, using leaves doesn’t mean you have to use a pot: you can get great infuser baskets that allow you to make just one cup.

When it comes to water, tea lovers live in areas where water is hard, it’s worth investing in a filter. As Angela has clearly pointed out, hard water has a higher mineral content and is the reason for the oily scum you see sometimes on the surface of tea. For black teas, she advises to use boiling water, It’s also important to heat your crockery with a little hot water beforehand. With green teas, you want the water a little cooler – about 70C to 80C.

According to Angela, the amount of milk you add is a personal preference, but strong black teas such as English / Irish / Turkish breakfast tea should be drunk with milk, as they are blended to be taken that way. Milk should be added only once the tea is ready.

As she believes, sugar should be added to chai tea only, but it is important to remember that tea is about enjoyment – it is a question of what you like more than anything else.

Additional Tips

1. It’s always better to use freshly boiled water rather than re-boiled since re-boiling removes oxygen which makes dissolving process more effective.
2. When you prepare leaf tea, ideally you should pour boiling (for Black Tea) or hot (for Green / Oolong) water along the pot / cup wall without putting directly on to tea leaves.
3. If you add milk and sugar, arching the teaspoon back and forth in the center of the cup makes dissolving more even and efficient. Circulating the spoon should be avoided.

“Tea with Nipun” will definitely publish a separate articles on “How to Make A Perfect Tea” including both hot and iced tea in the very near future. So stay in touch.

Learn More About Tea with Angela Pryce: http://angelapryce.com/

View Latest Tea News + Articles: https://www.teawithnipun.com/

References

• Original Post: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/oct/13/how-do-you-make-the-perfect-cup-of-tea
• More Information: http://angelapryce.com/