MAKING A CUP OF STILLNESS

Making the perfect cup of tea is subjective. Some like it pipping hot and full-flavoured, some like it more delicate and light. But here are the main elements that will influence your tasting experience and satisfy your palate: water, tea leaf to water ratio, temperature (don’t burn the tea!), steeping time, steeping vessel, and of course, using high quality tea leaves! 

The golden rule for water when brewing tea: always fresh, always filtered.

We don’t recommend using city water from the tap or well water that may taste like iron or sulphur. Please use only filtered or bottled water. Also, always use freshly filled water in your kettle or teapot. 

The temperature of the water has a huge impact on how the tea will taste. Our Tea Sommelier recommends that you should never brew any tea higher than 98°C or 210 F, but selecting the right temperature also depends on the type of tea you are brewing. Water that is too hot for certain types of tea or that has been boiled to 100°C or 212 F will burn the tea, leading to a bitter cup, unpleasant astringency, and spoiled benefits. Most tea brands neglect to educate customers on the importance of not boiling the water, resulting in lowered enjoyment and a poor tea drinking experience. 

On the other hand, water that is too cool will not fully extract enough flavour or health properties, depriving you of the complete flavour and benefits of the tea. We like to steep to colour, aroma, and flavour rather than by time or temperature, but as a general guide, here’s how to steep the perfect cup: 

White tea: 74° to 82° for 1-3 minutes 

Green tea: 75° to 85° for 2-4 minutes

Oolong: 85° to 95° for 3-5 minutes 

Black tea: 90° to 98° for 3-5 minutes

Tisanes/herbal infusions: 80° to 98° for 4-5 minutes

The quality of the tea leaves will determine your sipping experience, so use luxury leaves like ours! We promise that if you start with high quality tea leaves, you will get a high quality cup of tea to please your refined tastebuds. We also recommend storing tea in a cool, dark, dry place away from light, heat and moisture and always being sure to securely close the packaging airtight. This will preserve the freshness, quality and integrity of the tea leaves.

The ratio of tea leaves to water is one of the most important factors when making the perfect cup because it will impact the flavour and tasting experience. We recommend 1 teaspoon/2.5-3 grams for every 1 cup/250 ml of water. If you like a stronger cup, add a bit more leaves when measuring.

Place the tea leaves in a cup, tea pot or other steeping vessel and pour the hot water evenly over the leaves, allowing them to steep in the water and slowly unfurl. Make sure to cover the steeping vessel. Covering is extremely important for steeping the tea and extracting the flavour and aroma molecules, along with the beneficial compounds that are contained in tea (like flavonoids etc.). It's important to note that extraction depends on the amount of time the tea leaves are in contact with the water along with the temperature of the water. Different compounds are released in the water at different temperatures and steeping times, therefore it’s recommended to have multiple infusions to extract the most flavour and nutrients. When you extract the range of flavours, aromas and textures you will experience the nuances of the tea. It should also be noted that over extracting or using water that is too hot can lead to an overly bitter cup that is unpleasant.

The steeping time depends on the type of the tea (see recommended times under the 'temperature' section above). We recommend using a clear, transparent glass steeping vessel so that you can observe the tea leaves blooming and monitor the colour of the water to gauge the tea's strength. Once steeping is complete, strain and serve in the drinking vessel of your choice. We prefer glass or porcelain cups.

Pro-tip: You can play with the steeping time, temperature and tea leaf to water ratio to achieve what pleases your palate the most!