How to Brew Tea? Tea I; It is necessary to remember with respect and gratitude, as if touching them with compassion, those who plant the pla...
How to Brew Tea?
Tea I; It is necessary to remember with respect and gratitude, as if touching them with compassion, those who plant the plants in the soil, take care of them, harvest them when the day comes, process them, and labor with great effort, which contain all kinds of miracles of nature. That's why elegance, sophistication and respect for nature come to the fore when brewing tea all over the world. Of course, the way of serving the tea is as important as the method of brewing it. Many factors must complement each other for tea drinkers to have a pleasant experience.
Nowadays, everyone has their own way of brewing. The person who brews; He tries to produce the most enjoyable taste and the most beneficial content by combining tea, water and teapot like a work of art, for his own pleasure. This quest yields better results day by day, with more trials. After all, every cup of tea tells us its own story with its uniqueness.
As Doğadan, we have brought together the most optimum brewing and serving techniques of plants that can be used in tea form. We hope you enjoy drinking it with your loved ones.
We can generally divide teas into 2 categories:
1. Although the teas in this category are produced from the same plant, they have different characters from each other with different varieties, climate, soil, harvest, production technique and unique brewing techniques. Now we can examine them one by one.
Black tea:
Generally, black teas are used in 2 different product groups.
- Bulk products
- Teapot and Glass bag products
In all black tea categories, brewing is done using freshly boiled water.
Black teas produced in the tropical climate zone (Sri Lanka, India, Kenya, Indonesia, China) are prepared by steeping in bulk form for 5-7 minutes, and teas in bagged tea form for 2-3 minutes.
Our black tea, produced in our country, in the Black Sea region, is suitable for breakfast tables and long tea conversations, with its ability to brew for a longer time and to remain in the taste, aroma and color of the brew, suitable for consumption for a longer time after brewing.
Come rabbit blood, fragrant teas that smell strongly of the Black Sea:
As a result of our studies on Turkish teas, we determined that the Doğadan bulk tea series achieved the optimum taste profile at the 18th minute.
The amount of tea and water is important during brewing. Tea leaves should be able to move easily in water and all leaves should meet the water at the same time. To give a simple ratio, it is sufficient to put approximately 100 ml of water into the teapot for each tablespoon of tea (4-5 grams). We recommend using standard quality, non-chlorinated, pH level 7-7.5, non-hard packaged water during brewing. The water must be freshly boiled, 15-20 seconds after boiling. Then, the tea leaves should be added to a single point in the teapot without burning them, and all the leaves should be wetted after adding. Keeping the teapot as closed as possible and covering the tip if possible will ensure that the volatile aromatic compounds remain inside and cling to the tea more.
Porcelain is the best choice when choosing a teapot. Alternatively, you can choose glass teapots or automatic brewing machines. The point we need to pay attention to here is that the equipment to be used is clean and does not cause taste or odor to pass into the water (for example, materials such as plastic etc. should not be preferred).
Infuser Bag Black Teas:
Infuser tea bags are designed to provide faster infusion and ease of use. You can get more brew color with a small amount of tea. The smaller size of the tea leaves used increases the brewing surface area. In addition, teas with different brew colors, aromatic structures and hardness produced in different parts of the world (such as Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, Kenya, etc.) are generally used in these types of infuser bags. In our country, Turkish black tea is blended with teas of different origins for infuser bags. In this way, the brewing time can be reduced to 10-15 minutes and the bags can be removed from the teapot and consumed fresh for 1 hour.
The concept of tea bag tea is not generally used abroad. These types of rounded bags, like glass bags, can be brewed either in a glass for 2-3 minutes or in single teapots for 5-7 minutes for 2-3 people.
Black Tea Bags in Glasses:
For black tea in cups, generally brewing it with freshly boiled water for 2-3 minutes allows the appropriate taste profile to be achieved. Since these teas are obtained by finely cutting and combining different origins, you can reach the desired taste in a short time.
Let's not forget that dried tea leaves are semi-products. Therefore, for a delicious tea experience, in addition to tea, it is very important that we provide the right water, the right brewing, the right equipment and the right service.
So what about our green tea?
It is difficult to talk about a single brewing and serving method for green tea, which Turkish consumers have become increasingly accustomed to. Because it has a lot of diversity due to where it is produced and how it is produced. For example, there are significant differences in taste and production techniques between green teas produced in Japan and green teas produced in China. This being the case, it would not be right to brew them all at the same water temperature and for the same time. While teas produced with the panfired technique in China can be brewed with higher temperatures of water (75-88°C), teas produced with the steamed technique in Japan give better results at lower temperatures (65-80°C). In the world of green tea, we can obtain the best flavors with different brewing times ranging from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. Additionally, green tea has another feature. After the first brew, you have the chance to brew the same tea many times, depending on the characteristics of the tea. With each brewing, the unique aroma of the tea decreases and as the tannins increase, bitterness and bland tastes emerge. The amount of caffeine decreases as you brew.
Carefully brewed white tea
White tea is a tea that is carefully collected and prepared with care. In its homeland, China, special productions are made using many different techniques. It is one of the most delicate teas in the world, as it is produced from the top buds of the tea plant, protecting it as much as possible and touching it as little as possible. Care should be taken not to use boiled water when brewing white tea. 2-5 minutes of brewing with water at 70-85°C is recommended. Again, depending on the characteristics of the tea used and the method of production, these temperatures and times may vary for the best aroma and taste.
Suggestions for herbal and fruit teas
Tea, known around the world as tea or cha, is actually used only for products produced from the Camellia sinensis plant. Apart from these, we see an incredible plant world and their use in different areas. Plants and fruits have been used and continue to be used by people in different geographies until today, as they offer auxiliary effects such as therapeutic, relaxing, sedative and analgesic in terms of their functional properties. They all have their own unique tastes and aromas. Experts recommend that herbal and fruit teas be brewed for short periods of time instead of boiling them for longer periods of time. Brewing with boiled water at 100°C for 5-7 minutes ensures both the (desired) benefits and the best taste.
Tea has a few companions with it whenever it touches life. No matter how valuable and beautiful it is on its own, the other elements in the brewing process that will make it feel as it is and play the music correctly are just as important.
These:
In hundreds of books written about tea in China, we can see sections explaining how important water is. Which tea can be brewed with which water, what the temperature of the water is, the bubbles on its surface, its sound, its bubbling and all the other details are a topic in itself.
As for what kind of water the Black Sea tea, which we mostly consume, should be brewed with, we can summarize this as follows:
Water that is not hard, has a pH level of 7-8, has a low amount of free chlorine and is lime-free should be preferred. The water must be freshly boiled, the tea must be rested for 2-3 minutes after boiling to prevent it from burning, and all leaves must be wetted in the same way during brewing. It should preferably be brewed in porcelain or glass teapots. Depending on the characteristics of the blend used, it is important to brew it for 15-25 minutes and then serve it in slightly pre-heated or not cold glasses.
Apart from this generalization, it would be more accurate to say the following: In fact, the person who brews the tea has become a kind of master of this craft. He adjusted how much tea he poured and when he opened it by experimenting. He chose or mixed the best blend according to his taste, according to the existing constraints (water, teapot, glass).
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