7 MISTAKES WE MAKE WHEN BREWING TEA

Here's a list of mistakes many people probably make when brewing tea.

First of all, you need to understand that there are 6 types of tea (white tea, green tea, black tea, yellow tea, pu erh tea, oolong tea). Here are the most common mistakes we make when it comes to infusing the tea plant.

1. Over-boiling water for tea

When preparing the water for tea, wait for it to reach boiling point. Turn off the heat quickly and let the water "breathe" more for green tea, less for black tea.
In general, black tea is brewed at 95 degrees C and green tea is brewed at 70 - 80 degrees C.
Please note that only herbs, Pu Erh tea and rooibos tea (African red tea not made from Camellia sinensis) can be infused with boiled water. Otherwise, tea leaves should not be 'steeped' or 'boiled' but infused. And be careful with green tea, whose taste becomes bitter if brewed with boiling water for more than 3 minutes.

2. Do not respect the brewing time for each type of tea

Just like the temperature of the water, the brewing time differs for each type of tea. And it's very important! Many other tea lovers have "enjoyed" bitter tasting cups. But the tea is not bitter, it was just brewed wrong. Here is some important information for a mistake-free brew:
White tea - infusion 3 minutes, water temperature 80 - 85 degrees C
Green tea - infusion 1 - 3 minutes, water temperature 70 - 85 degrees C
Oolong tea - infusion 3 minutes, water temperature 85 - 95 degrees C
Black tea - infusion 2 - 5 minutes, water temperature 95 degrees C
Pu erh - infusion 3 minutes, water temperature 95 - 100 degrees C
Herbal teas/Rooibos or herbal teas - infusion 3 minutes, water temperature 100 degrees C
When we say "brew 3 minutes" for white tea for example, or "brew 1 - 2 minutes" for green tea we mean that the tea leaves or tea bag are removed from the teapot or tea cup after 3 minutes or 1 - 2 minutes respectively.

3. Make tea with tap water

This really is a big mistake. Choose 'soft', cold, plain or spring water, but never from the sink because it is full of chlorine and possible harmful substances, lacks oxygen and alters the taste of the tea. In addition, clean water allows the active ingredients in tea to dissolve more easily. It is also preferable to use a type of water rich in natural minerals that enhance the flavour of the tea.

4. Add sugar to tea

Instead of enjoying the healthiest possible drink with 0 calories, you're making a mistake by adding sugar - the most harmful "element" (we can't call it "food") in the kitchen. The Chinese or Japanese, the most authentic tea drinkers, consider it almost blasphemous to add sugar to tea. Tea is drunk plain, without sugar, without milk, without artificial sweeteners.

5. Use only tea in the bag

If you like to drink tea, or want to drink tea for its great properties, it's a shame, a great shame not to try brewing loose tea, which you can buy from online or offline tea shops and tea shops. Only then will you be able to revel in the true flavours of tea leaves. Keep in mind that tea from tea bags is the lowest quality tea (dust) with the least antioxidant properties. Eyedropper is of course easy to brew, especially at work, but not as healthy and certainly not as tasty.

6. Brew black tea in the evening and forget about the fact that tea is energizing and contains theine

It should not be forgotten that the tea contains theine (half as much as a cup of coffee) and that infusing black tea in the evening is not recommended. If you want to learn more about this topic, browse this article.

Here's how the tea should be consumed:
In the morning - any type of tea (black tea is recommended and contains the highest amount of theine; it can successfully replace coffee). After black tea, the next type of tea with more theine is oolong tea.
Lunch - any type of tea (oolong tea or green tea recommended)
Afternoon - white tea (contains the least amount of theine but the highest amount of antioxidants)
In the evening - rooibos and herbal infusions (contain no theine at all).

7. Not storing tea properly in your own home

Tea is a dehydrated product, with a low water content and a porous structure, and it has a high capacity to lose flavour-generating substances and to retain volatile substances from the environment. For these reasons, packaging must ensure that the tea is protected against water, vapours and gases.
Store tea in airtight boxes, not the paper bags it's usually packed in. Do not store it in the kitchen, but in a place away from light, heat, strong smells, moisture