News / tea brewing
Spiced Apple Chai Cider
In the middle of winter our thoughts turn to warm drink and a book by the fire. Here is one warm drink that is sure to please!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250mL) boiling water
- 3 tsps 3 Teas Masala Chai
- ½ cup (125mL) apple cider (hard or soft)
- 1 teaspoon (5mL) sugar, optional
- 2 tablespoons (30mL) whipping cream, optional
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
Steep tea with boiling water for 5 minutes. Add hot apple cider Add sugar and top with whipping cream, if desired. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and grab your favourite book. Enjoy!
Cold Steeping, perfect for summer!
Energy efficient and simple, cold steeped teas have less bitterness and less caffeine. Unlike "sun tea", where you leave your tea in the sun to brew, there are no food safety concerns with cold steeping. Cold brewing also brings you a cleaner, less astringent cup. Any type of tea can be used but green , white and oolong teas produce the best cups. Herbal fruit teas also do well. Experiment with your own favorite and let us know!
To make cold steeped tea simply add one teaspoon of loose leaf tea per cup of fresh cold water, place in a suitable container and leave in your fridge overnight (at least 8 hours). Strain out the leaves and enjoy!
Tea Storage 101: Or how to make your quality loose leaf tea stay as fresh as possible for as long as possible!
Resist the temptation of storing your tea in a clear glass or plastic container, light will degrade your tea quickly.
Keep your tea in your pantry or cupboard and away from any heat source such as your stove or toaster. There is some evidence that storing tea in your refrigerator or freezer can extend the life of your tea, however, be sure to let the tea warm up to room temperature before opening as the cold leaves will attract moisture and degrade your tea. As with any other organic matter, tea, when wet, can create mold and ruin the taste of your cuppa!
Store your tea away from spices or other strong odors. Tea (especially green tea) will take on any odors that it is exposed to.
Keep these tips in mind when you store your tea and you will have the best tasting tea with ever cup!
How to brew the perfect cup of tea
Have you ever wondered why your tea may not live up to expectation? Here are a few tips to ensure that you always make terrific tasting tea!
1. Start with one teaspoon (2 grams) of tea per cup (200ml). You may want to adjust the amount if you feel your tea is too weak or too strong.
• White tea and green tea: 70-80C
• Oolong tea: 80-90C
• Black and Herbal tea: 90-95C
Don't have a thermometer? For white and green tea bring your water to a boil and wait 5 min before pouring over tea leaves. Boiling water may scorch the tea and give you a bitter astringent cup.
• White Tea 90 seconds - 2min
• Green Tea 2-3 minutes
• Oolong tea 90 secondes - 2 minutes
• Black tea 3-5 minutes
• Pu-erh tea 2- 5 minutes
• Always cover your tea when steeping, it really does improve the taste!
• Black teas should be steeped only once. All other teas can be steeped several times (makes your $ go further!).
Now sit back and enjoy the perfect cup of tea!
*Source: "The Story of Tea" by Mary Lou and Robert Heiss
