Preparation recommendations green Oolong, green, yellow and white tea
Preparation recommendations semi-fermented Oolong and black tea
The most important thing in the preparation of tea is the use of high quality tea and the right proportion of water and tea leaves.
Do not choose your tea based on the lowest price, but instead for the highest price. This is because high quality is not available at a low price. Real tea enjoyment arises only at a higher price level.
However, if you look at the most expensive teas as already prepared infusion, then the liter of the noble beverage costs much less than many other drinks.
The right proportion for the perfect tea preparation depends on the individual taste of the consumer. So, for each new variety, it’s a new testing which amount of tea leaves per one liter of water, for example, suits the individual taste best. Since the tea leaves are very different in size depending on the type of tea and the teas therefore have a different specific volume, the right amount of leaves can hardly be measured with a spoon.
To determine the right amount for the individual taste, a diet or kitchen scale with a 1 gram accuracy is recommended. In much of Europe, people prefer to drink their tea rather thin compared to Asia. The average European tea drinker likes his or her tea best with about 10 to 12 grams of tea leaves per liter. Asian people drink their tea much stronger and rather use 20 grams of tea leaves per liter.
The brewing time in combination with the water temperature determine which of the contained substances are dissolved into the infusion. The caffeine dissolves relatively quickly in the first one to two minutes, together with other aroma giving substances. If you steep the tea longer, more and more tannins solubilise, for example catechins, which belong to the group of polyphenols and which can give the tea a bitter note.
THE RIGHT WAY TO PREPARE GREEN OOLONG, GREEN TEA, YELLOW AND WHITE TEA TO ENJOY BOTH TASTE AND HEALTH BENEFITS
The water temperature for infusing green Oolong, green, yellow and white tea can be up to 90 degrees Celsius. However, at the temperature of 90 degrees, a part of the health beneficial ingredients will be destroyed (especially vitamins, essential oils and amino acids).
Who doesn’t want to go without the positive active ingredients, should use a water temperature between 60 °C to 80 °C. Some types of tea taste better when infused at 90 °C and others when the water temperature is lower. So, at higher temperatures more catechins dissolve and will dominate the infusion above 80 °C. Catechins give a bitter taste, but also have a light to medium anti-bacterial and anti-viral effect.
Therefore, each consumer must decide individually what he or she prefers, the best taste or the highest health benefits. Whereas the positive effects on health will probably only occur, if one regularly consumes 10 to 20 cups of tea per day.
Not every type of tea contains the same amount of positive active ingredients though. The individual cultivar of the tea plant, the location of the tea garden and the climatic conditions also influence the amount of positive active ingredients. On average, green, yellow and white tea is supposed to have more positive active ingredients present than Oolong or black tea.
Our preparation recommendations - green Oolong, green, yellow and white tea
If the so prepared tea is not strong enough, then the amount of tea leaves can be increased, or the amount of water can be reduced.
If the tea is too bitter, then the amount of tea leaves can be reduced, the amount of water can be increased and/or the water temperature can be lowered a bit. However, the water temperature should not be lower than 60 °C.
THE RIGHT WAY TO PREPARE SEMI-FERMENTED OOLONG AND BLACK TEA TO ENJOY BOTH TASTE AND HEALTH BENEFITS
The water temperature should be 90 °C or more. However, at this temperature a part of the health beneficial ingredients will be destroyed. Though, black tea contains less positive active ingredients than green tea for example.
Therefore, each consumer must decide individually what he or she prefers, the best taste or the highest health benefits.
Our preparation recommendations - semi-fermented Oolong and black tea
Amount of tea leaves/amount of water
To optimise the taste, use about 12 grams of tea (depending on the specific weight, size of the tea leaves and size of the teaspoon, roughly 3 to 4 heaping teaspoons) and pour one liter of water (1,000 grams) over it.
Steeping time
Allow the tea leaves to swim in the hot water for 2 to 3 minutes (preparation with a tea strainer) or wait until the tea leaves have sunk to the bottom of the teapot (preparation with a steeping and serving pot). Then the strainer should be removed, or the tea is poured through a sieve in a serving teapot.
If the so prepared tea is not strong enough, then the amount of tea leaves can be increased, or the amount of water can be reduced. If the tea is too bitter, then the amount of tea leaves can be reduced or the amount of water can be increased.
Active ingredients
Black tea contains a reduced amount of beneficial ingredients. During processing some of the positive active ingredients are reduced. The individual cultivar of the tea plant, the location of the tea garden and the climatic conditions influence the amount of positive active ingredients.