15 Tea Drinkers Share Secrets To A Perfect Pot

This describes 'Just The Right Amount' in the list '15 Tea Drinkers Share Secrets To A Perfect Pot'.Ghawblin:

People make bad tea. They ignore the basic errors that cause people to dislike it.

Do not steep tea too hot. Hot steep releases tannins. Tannin is a super bitter film that much plant matter holds, sometimes more. Boiling a pot with tea makes an acidic, bitter brew that coats your mouth. This happens with people who dunk a tea bag in a mug. Black tea usually steeps around 200 F; green tea around 175 F.

Do not oversteep. Use more tea if you want stronger flavor, not longer time. Five minutes of steep is the maximum you should do. This stops tannin and other bad flavors from coming out.

Do those two things, plus sweeping the floor, Lipton tastes good.

Friends say, "I don't like tea, no matter how much I sweeten it, it's too bitter." Ask them how they make it. They will say, "I boil a pot with bags for 15 minutes" or "I microwave a bag in my mug for five minutes." That is nonsense. It is like hating pizza but only cooking it at 500 F for an hour.

From Redditor u/AdvocateSaint:

Use a real kettle instead of microwaving your water like a heathen.

From Redditor u/PFMortgage:

I drink black tea a lot in England. I need Yorkshire Tea, ideally Yorkshire Gold, but I don't know if it is available in the US? Pour boiling water over it, wait a couple of minutes, add milk. That is perfection.

Twinings Earl Grey is another favorite. Lapsang Souchong offers a strong, smoky taste.

From Redditor u/Devonai:

Boiling tea destroys some flavors. Use piping hot water (~200F/~90C), not water straight from the kettle.

From Redditor u/aamgdp:

Do not seek one tea recommendation. Explore. Go to a local tea shop and ask people. They often sell single servings, so you can buy different types to taste and find what you like.

From Redditor u/KayskolA:

Tea bags.

Heat water. Put the tea bag in. Finish.

Now try adding different sweeteners, like honey and milk.

You are now an average tea drinker.

This path leads you to owning five teapots you never use, twenty mugs but only using two, and a tea stockpile where you only drink one or two that you constantly buy again.

My favorite is chamomile with honey and a splash of milk.

Google teas good for different occasions.

Chamomile works well when you are sick. Mint and citrus tea help upset stomachs.

From Redditor u/Nebula_Astro7:

I am Indian, and my whole family loves chai. Here is how I make it if you want to try it.

1. Warm half a cup of water in a pot.

2. Add your tea leaves (a spoonful or a bit more).

3. Grate and add a very small piece of ginger (this step is optional).

4. Add green cardamom seeds and/or cinnamon if you want (do not add too much).

Add sugar to your taste. I usually use 1 1/2 teaspoons for one cup of chai.

Allow the water and tea leaves to boil.

Pour a cup of milk into the boiling mixture. Stir it and leave it alone.

Strain the boiled chai into a mug and drink it.

From Redditor u/roonling:

These are the best teas for me:

T2 Irish breakfast tea

Yorkshire gold

Twinings strong English breakfast tea

Put the tea bag in a mug.

Boil water.

Pour water over a tea bag in a mug.

Let it steep for 2-3 minutes.

Take out the tea bag.

Add sugar and/or milk until you like it.

From Redditor u/jaketheweirdsnake:

For Earl Grey, I boil water, put a bag in your mug, pour the water in, and steep to your strength. Do not squeeze the tea bag.

From Redditor u/xilog:

These comments have lots of good info on "ordinary" tea (this does not mean it is bad; branded tea is fine!). Other tea styles exist. Assam is a strong tea, like coffee for waking up, and my favorite is Darjeeling. It has a lighter flavor but tastes great. It does not smell like Earl Grey.

Getting good Assam and Darjeeling is hard. Most supermarket options are low to middle quality and do not match the teas.

I am drinking this nowAssam and this Darjeeling. It costs money, but a couple of small packs to test it will cost about ten pounds [10 pounds], and they beat supermarket brands.

From Redditor u/robotmonkeyshark:

I needed an easy caffeine source at work in the morning. I dislike coffee, so I bought a large box of Lipton black tea bags at Costco. Each bag costs under three cents. Steep it in hot water from the break room dispenser, and you are done.

If you want something more creative, try teas with different fruit flavors. Go to a store like Teavana and smell them. If you dislike the smell, you probably won't like the taste. Loose leaf tea with a metal strainer ball, with various designs, offers a simple balance, but bagged tea works just fine.

From Redditor u/shininghero:

Either Yorkshire gold or Twinings Earl Grey, depending on what is in the store. They cost about $5 a box where I live.

Both producers keep the tea leaves from being ground powder, which stops Lipton from over-extracting and tasting bitter.

Put it in a cup, add boiling water, and let it cool. Remove the tea bag if you want to; Twinings and Yorkshire are lenient on that. Milk or half-and-half is optional.

From Redditor u/CrossENT:

I make my own iced tea.

I fill a one-gallon jug with hot water.

I put in some black tea bags (between 7-10).

I let it sit for a while.

I take out the tea bags.

Add sugar to make it sweet. Stir it.

Cool it in the fridge.

Skip step 5 if you want unsweetened tea. Add sugar before cooling if you like it sweet; dissolving sugar in cold tea is tough.

Redditor u/ParGellen:

Brew orange pekoe in a large glass jar in direct sunlight. Use a tall glass with lots of ice and some stevia sweetener. I drink it by the gallon.

Redditor u/IFoundTheCowLevel:

English breakfast, called black tea in the US or "Builders Tea" in the UK. Put the tea bag in the mug with two teaspoons of sugar. Pour boiling water over it. Take out the tea bag after stirring. Add some milk. This is tea; anything else is garbage. PG Tips is a good brand; Earl Grey is bad.