Black tea and Green Tea are like two sides of the same coin.
Green tea is unfermented, while black tea is fully fermented; green tea has a cool nature, whereas black tea is warm; green tea brews a clear, greenish infusion, while black tea produces a bright, reddish one.
Speaking of preferences, Chinese people are naturally most accustomed to green tea, but this does not prevent black tea from consistently occupying the second place in sales among the six major types of tea. After green tea, black tea is the second favorite among Chinese people.
Despite their distinct personalities, many people brew black tea in the same way as they would green tea.
Actually, black tea offers more possibilities for brewing than green tea.
How can you make your black tea taste better? Follow these tips!
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Brewing Black Tea in a Cup? No Problem
The most traditional method of brewing green tea is in a cup, but can you do the same with black tea? Absolutely!
Brewing black tea in a cup is similar to how you would brew green tea. First, add the tea leaves, then pour in water, and finally enjoy the drink.
The specific method is as follows:
Preparation:
Straight glass cup (capacity around 250 ml), 2 grams of dry tea, Mineral water or purified water
Brewing:
1. Boil water and let it cool for a few minutes;
2. Add the tea, placing the dry leaves into the glass cup;
3. Pour slightly cooled water, which should be around 80°C ~ 90°C, into the glass cup.
Key Points:
① Water-to-tea ratio of 100:1
When brewing in a glass cup, generally fill it about seven-eighths full, with approximately 200 ml of water, and use 2-3 grams of dry tea.
Black tea is a fully fermented tea, and its infusion extracts quickly, resulting in a strong flavor. If too much dry tea is used, the bitterness will be evident.
2 grams of dry tea looks like this amount
② Each steeping ≤ 10 minutes; 3 steepings recommended
Do not steep black tea in a glass cup for too long. Try to consume each steeping within 10 minutes.
After three steepings, the tea will become bland and not worth drinking.
Note that when steeping, do not completely finish each cup, instead leave about one-third of the tea at the bottom before adding more water. This ensures a more even flavor.
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Separating Tea and Water for Better Taste
We've covered brewing black tea in a cup, which is fine, but for a better taste, we recommend using a method that separates the tea from the water.
The specific method is as follows:
Preparation:
Lid bowl (capacity around 150 ml), 3 grams of dry tea, mineral water or purified water
Brewing:
1. Boil water and let it cool for a few minutes.
2. Add the tea, placing the dry leaves into the lid bowl.
3. Rinse the tea, pouring out the first infusion quickly.
4. Pour the tea into a fair cup or tasting cup.
Key Points:
① Water-to-tea ratio of 50:1
Since the tea is poured out quickly from the lid bowl, you can increase the amount of tea used compared to brewing in a cup, maintaining a water-to-tea ratio of 50:1.
② Steep and pour immediately
Black tea's internal substances extract quickly, so pour the tea out of the lid bowl immediately after steeping.
③ 3-4 steepings
With the lid bowl method, black tea can be steeped 3-4 times. Pour the tea into a fair cup and then into a tasting cup to drink, ensuring a more consistent flavor.
Tasting Black Tea with Additives, Perfectly Delicious
Green tea matches well with the reserved and restrained temperament of the Chinese people, while black tea is more popular among the more expressive Western population.
Green tea emphasizes clear drinking, while black tea is often enjoyed with additives.
There are countless recipes for black tea with additives, and if you don't want to go wrong, try the most basic lemon black tea, especially suitable for summer.
Preparation:
2 grams of black tea, 10 grams of white sugar (can also be replaced with honey), 1 fresh lemon, mineral water or purified water
Instructions:
1. Place 2 grams of black tea in a cup, pour in about 200 ml of boiling water, and let it steep for 5-10 minutes.
2. Strain out the tea leaves, keeping the tea infusion.
3. Add 10 grams of white sugar to the tea infusion.
4. Wash the lemon, slice it, and remove the seeds.
5. When the tea infusion cools down to about 60°C ~ 70°C, add 2-3 slices of lemon, squeeze the lemon juice into the tea, and place the lemon slices in the cup.
6. Chill in the refrigerator for an enhanced flavor.
The tea infusion turns into a beautiful orange-yellow color after adding lemon juice
Key Points:
① Sugar-to-water ratio of 1:20 For 200 ml of tea infusion, adding 10 grams of sugar results in a slightly sweet taste. If you prefer sweeter flavors, you can add more sugar.
② Adding lemon to lukewarm water Fresh lemons lose Vitamin C in boiling water, and Cold water does not fully release beneficial components, so it is best to add lemon to water that is lukewarm at about 60°C ~ 70°C.
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