Tea Time Pt2 - How to Brew Tea

Brewing a good cup of tea 

Taking a sip of a good cup of tea is like a breath of fresh air. There are many types of teas and certainly many ways to brew the tea as well. Argentina’s Mate, Japan’s Chanoyu, China’s Gong Fu and America’s (aka western) brewing method.  All of these are significant and developed around the culture of those countries. The two methods that will be in focus are the Western and the Gong Fu style.

Pre-brewing Instructions

Before brewing tea, you first need to know about the importance of water in the tea brewing process. Water is one of the primary components when brewing tea, so use fresh and chilled water. You’ll probably need to avoid water that has been sitting for a long time since it dulls your tea flavors. Because the quality of the tea is highly dependent on the quality of the water used to brew the tea, it’s the number one priority for brewing a good cuppa.  Below are our recommendations for water quality.

1. Mountain spring water
2. Well water
3. Filtered water

Getting Started

1. Choose your tea
2. Gather the right brewing equipment: Tea vessel, Teacups, Filter, Decanter for sharing (Not the formal vocabulary for this item), ETC.
3. Boil your water to the right temperature for the tea you’re drinking.

Tea J Tea Brewing Guide

We’ve put together a guide on the different types of tea, the brewing temperature, and the volume of tea leaves required to brew. Reminder, this is just a guide, and you should brew the tea to your preferences in the strength of the tea. 

Deep Diving into the Brewing Methodologies

Different Methodology Of Brewing Teas.

We’ll first start by describing how to brew using the Western-style method. Brewing with this method is very easy, and you can just follow the simple steps below:

1. Start brewing:  Use our brewing guide above and bring the water to the ideal temperature based on the type of tea you're brewing. Pour the hot water into the chosen brewing vessel and steep the tea in the timeframe required to achieve the strength of tea you prefer. 
2. Serve the tea: Remove the tea steeper and pour the tea from your brewing vessel into your teacups, then enjoy!

To enjoy your tea brewing experience in authentic style, use our hand-made western-style brewing kit. Made in the USA, you can easily brew any tea regardless of size and other attributes. Teawares are the absolute charm of the tea experience. Bring more perfection to your tea experience by choosing Tea J Tea’s best teaware for serving.

The next featured brewing method is the Gong Fu style. This method is the original Chinese tea brewing style and dates back to the 18th century. This method is still utilized today among tea lovers and exposes more flavors within the tea than brewing it using the western style. 

There are a few critical steps to the modern gong fu method. 

1. Rinse the Tea: Put tea leaves in the teapot. Pour boiling water over the leaves until the water level is just above the tea, and wait for 10 seconds before emptying the pot.
2. Start brewing:  Fill the brewing vessel with hot water. Use our Tea J Tea brewing guide and bring the water to the ideal temperature based on the tea you're brewing. Pour the hot water into the chosen brewing vessel and steep the tea for 20-60 seconds, depending on the tea. 
3. Serve the tea:  As the tea is brewing, align the cups in a circle by placing them adjacent. Once the brew time is completed, pour the tea out by alternating between cups in a circular movement. Don't worry if you lose a few drops of tea while pouring. 
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3: Continue brewing until your tea loses flavor. As you brew each infusion, add 5 seconds to each subsequent brew.

Every type of tea brews a different flavor, and some teas, like oolongs, can yield many flavors throughout the various infusions through the gong fu style. This is what is special about this particular brewing method. 

For a better tea brewing experience, use our quality hand-made gong-fu tea brewing kit, also made in the USA.

Other Ways Of Brewing Tea.

There are many other ways of brewing your teas; below, you’ll find a few more methods. 

Using French Press

French presses are not only for coffee, but you can also brew tea. The main advantage of using a French press is you can brew several cups of tea at once, and this tool provides the convenience of steeping and serving in the same container. 

Grandpa Style

The title may be funny, but this is an original brewing method. Instead of using a traditional teapot, you can brew it in a big cup without strainers or teabags. Instead, the tea leaves are put directly into the cup and covered with hot water. For this type of brewing style, having the correct leaf ratio and water temperature is not crucial. Let the leaves steep for 5-15 minutes, and then drink the tea without discarding the leaves. You can brew more tea when about 1/3 of the cup is left. This drink can last until you feel the taste has become too weak.

Final thoughts on Brewing Methodologies

Everyone has their preferred way of brewing tea. Whether you let the tea leaves soak in hot water for an extended period or enjoy it slowly through many infusions, you can still savor the tea to its fullest when using high-quality loose leaves. The teaware you use for each type of brewing method can also help you have a more pleasant experience, but remember, the #1 most important thing about brewing good tea is to ensure you use quality water. 

Go to the next blog in this series Tea Time Pt3 - Tasting Tea and Pastries or go back to the previous blog Tea Time Pt1 - My Tea Time In A Box.