|Tea without ritual
I have enormous respect for the culture and ritual of both Japanese and Chinese tea brewing and drinking. Personally, though, I can’t be arsed with it. So, how can you make green tea for optimum taste and minimum fuss? Green and oolong* teas especially are incredibly good for you and help protect against some serious diseases and bring down cholesterol, so I feel it’s important people should feel as much at ease with making it as possible. *(Oolong teas are Chinese green tea that has been slightly fermented before drying - sort of half way between Indian black and Japanese green teas.)
The temperatures at which black, oolong and green teas should be brewed vary. Some would say that the water for green teas should not be boiled but, unless you are a connoisseur with a highly sensitive and well-trained palate, I defy anyone to tell the difference between water that has not been boiled and water that has been boiled. You don’t need to mess with waiting for ‘crab-eyes’ bubbles or pouring in and out of cups, or thermometers, just boil the kettle and wait for a certain amount of time to allow the water to cool naturally to the right temperature before applying it to the tea-leaves. There is a general rule of thumb for this which I give in the table below. If you have a timer, use it - I always forget that should check the time, and have wasted several kettles of water.
There is a similar rule of thumb with the actual brew time. It’s worth noting that it’s possible to brew green tea by putting the leaves in cold water and leaving them to infuse in the fridge overnight. I’ve not tried it, but I’m told it’s possible. So, start by the rule of thumb in the table below and alter your temperature and the brew time according to the individual tea and your taste. Apart from black tea, you should be able to get at least two brews from one set of leaves. With green and oolong teas, I brew one pot for two large cups, and (if I’m on my own), empty that into one cup and one jar, refill the pot with (the now even cooler) water from the kettle and let that brew itself out while I enjoy the first cup. Then I put the rest in jars in the fridge and have it chilled over the next couple of days. It’s usual not to strain green tea, many drink the few small leaves at the bottom of the cup, but some just leave them.
TeaKettle coolingBrew timetsps tea per
750ml waterBlack0 mins4-5 mins3 tspsOolong5 mins3-4 mins2 tspsGreen Chinese10 mins2-3 mins2 tspsGreen Japanese15 mins1-2 mins2 tspsDon’t forget to warm the pot before you brew
Healthometer:
9/10: very healthy
Tags: drink cooking recipes tea
