A Great Cup of Tea Starts with Great Tea, Naturally

You can make a great cup of tea with almost any old teapot, but you can't do it without great tea.

There are no two ways about it: a great up of tea begins with great tea. What you do with that tea - how you brew it - is important, too, but there is absolutely no substitute for great tea.

So how do you know one tea from another? For most of us, it is a matter of taste. Some folks prefer black tea, others oolong, and others green or white. But there's much more to it than that.

Great tea begins with great tea leaves, preferably grown at high altitude and process to bring out the leaves' unique flavor and character.

Here are some tips for finding great tea: Look for loose tea leaves. Some of the best varieties are sold by the ounce (or grams) or by the pound, for those who know what they like and want to purchase a lot. As a rule of thumb, the more expensive the tea, the higher quality it may be. Taste, however, factors into it, and some expensive teas are simply produced in limited quantity, and price reflects both supply, and, in many cases, quality.

For oolongs, I prefer fairly light ones, made from whole leaves that unfurl during the brewing process. "Jade oolong" is a good example of a moderately priced loose-leaf tea that brews to a fine potion that's fragrant, almost sweet, and invigorating. For white teas, I prefer "silver needle", a relatively expensive tea whose leaves look like light gray-green needles and make a "grassy", fragrant brew. I also like "snow buds", a less expensive white tea with a slightly more roasted flavor and aroma. As for green teas, I favor the robust hoji cha, whose needle-like leaves brew a strongly roasted flavor and an earthy aroma or gunpowder tea, whose leaves unfurl in hot water, yielding a smoky, rich brew. Green tea can also have a grassy, fresh flavor and aroma - a typical example is sen cha. Some folks like black tea. It's my least favorite, but I have to admit that Lychee Noir (black tea flavored with lychee nuts) can hit the spot on a cold winter afternoon.

As for tea bags, if you want a great cup of tea, my advice is, "don't even think about it."

So what about tea pots, brewing cups, and such. I think the most important thing, whether you brew in a pot or a cup is to have enough room in the pot or tea strainer for water to circulate freely around the leaves. Brewing a great cup of tea is more about technique than it is about equipment. Simple rules: use the right amount of tea for the effect you want; use just-boiling water, and pour or remove the tea strainer from the tea at the right time. " The volume of tea leaves you use and how long you brew have more to do with your personal preference than any right or wrong way. Most days I brew my tea in a bamboo tea "basket" or strainer that I put in a mug. I put the strainer in a small bowl between infusions and re-infuse the leaves until they are without flavor. The number of infusions I get per strainer varies with the type of tea and how much I use in the first place. By afternoon, however, when I want a fine cup of jade oolong, I brew my tea in a small, unglazed Chinese pot that makes two small Asian-style cups (those things that look like small bowls). Here, too, I reuse the leaves until they no longer have flavor. Glazed ceramic tea pots have their place, too, and they're certainly worthy of great tea leaves. Unless you're making tea for a big group and pouring it all at once, I don't recommend brewing tea in a large pot. Leaving the leaves to infuse for long periods can yield a bitter brew, and microwaved tea that has been brewed earlier in the day just doesn't do it for me.

If you're looking for more information about tea, visit teatigress.com, where the old Tea Tigress offers descriptions of tea types, brewing instructions, and her very strong opinions.

About the Author

Hannah Wing is a freelance writer, and has been an avid tea drinker for as long as she can remember. She also writes for TeaTigress.com, den of the opinionated Tea Tigress.