How to Drink Tea - 5 Steps to a Better Experience

A free article on Food and Beverage

By: Chris Jensen

You may be saying. "Now wait a minute! The reason I drink tea is because I like the taste!" Do you like the taste of "real" tea... or the "beverage" that has been overly sweetened with sugar, lemon, milk, honey, etc.? Now you see my point. So many people reach for the sugar before even tasting the precariously made brew. There is so much work that goes into getting that cup of tea to your table that it is almost insulting to not properly enjoy what it has to offer.

You wouldn't dump steak sauce over a well cooked steak without first tasting the luscious flavor of the meat itself, would you? Of course you wouldn't. The same goes for a cup of tea. The leaves are picked by hand, sorted by hand, processed by hand, and then brew by hand. All of that labor is required for just one single cup of tea.

Do you see now why it is important to respect and enjoy the wonderful drink that is tea? Here are 5 steps that I take when trying a new tea for the first time.

1) Open the can or package of tea and immediately notice the dry leaf aroma. Really see if you can pick out each of the ingredients. Are some flavors more pungent than others? What do you smell first? And then what do you smell, etc.?

2) As you smell the dry leaves, also notice the colors and textures. Are the leaves tightly curled or rolled? A sign of good quality tea is whole leaves that are curled or rolled with minimal dust (dust means finely ground leaves that almost look like powder, normally found in tea bags). What colors do you notice? Can you identify all or at least most of the ingredients in the tea?

3) Next, brew the tea per instructed for that particular tea (normally the instructions can be found on the package). Again, smell the tea as it is brewing. Remember, smell both the dry leaves and then the tea as it brews. I make sure to smell both because some flavors are brought out more when brewed than when they are in the dry leaf state. Take note if you can smell a difference in the strength of the flavors from dry leaf to brewing.

4) Then, observe the color of the tea. Black tea tends to have a dark reddish tint to it, while green tea can range from dark green to pale yellow. I really enjoy noting the color of the brew. I like to drink my tea in a clear glass cup in order for the color to truly shine.

5) Finally, when the tea has cooled, taste the brew. Sip the tea, do not gulp. Can you taste all of the ingredients? Is it astringent (has a drying effect in the mouth)? Is it refreshing? What flavors stand out more than others? Most importantly, do you like the tea, overall?

Now that you have tasted the "real" tea, go ahead and add sugar, honey, milk, etc. if you feel the need. There are teas that are naturally flavored with citrus, fruits, and other herbs and spices that give the tea so much flavor there is no need to add anything else. With this knowledge, you can really enjoy you next cuppa!

Information about the Author:

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