8/6/2015 Say Tea ­ Tea 101 ­ some of the basics behind enjoying our teas

Tea 101
The Stringent Rules of Tea Preparation
How to brew your tea
“The 30 second tea decaffeination routine”
Caffeine in Tea

The Stringent Rules of Tea Preparation

Rule #1 ­ There are no stringent rules.
Enjoying tea is about finding that niche of the tea world, whether large or small, that pleases
your palate. Only you can work out how to prepare that “perfect” cup of tea.

One teaspoon of tea per 8 ounces of water or three?

Teabags because you don't have time (or can't be
bothered) to fiddle with tea accessories, or loose?
Boiling water, or less so?
Steeped for 30 seconds or 25 minutes? (Yes, some of us
grew up as overbrewers with “WORKMAN'S TEA”!)
Milk? Sugar? Both? Neither? Sweet? Astringent? Grassy?
Hot? Cold? Large? Small? Pure? Blended? Flavoured?

Don't let anyone tell you how to enjoy your cup of tea. We can provide guidelines or
starting points for teas you have never tried before, but half the fun of tea is in the
experimentation. Try new things, fall back on old favourites — maybe even mix the two and
become your own tea blender! Just remember that no two palates are alike. While we can
recommend a tea or two you might enjoy, only you can work out how to best achieve that
cup of tea you just can't live without. Don't let anyone dictate your pleasure and always brew
your tea your way!

Rule #2 — Enjoy!
Tea shouldn't be a chore — it should be something you look forward to and something that
satisfies and pleases you. Experiment with different teas; you never know where the next
favourite tea may pop up! Consider the time you invest in preparing your special cup of tea —
whatever ritual you feel comfortable with — to be your time. A temporary escape, a release
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valve, "me­time". Whether you drink alone, quickly at work, or slowly with your friends, first
and foremost, tea should be enjoyed.

How to brew your tea

Here are a few guidelines to help you through the basics of brewing the different families of
tea. In general, start with one level teaspoon (measuring spoon or 2­3 grams) per 6 ounce
cup.

Increase the quantity of tea for a fuller flavour and decrease the infusion time to avoid
astringency.

Water Water
TemperatureTemperature Steeping Time
(Fahrenheit) (Celsius)
Steep 1 to 2 minutes. Many can be used for
White Tea 165­180 °F 75­80 °C
multiple infusions.
Steep 1 to 2 minutes. Many can be used for
Green Tea Sencha 150­165 °F 65­75 °C
up to 2 infusions.
Genmaicha 175­190 °F 80­88 °C Steep 1 to 3 minutes.
Gyokuro 140­160 °F 60­70 °C Steep 2 to 3 minutes.
Macha 190 °F 88 °C Whisk until a gentle froth appears.
Oolong Tea 190 °F 88 °C Steep 5+ minutes.
Use in multiple infusions starting with
Oolong Tea
steeping first for 30 to 45 seconds and
(Alternate 190 °F 88 °C
increasing by 15 seconds for each successive
Method)
infusion.
Black Tea Boiling water 100 °C Steep 3 to 5 minutes.
Rooibos Boiling water 100 °C Steep 4 to 10 minutes.
Steep 4 to 6 minutes (unless the blend
Herbal or
Boiling water 100 °C involves anything that can overpower with
Fruit Tisane
long infusions).

Higher quality teas, especially with green teas, prefer lower temperatures to produce the best
possible cup of tea. Higher quality unflavoured green teas can also be infused more than
once, depending upon the depth of flavour that you desire in subsequent infusions.

“The 30 second tea decaffeination routine”

aka “A 30 second tea rinse will remove 80%­90% of caffeine!”
This is the often mentioned “simple decaffeination” method that keeps popping back into tea
lore. Unfortunately, one­step solutions rarely turn out as well as you'd hope! Recent lab work*
has shown the 30 second rinse will generally remove 30% or less of the available caffeine in
an average loose leaf tea — nowhere near the 80% to 90% that many people quote. (Some
teas would have to be rinsed/steeped for 5 to 7 minutes before they release anywhere near
80% of their caffeine — especially bad for flavoured teas!)

The actual percentage of caffeine removed is greatly affected by the type and form of the tea
— the level of caffeine in the leaf to begin with, the level of processing involved in producing
the tea leaf for use, the size of the tea leaf used for the infusion, and the method used for
infusion. With a full leaf white tea infused at 165°F, it has been estimated that the caffeine
doesn't really start to release until 45 to 60 seconds after the water is poured!

If you are attempting to decrease your caffeine intake (or

have been instructed to by your medical practitioner) it
might be better to try a decaffeinated tea or a naturally
caffeine free tea such as those in the Rooibos, herbal or
fruit tisane groups.

^
Please check out the article on decaffeination by tea expert Bruce Richardson at
elmwoodinn.com/about/articles.html for his report on the subject. You can also Google “30 second tea
decaffeination” and find a few other experts that have tested the myth and found it wanting.

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Caffeine in Tea
When we talk about the caffeine in a cup of tea we can only talk about ranges, not exact
figures — a specific tea will show different levels of caffeine depending on all aspects of its
history. Everything from soil, climate, weather, age, season, parts picked, to handling,
processing methods, amounts used to brew, temperature, and time, will have an impact upon
the total available caffeine in a tea.

The following chart is just a guide to the caffeine in an average cup of various beverages for
comparison.

Average Caffeine in Various Beverages

Brewed Coffee — 8 oz 60­240 mg
Percolated Coffee — 8 oz 100­180 mg
Espresso — 1 oz 42­65 mg
Instant Coffee — 8 oz 70­110 mg
Decaffeinated Coffee — 8 oz 2­5 mg
Black Tea — 8 oz 40­100 mg
Oolong Tea — 8 oz 12­55 mg
Green Tea — 8 oz 25­50 mg
White Tea — 8 oz 10­25 mg
Yerba Mate — 8 oz 30­90 mg
Decaffeinated Black Tea — 8 oz 2­5 mg
Rooibos 0 mg
Herbal & Fruit Tisanes 0 mg
Carbonated Soda — 12 oz 25­55 mg

All of these figures are incomplete ranges — the actual caffeine content of an infused cup of
tea is dependent upon every aspect involved in the movement of tea from growth to cup.

The variations are wide — and not necessarily common sense — but include:

The basic variation between different species within the

camellia family — including the difference between most
“Indian” tea (from the assamica species) versus “Chinese”
tea (sinensis species)
Clonal/varietal differences
Growing season/conditions
Age of leaf picked
Processing of the tea leaf
Size of the tea leaf produced
Temperature of the water used to infuse
Length of time tea is infused
With tea, the longer you steep the leaves, the greater the caffeine that is released into the
cup. If you want to achieve a strong flavour and avoid the caffeine, try using more of the tea
in your cup and infuse for a shorter time.

The tea used in teabags is of a smaller size and can lead to higher caffeine levels in your cup.

Say Tea Ltd.

2362 Bloor Street West — Toronto — Ontario — M6S 1P3
Monday through Wednesday 10am to 6pm — Thursday, Friday 10am to 7pm — Saturday 10am to 6pm — Sunday Noon­5pm

Local Phone 416­766­5425 Toll­free Phone 1­888­663­4832

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