Archive for the ‘Loose Teas’ Category
Put a Little Less Pep in Your Step
On average, tea contains less than half the caffeine found in coffee. Even so, people have varying levels of sensitivity to caffeine and its stimulative effects. Tea is often served with dessert after dinner, and that’s not always the best time for a pick-me-up. It’s important to bear in mind that a switch from tea bags to loose teas can significantly reduce the amount of caffeine that gets released into the beverage.
For those who wish to curtail the caffeine from their diet completely, loose leaf decaf tea does the trick. By the time these teas hit the store shelves, they’ve already undergone a commercial decaffeination process. It’s also possible to decaffeinate tea on your own by steeping the tea in hot water for a little less than a minute and pouring out the resulting fluid. After that, simply add more hot water – most of the caffeine will have been skimmed off by the first batch of water.
Preparing Perfect Tea
If you’re a tea lover, it’s very likely that your shelves are filled with all kinds of tea. From bagged black tea to loose leaf green tea, a true connoisseur is stocked with all varieties and kinds of tea. If you want to prepare the best tea possible, follow some of these basic rules for tea brewing. First and foremost, don’t boil your water. Let it come to just below boiling. This will bring out the flavor of the tea better.
Also, don’t let the tea steep too long or too quickly. Too quickly, and you’ll have a weak, flavorless cup of tea. Too long, and you’ll be stuck with a bitter brew. The ideal amount of time is anywhere between two and three minutes. For many people, black tea is too bitter, even when brewed properly. If that’s the case, consider adding a bit of milk and/or sugar. When adding these products, however, add it a little at a time. You don’t want to overpower the taste of the tea.
Strong Tea Flavor That Can’t Be Contained
While some people’s idea of an invigorating cup of tea involves store-bought tea bags that may or may not have grown stale in overstocked warehouses, I like to take another approach. A soothing cup of tea is one of my most anticipated indulgences after a long day at work, and that’s especially true in the chilly autumn and winter months. Since the quality of that finished product means so much to me, there’s really no substitute for loose leaf tea.
The debate between tea bags and loose leaves continues to rage in beverage aficionado circles, but I made up my mind long ago. When the leaves are broken down and stuffed into little sacks, they lose the flavorful oils that make tea such a delicacy. Tea leaves also require space to expand and contract, which just isn’t an option when they’re restricted within a bag.