In this guide, I’ll be showing you how to make what I consider to be the perfect cup of tea. Many great minds have recognized the importance of incorporating the serene and contemplative practice of brewing tea as an essential part of their morning ritual. C.S Lewis, George Orwell, and Albert Einstein were all known to have benefited from a daily cup of tea, and you should too.
For this guide, we’ll be making Earl Grey tea. Earl Grey is a black tea blend with bergamot, a classic combination that is very popular among tea drinkers. This isn’t just due to it being Captain Picard’s favorite brew. It’s a wonderfully aromatic, citrusy and savory tea that is surprisingly stimulating for having half the caffeine of a cup of coffee. Earl Grey also contains bergamot extract, which has been proven to help prevent heart disease, among other health benefits. ________________ Things you’ll need * Teapot. Ceramic or glass is ideal as it is less conductive to heat and has no chance of rusting or oxidizing. A french press will work too, if you have one handy. * Kettle. If you don’t have a stove top, you can always buy an electric kettle online. * Strainer. You can find mesh tea ball strainers online for super cheap, but any fine mesh strainer will do. * Mug. I recommend one that is tall and cylindrical, as it’ll be harder to spill and better at keeping your tea hot. But it is most important to pick a mug that you especially like. Regular tea drinkers will often find themselves cherishing their favorite cup for its ritualistic significance. * Loose leaf Earl Grey tea. You can pick up a carton of tea bags anywhere, but I would of course encourage you to follow the path of righteousness and use loose leaf tea instead. A high quality loose leaf tea is a massive jump in quality over the supermarket brands, and if you re-steep your tea leaves, it’s just as affordable. Cheaper Earl Grey teas only use bergamot flavoring, which holds none of the health benefits of bergamot extract. This is of course not to mention that the tea bags themselves not only prevent the flavor from infusing properly, but also often contain glue and bleach. ________________ Steps 1. Put fresh, cold, filtered water into the kettle and start bringing it to boil. Compared to hot or reboiled water, fresh cold water is much more oxygenated, which will produce a better tasting tea. 2. Swirl some hot water around in your teapot, and then pour it out. This will heat up the teapot enough so that the temperature remains consistent when you begin to steep your tea. 3. Put a heaping teaspoon of tea into the teapot. This is a good amount for a 6oz cup of tea. If you want stronger tea, add more leaves, not more time steeping. 4. As soon as the water in the kettle is boiling, pour it first into your teacup, and then from the cup immediately into the teapot. This not only lets you make the perfect amount of tea for your cup, but it also brings the boiling water down to just below boiling, which is the ideal temperature for steeping Earl Grey. 5. Steep for 3 minutes. 6. Decide how you want your tea to be served. The English tradition is to add a small amount of milk, about a teaspoon, to your cup of tea. Others prefer to add a slice of lemon. Many just drink it straight. If you want to add milk, you should pour some into your teacup now as your tea steeps in the teapot. This is so the milk has a chance to warm inside the teacup, so as not to curdle as the tea pours over it. 7. Once your tea is done steeping, simply pour it into your teacup from the teapot. Use a mesh strainer to keep any leaves from falling out of the spout and into your cup. 8. (Optional) Add sugar for taste. Though I recommend against it. Besides the need for most people to cut back on sugar anyway, most tea aficionados prefer their tea without sugar, so as to pick up on the more complex flavors. 9. Strain the leaves out of the pot. Don’t let your loose leaves go to waste! If you leave them stewing at the bottom of the pot, you will miss out on a second and third brew. Use a spoon to get the big leaves out of the pot and put them onto a paper towel. Then put a bit of water into the pot and pour the rest of the leaves out onto your mesh strainer. You can then let those same leaves dry overnight and use them up to two times more. Many will attest to you that the second brew is often more enjoyable than the first, so try it out for yourself.
A verbose guide I made for how to make what I consider to be the perfect cup of tea. I have been drinking tea for a long time and have done lots of research and experimentation to get all the steps down to a science. Hope you enjoy!
