Tip of the week ... how to make a proper cup of tea

Coffee isn't the only caffeinated beverage to get the gourmet makeover. How to properly tackle tea.


Long before shorts, talls, pumpkin lattes, and frothy half-caf frappuccinos, America was a nation of tea totallers. Colonists drank black tea with abandon, renouncing it only when Britain’s unjust taxes inspired the Founding Fathers to dump their tea into the ocean. Tea didn’t completely disappear, but it was eclipsed by another caffeinated beverage.

It’s taken two centuries for tea to make a comeback, but over the past few years, the market has changed. From 1990 to 2006, wholesale tea sales more than tripled to an estimated $6.5 billion.

Brewing It Right
Just as with espresso, there are rules for making a “proper” cup of tea. First, heat the water—which isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. Experts say that you should use boiling water for black tea. For more delicate green or white tea let the water cool for a few minutes. Always add the water to the leaves instead of the reverse. How long you let the tea steep depends upon the variety and how much you’re making.

Be color-conscious
Grandma might pour it into bone china, but it doesn’t really matter what kind of cup you drink from. The only rule, according to Joe Simrany, president of the Tea Association, is that the inside should be white so that you can discern from the color of the tea that it has been properly steeped.

Leaf It Alone
When stored in an airtight container, out of direct sunlight, tea can last for quite a while. White and green teas can be stored up to a year but are best drunk relatively quickly. Darker teas tend to hold up better. Limit the amount of air in the container; a rolled-up Ziploc bag works well. Don’t bother with the refrigerator, since the leaves can pick up odors and flavors from other foods.

Source: Portfolio.com