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"If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are too heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited, it will calm you.” ~Gladstone
Here at Nerdfuel we could not agree with the above statement any more than we do. We love coffee, but we also love tea. And just as we do with our Nerdfuel coffee, we are always trying to discover new ways to make drinking out teas even better.
When we were beginning the tea creation process we did so with our busy nerd community in mind. Tea snobs will argue that tea bags are inferior to loose tea, but we don't agree.
We just don't have the time or the patience to mess with measuring, and steepers and strainers and the other 'wonders' of loose tea. And we know most of you are the same. And the taste of our Nerdfuel teas is wonderful, tea bag or no bag, we've made sure of that. Even the packaging is cool. Take a look at this:
There is, however, we have discovered an optimum way to make it, and here we are going to share the results of experimentation with you.
First, always begin with cold water. Cold water retains more oxygen and gives the tea a fuller, rounder flavor. Unless yours is really great tap water - and we know some people are lucky enough to have that - use filtered or bottled water. And start with fresh water, not stuff that has been sitting in your kettle for days.
Whether you make use of a teapot, or brew your tea directly in a mug is up to you (and often how much time you have) What we do suggest however is warm your mug or teapot by filling it with hot tap water. As the water is heating in the kettle let it stand, and when the 'other water' is ready drain it out and replace it with that.
How hot should that water be? For a black tea, like ourThe Chocolate Factory - Chocolate Black Tea orFire Flower - Bombay Chai Tea, bring the water to a full rolling boil but remove the teakettle off the heat as soon as the water begins to boil.
Continuing to boil the water boils all the oxygen out and the tea actually has a flatter flavor. For green or herbal teas - like our delicateMint CIB - Morrocan Mint Green Tea - remove the teakettle from the heat right before the water comes to a boil, about 170 degrees F.
Overbrewed tea can taste bitter. We have found that four to five minutes is great for our black teas, but our green teas - and other teas you might try that are white or very herbal - need no more than three minutes steeping time.
One big faux pas to avoid; don't squeeze out the tea bag. If you want a stronger tea, let the bag steep a little longer. Squeezing out the teabag can also make the tea a little bitter. And by the way, if you are adding milk and/or sugar, yes you should do that last.
To answer one more question. Does tea taste better from a tea cup rather than a mug? Probably not. But there is something very cool about a nerdy tea cup and saucer (this one was a thrift store find)
Ready to try brewing up your own perfect cup(s) of Nerdfuel tea?Start shopping here
