Comment bien préparer son thé ?

How to prepare your tea properly?

The secrets to preparing your tea well.

Choosing a good quality tea is often the first step towards enjoying a delicious cup of tea; unfortunately, if you try to make it poorly... you'll often end up with the unpleasant bitterness and harshness that tea can sometimes reveal.

To remedy this, we give you some tips!

  • Use quality water

  • Measure accurately

  • Choose a water temperature based on the type of tea

  • Apply a suitable infusion time

Water

Choosing neutral water (forget tap water in Bordeaux!), with low mineral content and low dry residue (less than 100mg/l) is ideal. This will prevent unwanted flavors once the tea is brewed.
Examples of spring waters: Montcalm, Mont Roucous, etc.

The temperature

Each tea must be brewed at a specific temperature. Water that is too hot will reveal the tea's harshness, while water that is not hot enough will reduce the tea's aromatic potential. Never use boiling water for tea. While there are always special cases, here are the main temperatures suited to different tea colors:
  • black/red tea: 90/95°C
  • dark tea: 90/95°C
  • green tea: 70 to 80°C (50 to 60°C for certain Japanese teas)
  • Oolong teas: 90/95°C
  • white/yellow tea: 60°C

The dosage

We often tend to want to measure tea with a teaspoon, which is imprecise. Indeed, each tea has its own density. Therefore, you can have as little as 1g in your teaspoon as much as 4g.

Since tea is measured by weight based on the volume of water you are going to use, the error can be quite significant. An under-measured tea will be weak in flavor, while an over-measured tea will reveal a certain unpleasant astringency (harshness).

To avoid this, weigh your tea once and you will be able to estimate the quantity needed to properly prepare your tea. Here are some dosages that can help you:

  • about 3g for a 25cl cup
  • approximately 1.5g per 10cl of water
  • from 12 to 15g per liter

Some teas have very specific dosages . We specify this on all our tea bags.

The infusion time

Each tea has its own infusion time. An infusion that is too long brings in too much tannin, which can disturb the taste buds by giving a sensation of harshness and a lack of aroma . Here are some infusion times to follow:

  • black/red tea: 3 to 5 min (depending on the tea leaf)
  • green tea 3 min (1 to 2 min for some Japanese teas)
  • Oolong tea: 5 to 7 min
  • white/yellow tea: 7 to 20 min

Once you follow these tips, your tasting experience will be even better. Enjoy your cups!


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