What is the best way to brew black tea?

Generally speaking, a pot of high-quality black tea is closely related to its brewing method. Therefore, it is not enough to just choose high-quality black tea without paying attention to the brewing method. The brewing method of good black tea must be particularly particular, which can not only make the taste of black tea more rich and mellow, but also enhance the efficacy of black tea. Of course, brewing black tea also requires attention to some external conditions.

1. Good tea leaves and moderate tea quantity

To brew a pot of good tea, choosing high-quality tea leaves is a necessary condition. Basically, a cup of black tea requires about one teaspoon or 6 grams of tea leaves, brewed with 150-200cc of hot water; brewing pot tea depends on the capacity of the pot. Bar tea can be brewed 2-3 times, and broken tea or tea bags can be brewed until the aroma and color of the tea soup have disappeared.

2. Water quality and temperature

Since ancient times, people have paid attention to the quality of water when drinking tea. Good water can make the tea more sweet and delicious. Generally speaking, colorless, odorless water with a high oxygen content is most suitable for making tea, and spring water, well water and stream water are the best. Commercially available mineral water can also be used as a substitute if it is pure water or natural water.

Since tap water at home contains a lot of oxygen, it is best to leave it in a large container overnight to wait for the chlorine to dissipate before boiling it. In addition, the air content in boiled water has been reduced. If it is boiled again for brewing, the unique aroma and color of black tea will be greatly reduced. As for the water temperature for brewing, it should be between 90-100℃. The most accurate way is to measure with a thermometer, but that would be a bit uninteresting. The general way is to let the water boil, turn off the heat and wait for a while before brewing. The waiting time depends on the room temperature. If it is difficult to control the time, there is another convenient method called "high-pour method", which is to hold the kettle high. In this way, there will be a buffer when the hot water is poured into the kettle, which also has a cooling effect.

3. Brewing time

To brew a pot of good tea, the tea leaves need to be separated from the tea soup after brewing. At this time, mastering the brewing time becomes the key. If the brewing time is too long, the tannins and catechins in the tea leaves will be completely released, making the tea soup bitter. On the contrary, if the brewing time is too short, the amino acids in the tea will not be released enough, the sweetness of the black tea will not be brewed, and the tea soup will have a distinct watery taste. If you cannot control it by time, you can judge based on the color of the tea soup. As long as the color of the tea soup is correct, you will be able to brew a cup of good tea. Since the color of tea soup from different teas is different, it must be judged based on experience, but generally speaking, the tea soup should be bright and clear, with a bright color, and should not be turbid.

The aroma of black tea is mainly emitted along with the hot steam, so when brewing tea, do not pour water directly into the teapot, otherwise the temperature of the water will be greatly reduced and the aroma of the tea will not be able to be fully brought out. It is recommended to scald the teapot with boiling water before brewing tea.