To enhance the flavour and overall experience of your tea, the correct brewing method must be used. Please check below:

 

BLACK TEA: Use one teaspoon per cup, generally a flat teaspoon for a BOP (broken leaf) or a medium to heaped teaspoon for a larger leaf. Brew for 3-5 minutes at 100ºC. Milk can be added to most black teas, and you can adjust your brew time depending on desired strength.

For iced teas, allow to infuse directly in cold water in the fridge only for approximately 5 hours (pop it in the fridge in the morning and it will be ready for the afternoon). This will limit the amount of tannin in your tea, and will prevent a bitter taste from occurring in your iced tea. Sweeten with sugar syrup as needed, and add desired fruits, mint etc.

 

GREEN TEA: Use a half to flat teaspoon per cup. Green teas should be brewed around 70-80ºC for 2-3 minutes. If you do not have a kettle with temperature adjustments, you can easily create the desire temperature by adding approximately 1cm of cold water to your cup/pot, flushing the cold water over the tea leaves, before adding hot water. This will prevent any bitterness or tannin from ruining the taste of your tea.

Allow to brew for 2-3 minutes before removing leaves and setting aside. When you are ready for another cup, return those same leaves to your cup/pot and add hot water directly on top for your second cup. Green teas can be brewed multiple times. So after the initial brew at a lower temperature, you can continue to re brew your leaves up to 4-5 times with hot water.

If you find your green tea is tasting too bitter, either drop the temperature lower or decrease the brewing time. Green teas should not be allowed to "stew".

For iced teas, infuse in cold water overnight in the fridge, remove tea leaves in the morning and sweeten and garnish as desired.

 

WHITE TEA: Use one heaped teaspoon per cup. Brew for 3-5 minutes at 80ºC for your first brew. Like green teas, white teas can then be brewed multiple times using boiling water for the subsequent brews. 

 

ROOIBOS: Use one teaspoon per cup. Brew for 3-5 minutes at 100ºC. Milk can be added if desired.

 

HERBAL BLENDS: Use one teaspoon per cup. Brew for 3-5 minutes at 100ºC. You can re brew some herbals a second or third time with boiling water, depending on the blend.

 

FRUIT INFUSIONS: Use one teaspoon per cup. Brew for 3-5 minutes at 100ºC. Lovely when sweetened with honey if desired.

To create an iced tea, simply brew in cold water in the fridge overnight. 

 

CHAI: there are a couple of ways that a thick creamy chai can be made.

If making on the stove top, the quickest way is to use a small saucepan, use a couple scoops of tea with a small amount of water (about an inch or so of water in the pot) bring the water up to boil, add the tea and turn down and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Then add your milk (one or two cups), and any honey, sugar or even condensed milk that you'd like to sweeten to taste. Simmer for a couple minutes while stirring and then strain into your cup!

If that way is a bit too strong or releases too much tannin/bitterness (depending on what tea base you are using) you can put milk, tea and a small amount of water all together at once in a pot, bring up to a medium heat, then turn down and continue to stir for a few minutes. Add your sweetener and then strain into cup. (This way takes a bit longer, as the tea doesn't draw as easily in milk, but it will reduce tannin/bitterness). 

The final way, if you have a coffee machine/milk frother, boil the jug and add a small amount of hot water and a teaspoon of tea to a metal milk jug. Give it a couple of minutes to brew in the water, then add milk and sweetener, and steam or froth the blend all together. Strain into your cup, and dress with a shake of ground cinnamon or nutmeg on top! 

At the end of the day it comes down to personal taste and having a little play to get it just right for you.