In this post, I'll share the basics of how to make a great cup of tea (or tisane). 

The two most important factors in a great cup of tea are:

1. Quality loose-leaf tea:

Starting with loose tea isn't any more complicated or time-consuming than brewing a pot of coffee.  I manage to make myself a cup of loose tea every single morning, in a barely-lit room, while still half asleep. 
Really, truly, it's not hard.

Are you wondering if it really matters whether the tea is loose or comes in a teabag?  Yes, it really does matter.  While there are good quality teabags on the market, by and large, teabags are to quality loose tea as store-brand instant coffee is to fresh-roasted, whole-bean coffee. 

There's another, non-tea-snob reason to skip the tea bag:  Tea bags don't offer a whole lot of room for the tea leaves to unfurl as they steep, so you're potentially losing out on all the flavor that the tea has to offer.  Try an infuser instead.
I will concede that tea bags are awfully handy for travel though.

2. Clean, freshly drawn water:

Freshly drawn water contains more oxygen than water that has been sitting for a while.  Oxygen helps to get the full flavor of the tea from the leaves into the cup. 

Impurities and additives in the water, such as chlorine, sulfates and minerals can ruin a cup of the tea.  Case in point:  I have seen certain well waters (I'm looking at you, Harding County South Dakota!) cause herb & fruit tisanes, which should be a lovely reddish color with a deep, robust fruity flavor to instead turn a really weird purplish-grey color and taste like dirt.

If you have to choose between clean bottled water and freshly drawn water from a questionable source, choose the clean water.  Safety first.

Once you have quality tea leaves and clean water, a great cup of tea is just a matter of time, the ratio of loose tea to water, and temperature.

Time: Steeping for too long is probably responsible for more bad cups of tea than any other single factor.
The amount of time tea spends steeping affects the flavor in a couple of ways. 

Firstly, it affects how strong the overall cup is. 

Secondly, it affects what specific flavors are released into the cup. 

Not all of the flavors in the tea leaves are desirable.  Black, green, Oolong and Darjeeling teas will release more tannins the longer they are steeped.  Tannins impart bitterness to the tea.  Rather than a longer steeping time, you'll be better off using more tea leaves. 

Rooibos, herb & fruit tisanes and other herbals generally have little or no tannins, so steeping time is less critical for them.

Ratio of tea leaves to water:  More tea leaves in the teapot means a stronger tea, less tea leaves makes for a weaker tea.  Black teas are traditionally prepared as a single, strong infusion.  Other teas, such as white,  green and Oolong, may be re-infused several times, resulting in a progressively lighter infusion.

Temperature:  The temperature of the water for steeping teas can influence both the flavor and the caffeine content of the infusion.  You'll be rewarded with better flavor if you take the time to  prepare white, green and oolong teas at the recommended lower water temperatures.

Iced Tea:  Really, really simple.  Steep twice as much loose tea as you'd use for hot tea, with freshly boiled water. 
I use about 1.5 ounces, by weight, of loose tea to make a gallon of iced tea.  I steep that loose tea with a large infuser, in a quart canning jar, with enough freshly boiled water to fill the jar.

If you like sweet tea, add that after you remove the tea leaves, while the tea is still hot, and stir until dissolved.  Now, pour the hot tea over a glass (or a pitcher) full of ice, add a straw and enjoy!

A note to both the Rule-Followers and the Rule-Breakers out there: 

Upon playing with the ratio of tea to water and the steeping times, you may find that you like your tea stronger or weaker, that the flavor suits you best with a shorter steeping time, or that you actually like the bitterness that tannins give to the tea.  It's OK, it's just tea. The tea police aren't coming to get you.

If you found this post helpful, please consider sharing it on Facebook or Pinterest.  If you didn't, please let me know how it could be more helpful in the comments.

When most Americans think of tea, their first thought is iced tea.  Depending on where they live, their second thought is usually either sweet, or unsweet.  Of course, there is a little more to it than that.

