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Tea Newbie seeks Advice

Bertilak

Bertilak

Newbie tea appreciator here, but not a newbie tea drinker. (Is anybody?)

Background: Mostly tea bags. Like PG Tips, Taylors of Harrogate English Breakfast (loose and bagged). Liked a Ceylon tea (bags) I had a few months ago.

What is the easiest path to start in on drinking good tea? The least amount of new equipment would be a nice criterion.

Does the stuff go stale? Do I need a source for fresh teas?

Thanks!
 
joyfulwoogie

joyfulwoogie

SilkySmooth said:
I think the cheapest way to go would be to try a muslin tea bag and some type of loose fragrant tea.
Click to expand...

Are they cotton tea bags or paper? I have been looking for a cotton tea filters for easy brewing. They might be the ones I have been looking for.

Where might I purchase them if I may ask?

Thanks.
 
Jake

Jake

Try loose leaf oolong, not the jasmine flavored variety, right in the cup. That is commonly done in China. Great taste, simple process.
 
S

schgnbtm

The key to a great cup of tea, is proper preparation. Different types of teas need to steep at different temperatures for optimum aroma and taste. Tea bags can be great, one of my favorites is Mrs. Grey from twinnings, steeped 2-3 minutes at 195F it is perfect every time. If you steep too long you usually get an acidic taste. Hope this helps.
 
Clonakilty

Clonakilty

Hi Robert,

The Ceylon that you liked is a good place to start. That's a black tea typically grown in Sri Lanka. Ceylon is one of the three most famous areas where black tea is grown, the other two are Assam and Darjeeling. These are generally considered the best sources of black tea, though black tea is also grown in Kenya, China, South East Asia and other places.

The concept of "black tea" that I am referring to is distinguished from oolong, green and white tea. Black tea is the most oxidised form of tea leaf for drinking.

Different kinds of tea may be different according to a number of factors. So, the fact that tea is black/green/white/oolong will be the primary way in which people distinguish between one tea and another. Black tea is what most people mean if they talk about a cup of tea and when we have plain tea with milk and sugar, for instance, that is almost always black tea.

It sounds like that's what you like. Within black tea, there are plain black teas like Assam, Darjeeling and Ceylon which are not usually scented or smoked. Then there are things like Lapsang Souchong and Lady Grey which have a different flavour because they are smoked or combined with flowers and oils to add different flavours to the tea.

There are also blends of black tea. So the most famous of these would probably be English breakfast which will usually have some Assam, some Ceylon and perhaps some other cheaper sources of black tea such as Kenyan leaves.

Let's stick to the big three sources though. Assam is usually stronger in flavour and makes a better morning tea. Ceylon is milder but still full in flavour. Darjeeling is more delicate with a famous muscatel scent and is usually drunk in the afternoon. Assam and Ceylon are typically drunk with milk (at least if drunk hot) while Darjeeling may be drunk with or without milk.

The quality of tea that you get will be better if you use leaves rather than tea-bags, though good tea bags are better than bad leaves.

Either way, a big mistake people make is not to use hot enough water. The water should be boiling. Not boiled. Boiling. It's better if the pot/cup is also heated while the leaves/tea bag is infusing in the water as the hotter the water remains, the better the tea will infuse into the water.

Typically 3-5 minutes is about right to get the right strength. More than 3 or 4 minutes with a strong tea and there will be too many tannins and the tea will be too strong and bitter. By contrast, some darjeelings need a good 5 or 6 minutes to develop a full flavour.

In answer to your other questions: yes tea will deteriorate in quality after a certain period of time and it's better to keep it in an air-tight/water-tight container. However, the stuff is dried and it doesn't need to be used too quickly.

I can't help you with local suppliers near to you, though Twinings make good value tea, if it is available near you.

If you want to order some great value darjeelings (my personal favourite) try Thunderbolt Teas: http://www.thunderbolttea.com
 
Bertilak

Bertilak

Clonakilty,

Wow! Thanks for the good info. I feel like I am almost ready to pass my tea 101 final exam.

Yes, sounds like black tea is what I think of when I think of tea, but I also like green teas in eastern-style restaurants -- Chineese, Thai, but not much experience with Japanese.

I am not much of fan a flavored teas but none-the-less do appreciate citrus (orange, lemon) sometimes. I never drink "tea" that isn't actually TEA (no hibiscus, etc.)

I don't think I ever put milk it tea -- just seems wrong to me. I like Ceylon without milk. Maybe I should give it a try.

I brew by bringing water to a boil in a two quart pot on the stove then throw in 4 bags (or 4 carefully measured teaspoons in a tea ball-shaped screen) for 32 ounces and turn off the fire. As to brew time, The Taylors of Harrogate English Breakfast box stressed a "full five minutes" but that comes out way to strong for me. I do two minutes and think I am getting a nice full-flavored result.

I put in an order with netsurfr for some samples (he picked the samples for me).
 
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