A cup of tea. Something so treasured by our nation, a true symbol of Britishness; for something we love so dearly, do we really know that much about it?
84% of the British population drink tea every day, but how many of them know that the different variations of tea aren’t that different at all, both white and black tea come from the same plant, the Camellia Sinensis.
How the tea is harvested and prepared determines what type of tea it will end up being, be it white, green, oolong or black. For example, white tea is only made with the buds and the young leaves of the tea plant. English Breakfast is a black tea blend including Assam, Ceylon and Kenyan teas. The biggest distinguishing factor is how long the leaves have been oxidised for, white being the least oxidised whereas black tea (used to make our English Breakfast tea) is fully oxidised, causing it turn black.
When a cup of tea is such a valued custom of our British culture, taking the time to brew the perfect cup just seems right. With over 160 million cups being drunk a day, how many of them are being prepared the ‘right’ way?
The process behind making and preparing what is thought to be the perfect cup of tea is far more precise than the familiar duo of the humble tea bag and kettle.
Follow these steps to make the perfect cup of English Breakfast Tea.
1. The water to tea ratio. Fill your Burleigh teapot with water just below the bottom of the spout inside. The recommended amount is 150ml of water to 2g of loose leaf tea. Loose leaf tea is considered better than a tea bag as the tea can move freely in the water allowing it to infuse easier, reaching its full flavour potential.
2. The water temperature, just below boiling is ideal. A temperature of 85 degrees is just the right temperature for black tea as it is hot enough to dissolve the amino acids that hold the flavour but not too hot to dissolve the tannins. We want to avoid tannins; they release a bitter flavour which we refer to as when tea has ‘stewed’.
3. Brewing time, 2-3 minutes for a stronger flavour but it really is down to personal preference. This gives you just enough time to set out your favourite cakes and biscuits!
4. Finally, sit down and relax.
Try it for yourself; see if you can taste the difference. However you choose to make your tea, it will always be the right way in a Burleigh Teapot.
Choose yours now to start your journey into making a superb cup of tea.