There are several types of tea, and also several steeped beverages that are called "tea", but really aren't tea at all.
White, yellow, green, oolong and black tea all come from the Camellia sinensis plant.  Properly speaking, tea is an infusion of the leaves of Camellia sinensis.  An infusion of leaves (or stems, roots, flowers) from any other plant such as Rooibos, herbals, yerba mate etc. is a tisane.
Type:  Theoretically, you could produce any of the types of tea from the same tea plant.  The final product is determined by the cultivating practices, harvest method, oxidation and drying methods.  All of the variables result in subtle, and not-so-subtle differences in the flavor, aroma and appearance of the tea.

Cultivar: There are two basic varieties of Camellia sinensis and they are:  Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, and Camellia sinensis var. assamica.  Very basically, the former is the tea plant native to China, which has smaller leaves, and the latter is the tea plant native to India, which has larger leaves, and is the variety from which we get Assam tea.  There are many cultivars within those two varieties that have been selected for traits desirable to the region they are grown in, or that produce a finished product with desirable qualities.  Think of it like the practice of selective breeding that has produced the wide variance in dog breeds, or the rainbow array of heirloom tomatoes.

Origin: Terms such as Ceylon, Darjeeling, Kenya, and Formosa, refer to where the tea was grown.  Climate and soil can have a big impact on the flavor of the teas grown in a region.

Process:  There are two basic types of harvesting, Orthodox and CTC (cut, torn, curled).  Orthodox is harvested by hand, and CTC is harvested by machine.  If your loose tea looks like dried, twisted leaves, it is probably an Orthodox tea.  If your tea could visually pass for instant coffee (Yorkshire Harrogate and Irish Breakfast for example), it is probably CTC.

Blends:  "Breakfast" "Afternoon" and "Evening" teas, as well as many iced teas and teas with British-sounding names, are usually tea blends.  Often, the tea from one estate might have some particularly good flavor traits, but be lacking in another area(s).  This could be due to a stressful growing season, or may simply be a characteristic of the soil and climate in that region.  This tea might be blended with tea from other estates or other parts of the world to create a more balanced flavor.  This is how some brands of tea achieve a consistent flavor from year to year.

Many tea connoisseurs choose to drink single-source teas, evaluating each tea on its' own merits.  After much practice, they develop their palates to the point that they can detect subtle variances in flavor, and can even tell where a tea originated.  You don't have to be a connoisseur to appreciate and enjoy drinking good tea.  I'm certainly not.

There are some general rules of thumb for preparing the different teas and tisanes, but they are just a starting point.  You get to decide what a good cup of tea is to you. There is no one right way, so don't let anybody try to convince you differently.

Some people will be eternally happy with their favorite brand of tea bags, and others will be equally happy exploring the varied world of tea.  Most of us fall somewhere in between.

Rooibos, or Red tea is not actually tea, (Camellia sinensis) but comes from an evergreen shrub (Aspalathus linearis) which is native to the Cederberg, Western Cape Province of South Africa.

How is it processed: The leaves are picked, oxidized and dried, similarly to black tea. The oxidation process gives the Rooibos its' characteristic reddish-orange color. Green rooibos, where the oxidation process is skipped, is also available, and as you might guess, the processing is similar to green tea.



What does it taste like? I have seen rooibos described as nutty, earthy, neutral, and even tobacco-like. I would agree with the characterization of nutty and neutral. I don't find the unflavored rooibos to be exciting by itself, but it plays very well with other flavors. When blended with nuts, fruits or florals, Rooibos really shines. I am particularly fond of the Berries and Blossoms and Marzipan flavors that I offer, but so far, I have not yet tried a flavored Rooibos that I didn't like.


How do I prepare it? Just as you would prepare black tea, but you can wander off and forget what you were doing, without coming back to a bitter cup.  Not that you would ever do that.  You can drink it hot, or iced, or made into popsicles.  You can add milk, or sugar, or honey, or Stevia, or just drink it straight.  One thing to consider though, Rooibos is smaller than most loose teas, so you'll need an infuser with very fine mesh.



What are the known or perceived health benefits? Rooibos is high in antioxidants--and like tea, the green variety is higher than the fermented variety.  Rooibos does not contain caffeine, oxalic acid or sulfites.  It is also low in tannins.

Any risks? I am not aware of any health risks associated with rooibos tea.