Intro
You’ve probably heard someone say that they once tried tea but didn’t like it. You’re not the only one! But everything has an explanation. It could be that they didn’t really like it, that they didn’t choose the right tea according to their tastes, or what is more common: they didn’t know how to prepare tea correctly.
Knowing how to make tea is essential to build customer loyalty. Both to serve it yourself in a catering business, and to explain it to the customer who orders it in bulk in a tea shop.
In this post, we explain to you the steps to prepare tea in an easy way, following only 4 simple steps.
Elements to consider when making tea
It all starts with having the right accessories and quality water. If your city has good tap water, you’re lucky! If not, you can use water with low mineralisation.
But if there is one thing you must strictly control, it is the temperature of the water, the brewing time and the amount of tea. The values for each tea are different, so we advise you to ask your supplier who will be the best person to advise you how to brew tea.
Here are the steps for making tea in more detail:
1 - Heat the water according to the type of tea
The first thing to do is to heat the water to the right temperature for the type of tea you are going to prepare. To do this you can use an automatic kettle that measures the temperature, or simply a thermometer.
Each tea infuses at a different temperature. The less oxidised the leaf is, the lower the temperature has to be.
For example, a white tea which is the least processed of all the tea families, can be brewed at a temperature of 70ºC. While a black tea whose leaf is fully oxidised, will infuse at a temperature of around 100ºC.
If you infuse a green tea at the temperature of a black tea, you will burn the leaf, causing an undesirable taste. If you infuse a black tea at a lower temperature, you will lose much of the nuances that make it really interesting.
2 - Put the tea in the teapot filter
The second step of how to make tea is to prepare the amount of tea you are going to infuse while the water is heating. Then put it in the teapot filter. If you don’t have one, you can use a paper or metal filter.
To set the exact amount of tea you can use a small scale. Over time you will have gained experience and with the help of a measuring spoon you will be able to measure the right amount of tea.
It is important that you use the right amount for each tea. Too much tea will make it overly concentrated and strong, while too little will go unnoticed.
3 - Pour the water into the kettle and set the timer
The next step to prepare tea is to pour the water in the kettle over the tea leaves slowly and set a timer to run. It is very important that the leaves are not in contact with the water for longer than what is indicated.
The infusion time also varies according to the tea family. White teas, green teas, and some Oolong teas have a shorter infusion time than a black or Pu Erh tea.
If you leave a green tea longer than recommended, its taste will be so astringent that you will find it difficult to drink.
4 - Remove the tea leaves and enjoy!
After the infusion time has finished, remove the filter with the moistened tea leaves and serve. Now all you have to do is enjoy a wonderful cup of tea.
If it is a black Assam or Ceylon tea you might want to add a few drops of milk. If you have a sweet tooth, you might want to add a little sugar or sweetener.
Conclusion
In this post we have seen how to prepare tea in just 4 steps.
