Connoisseurs of wine will inform you of the rituals that are necessitated before you drink a glass of fine wine. “Swirl, breathe it in and then take a sip, letting your tongue settle on the flavours and the undertones of the wine”, they’ll say. Well, we are here to tell you that there are a few things that you need to keep in mind before you drink your tea, too. In many places, good tea is considered an affordable luxury and, rightly so. However, choosing the right tea requires some effort on your part. Halmari tea, packed at the source itself and produced using the orthodox method, retains its freshness and is permeated with the natural flavours that its manner of cultivation produces.
However, before we delve into brewing the perfect cup of Halmari tea, it is important that you, as our customer, are informed about the method and manner of storing your tea, without it being contaminated by foreign odours and substances. Tea is highly absorbent. This means that it can absorb moisture, odours or other fragrances. If this happens, your tea will begin to lose its original flavour and become permeated with the taste of environmental pollutants. Thus, you need to keep your tea in an air tight container, making certain that you keep the container away from direct light, heat and moisture. Keep the container in a cool and dry storage area that does not have a temperature higher than 30 degrees centigrade. This will not only ensure that your tea remains uncontaminated but also increases its longevity.
Brewing a perfect cup of tea requires the use of good water. Water that is rich in minerals, specifically calcium or magnesium, is not ideal for brewing tea. Even a poorly washed teapot can affect your tea. While it is difficult to always make sure that the water you are using is ideal for brewing tea, it is, at least, a viable goal for you to have a carbonated filter, which is commonly available for domestic and professional use. The filter will remove any contaminants that could affect the strength or flavour of your tea.
Brewing your tea can seem like a simple process, with many people overlooking simple and, yet, critical factors. It is important that one uses the right amount of tea with the right amount of water. While the water to tea ratio can differ, depending on several factors such as the size of the teapot, general good rule of thumb to follow is to add 2 to 3 grams of tea in every 220 millilitres of water. It is also vital that the teaspoon you use to scoop out the tea from its container be clean and dry, so as to not affect the remainder of the tea in the container. Pour the tea leaves into a clean, pre heated teapot. You can pre heat the teapot and the cups by pouring heated water into them and swirling it around for a few minutes. Pour that water out before you begin brewing. It is also advisable to not reheat tea, as that can only serve as detriment to its natural taste. Pour water that has been freshly boiled once on the tea leaves for a perfect cup.
Depending on your preference, you can use 2 to3 milligrams of tea for every 200 to 220 millilitres of water and boil it for 3 minutes for a regular cup of tea. If you lean towards a stronger flavour of tea, then boil the tea, using the previously mentioned measurements, for up to 5 minutes, not any longer.
Factors such as boiling temperature can, further, affect the flavour of your tea. Generally, green tea has a much softer and gentler tone than black tea and should only be brewed in water that has an approximate temperature of 75 degrees. Oolong tea, on the other hand, can withstand a temperature of 85 degrees before beginning to cross the threshold and losing its natural flavours. Black tea, finally, has the highest heat tolerance amongst the three, being capable of bearing a temperature of 90 to 95 degrees centigrade, with an exception of light or floral grown black teas, which benefit from being brewed at approximately 85 degrees centigrade.
Armed as you are with this knowledge, maybe, now, you could go brew you first perfect cup of Halmari tea. We wish you all the very best.