1. Start with loose leaf tea
Most tea bags are full of low grade tea fannings, the tea dust that gets left over after all the quality tea leaves have been collected. Loose leaf tea is much more flavourful as it contains more essential oils and it also contains less bitter tasting tannins.
2. Choose your teaware
We love using a Tea for One set for a solitary cuppa. The china keeps the water at the perfect temperature and the tea leaves have lots of space to unfurl, allowing the tea leaves to release their full flavour. Plus it makes that reassuring clinking sound when you put it together. A good option for a true tea purist.
In a hurry? You may want to ditch the teapot and go for an in cup tea infuser. These super convenient little time savers work similarly to a tea bag and save you washing up.
Brewing for two? You’ll want a bigger teapot. We love a big glass teapot so you can see what’s brewing inside. Practical enough for everyday use and impressive enough for a finger-sandwiches-with-the-crusts-cut-off type of affair.
Tea for One
Tea infuser
3. How much Yumchaa do I need?
See our guide (below) and use a ‘perfect teaspoon‘ to get the measure right. One spoon is approx. 3 grams of tea.
Perfect Teaspoon
4. Use purified water
Sounds obvious, but tea is 99% water. Use filtered water and you’ll taste difference, trust us!
5. Water temperature
If you’re after a traditional English Breakfast then boiling water straight from the kettle is fine. However, you should never use boiling water on white tea or green tea as it burns the delicate leaves resulting in a bitter, astringent taste. If you think you don’t like green tea, it’s probably because you just haven’t had it done right! Check the guide below for reference (tip: you can cheat by adding a splash of cold water before adding the boiling water).
6. Let it brew…
You want to brew your tea for long enough for it to release its full flavour, but the longer you leave it the more bitter tannins will be released. It’s important not to over-brew your tea. If you like your tea strong, add an extra spoon of tea rather than leaving it to brew for a longer amount of time.
7. Stir, pour & strain.
Make sure you give your tea a nice stir before pouring it out, especially if you’re making more than one cup. This will make sure the tea is an even strength for each serve.
8. Say ‘Ahh, that’s lovely’
Be aware that not speaking these words immediately after taking your first sip of tea is a criminal offence in some parts of England.