I firmly believe that there is no such thing as a right or wrong way to make tea. What matters most is that you enjoy it. That being said, if you aren’t happy with the taste of your tea some common mistakes might be stopping you from making the perfect brew. The good news is that they are all very easy to fix. Here are 12 mistakes that you might be making when brewing tea.
- Not Using Enough Tea
- Using Too Much Tea
- Using Water That is Too Hot
- using Water That Is Too Cool
- Not Letting It Brew For Long Enough
- Brewing for Too Long
- Using Tea That Is Too Old
- Not Resteeping
- Not Giving the Tea Enough Room to Expand
- Not Storing Your Tea Properly
- Not Understanding the Type of Tea You Have
- Choosing Quantity Over Quality
Not Using Enough Tea
I often hear from people that they don’t like tea because it tastes like water. The flavor will be thin and weak if you don’t use enough tea. A good rule of thumb is to use 1 teaspoon (about 2 grams) of loose-leaf tea for every 8oz of water. If you’re using tea bags there should be 1 teabag for every 8oz of water. If you aren’t sure how much water your cup holds, simply fill it with water and pour the contents into a measuring cup.
Using Too Much Tea
More is not necessarily better when it comes to making tea. Using too much leaf will result in a bitter and astringent brew. The best way to measure loose-leaf tea is to weigh it since tea leaves come in a variety of shapes and sizes. If you inadvertently used too much tea, one possible way to resolve it is to pour the tea over ice to help dilute it. If you’re looking for a stronger flavor, I recommend giving gongfu brewing a try.
Using Water That is Too Hot
Hot water increases the extraction of astringent and bitter components in tea. If your tea is astringent (that dry mouth feeling you might get from red wine), dialing down the water temperature can help reduce that. Green tea is higher in catechins, which makes them more sensitive to temperature than black tea. Lower-quality tea is also more likely to get bitter when brewed with hotter water.
using Water That Is Too Cool
The inverse can also be true. If the water is not hot enough, tea will extract very slowly. This is why cold brewing takes hours rather than minutes. I often see people making tea with the hot water from the dispenser on a water cooler. These are usually set to a fairly low temperature for safety reasons so they aren’t the best way to get hot water.
Not Letting It Brew For Long Enough
We all know that person who dunks the teabag for a few seconds and declares their tea to be done. Tea needs time to allow the flavor to be extracted. How much time it takes varies widely depending on the tea and how it is being brewed. The directions provided by the company you bought your tea from are a great starting place. You can always adjust to your taste from there.
Brewing for Too Long
It happens to all of us. You get distracted and the next thing you know your tea has been brewing for 20 minutes. Unfortunately, brewing your tea for too long can make it taste very unpleasant. If this does happen you can try diluting it with ice but it is less likely to help than if you had just used too much leaf.
Using Tea That Is Too Old
Tea doesn’t truly go bad in most cases, but it will lose its flavor over time. A general rule of thumb is that the greener the tea is, the shorter the shelf life will be. Matcha has the shortest shelf life while shou puerh doesn’t really have one. Be mindful of how much tea you have and avoid buying very large volumes unless you can drink through it in less than a year.
Not Resteeping
Nearly all unflavored loose-leaf eas can be re-steeped to make an additional 1-2 cups of tea. It’s possible to get even more than that when brewing gongfu style. If you don’t re-steep you won’t get nearly as much bang for your buck. You might also miss out on the fun of seeing how the flavor evolves with each infusion.
Not Giving the Tea Enough Room to Expand
Tea leaves need room to expand to get the full flavor. If you’re having trouble filling the tea ball/infuser or if there are dry spots left in the middle after steeping, that is a sign that the tea needs more room. I prefer using a basket-style infuser for that reason. They’re inexpensive and incredibly versatile since they can be used with any cup or teapot you already have.
Not Storing Your Tea Properly
Tea is very sensitive to heat, light, moisture, and odors. Prolonged exposure to any of those elements will negatively affect the taste. To avoid this, keep your tea in opaque air-tight containers. Kitchen cabinets aren’t always the best place to keep tea since they are warm and there are often strong smells such as spices. Using the smallest sized container that will hold the amount of tea you have can also help a lot.
Not Understanding the Type of Tea You Have
There are thousands of different tea types in the world with new ones constantly being developed. No one can know all of them intimately, but each new tea you encounter presents an opportunity for learning and exploration. A few quick Google searches or thumbing through a book like Tea: History, Terroirs, Varieties before brewing will help set you up for success. My Beginner’s Guide to Tea is also a good place to start.
Choosing Quantity Over Quality
Sometimes you do get what you pay for. If you aren’t happy with the taste of your tea and user error has been ruled out then it may be time to consider upgrading the quality of the tea you are drinking. Everyone’s financial situation is different so I know that may be easier said than done. Tea is still an affordable luxury compared to wine and other beverages though! There are over 1,000 tea reviews on this site that can help you find a tea that you like within your budget.
Is there a mistake that you made when you first started brewing tea? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
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