How I (US) make tea when my British friend comes over to visit
How I (US) make tea when my British friend comes over to visit
Correct me if I got anything wrong, TA!
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Ok honest question. Do Brits only let the tea soak for like 2-5 minutes? I always let it soak for longer, like 15 minutes otherwise I think it just doesn't taste as good.
Edit: I probably should have clarified that, when I say 15 minutes, I was thinking about teabags. I only use teabags for stuff like lavender tea etc. Also I would never let black tea soak for 15 minutes, I've accidentally been there. Can't recommend it.
For a cup of English breakfast tea 15 minutes is way too long, it'll oversteep and become bitter
tea bags, which are casual, 3 minutes.
if you're steeping tea leaves and you care about it, teas have different steeping times
same as going for a jog vs being an ultramarathon runner
or painting a wall vs building a houses for a living
it's about whether you care about the process or want a quick solution
American here. 15 minutes is a wild amount of time to have your tea steeping before drinking, not least of which because it's probably too cold by then! If anyone finds all tea too bitter, or has to add a ton of sugar and milk, it's because it's a quick beverage, not a potion or a science experiment...
You're getting very bitter tea letting it steep that long.
I remember hearing an American discovering that they shouldn't just leave the bag in the tea. They were wondering how anyone even likes tea since it is so bitter lol
Teabag tea is cut up much much finer than looseleaf tea. Whereas looseleaf is identifiable bits of leaf, the stuff in teabags is ground up into a powder. They do this deliberately so that it will brew more quickly, and a good cup normally takes 3-5 minutes.
Looseleaf tea takes longer to brew, which is why you can brew a big pot, pour and drink one cup, and then come back for a second that's been sat on the leaves without it tasting like industrial chemicals.
I'm from the US so maybe not what you're looking for, but for black tea you need a few things:
- 212° water (freedom units) - must be boiling, not boiled-then-left-to-cool. I use an electric kettle. If your water isn't hot enough your tea won't steep effectively.
- Decent tea. If you're steeping 15 minutes you might be drinking cheap tea made with fannings (essentially the tea dust that's left over after the better quality products have been packaged). I drink Yorkshire Gold but this is a matter of preference.
- Milk and sugar to taste, but these should complement the tea. Tea should be the predominant flavor, it shouldn't just taste like milk or sugar.
Here's what you do:
- Heat the water to a rolling boil.
- While the water is still boiling, pour over the teabag. Pour slowly enough that you don't rupture the bag.
- Steep for 5 minutes.
- Remove the teabag. Don't squeeze it out - this releases more tannins and your brew will be more bitter.
- (CONTROVERSIAL!) Add milk and sugar. Some people will tell you milk goes in first. These people are wrong.
Some people will talk at you about teapots and patinas but honestly if you're an infrequent tea drinker it's not worth bothering with.
Signed - an American anxiously awaiting all the UKians who will tell me I'm doing it wrong.
Pour slowly enough that you don't rupture the bag.
Are your friends firing the water into the cup with a pressure washer?
We're American, we're legally obligated to use unnecessary force.
My last couple of electric kettles had various levels for coffee, black tea, herbal tea and then the roaring boil of the 212 of your freedom units. I suspect the roaring is due to all of the freedom.
I'm surprised the coffee setting is so low compared to the teas.
I've never really paid attention to how longto leave a tea bag in. Usually it's stayed in the whole time while drinking it. Recently I've started to read the boxes the tea comes in and Earl Grey is like 3 minutes depending on the brand and herbal is 5-10.
As for number 5 I've read back when China was becoming more common place it was almost a caste level nod if you put your milk in first or last.
Early cheaper China would crack or break from hot water/tea being poured directly into the cup first. Placing the milk in first helped cover up this flaw by cooling down the tea.
Pouring your hot tea directly into your cups without the milk first was a subtle flex of your superior China quality. I do miss some of this nuance in a world that's seems to be on full blast most of the time.
Don't use boiling water. 195-205F for black tea. Brew time typically varies by preference from 3-4 minutes, but 5 isn't terrible.
I don't give a shit about patinas and just use a French press I got from Ikea. But I do have a programmable kettle set to 70 or 80 °C, virtually only use loose leaf green and oolong teas, and steep two minutes for the first steeping and 90 seconds for each subsequent one. (For black tea I just crank the temperature to boiling and keep everything else the same.)
That probably makes me snobbish enough to confuse people who don't drink tea but amateurish enough to annoy the snobs.
In the end any approach is fine as long as you like the result.
Yorkshire Gold FTW
Jesus Christ
I think the issue is not the fact that it's a teabag, it's the lavender part. If you're having fancy tea then you leave it in much longer, if you're having normal tea then 15 minutes is as heretical as the OP!
Different ways for different people.