The perfect cup of specialty tea
First, throw away your tea ball, please!
Brewing special tea is an art you can easily learn. And well worth the effort.
There is not a one size fits all formula for brewing loose leaf tea. There are many different methods and customs for brewing tea.
Whole or partial loose leaf tea comes in a variety of styles so steeping times will vary with the tea. The amount of tea you use will also vary with the size of the leaf, and the preference of the tea drinker.
In the beginning, follow the steeping guides from your tea merchant. You can customize to your taste with subsequent brews.
The reason I say throw away your tea ball is they were designed for western use when the available loose leaf tea was always cut very fine. Now with specialty teas becoming more accessible to the west from eastern tea growing nations, the premium tea leaf is just too large for the confined space of a tea ball. It will not steep properly.
Use an open mesh infuser instead. If you don’t have one, steep the leaf loosely in a teapot and pour it into a cup through a strainer for drinking. The leaf will have more room to open up and infuse much more flavor.
Water Quality for Tea
In general, it is best to use filtered water. Municipal drinking water can have a chemical taste, and well water may be too high in mineral content. The ideal water has a neutral pH value of 7.0. Most bottled spring waters will work well if you don’t like your filtered tap water. I use my municipal tap water once filtered without a problem.
The Art of Specialty Tea
Aside from the technical aspects of tea, there is the art of tea. Tea is regarded for thousands of years as the key to good health, happiness, and wisdom.
Tea has caught the attention of researchers who are discovering its many benefits. There are over 3,000 published, science-based studies regarding the health-promoting benefits of tea, proving tea is the ultimate beverage.
Because of its unique chemical properties, tea provides calm, focused energy. Tea is the vehicle that allows you to contemplate, share, and connect.
Dragonfly Delights Tearoom is in the business of creating lasting memories through the experience of sharing tea. Connect, communicate, have conversation.
Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future. Live the actual moment. Only this moment is life." - Thich Nhat Hanh
Specialty Tea Shops
So the question I have for you is, “would you rather drink a very flavorful loose leaf tea that is just pennies a cup or drink the commercially produced bland tea from supermarkets?”
I think I know your answer.
Because specialty tea is a very niche market, tea shops are not that plentiful, but demand is growing, and they are becoming easier to find. The only way to know what you like is to go to the specialty tea shops and try some samples. If you buy loose leaf tea online, it’s a little bit more difficult unless you already know what you like.
Many online tea shops sell small variety packs and send free samples with your order so you can try different teas.
Part of the fun is trying new teas and experimenting with what you like and how you like it. Cream, sugar a slice of lemon. Perhaps honey instead of sugar.
Another tea that you may find surprising is oolong. The first time I tried oolong, I was amazed by the flavor.
The pure beauty of all this is that specialty teas are cultivated and processed, so they do not need additional flavoring. You will be amazed at how each tea imparts a unique and delicious flavor all on its own!
Experiment, share, and enjoy because life is better with tea.
