Tea is such a wonderful beverage for many reasons. For one, it is comforting to drink on a cold or damp day. It is a lovely thought to cozy up in your den with the fireplace running and watching your favorite show as you sip on tea. Especially if you have a bit of a cold.
The second reason tea is wonderful is that it has many healing properties. But the issue is, you probably are not getting the most out of your comforting beverage. Because there are nine mistakes that you are making with your tea. Let’s talk about them now.
You Are Allowing Your Water To Get Too Hot
If you don’t pour your tea before the whistle of your tea kettle goes off, then you are not getting the best of your tea. If you hear the kettle boiling before it gets to the whistle, then is the time to get your tea ready. If you allow your water to get too hot, your tea will end up tasting bitter and the healthy properties that tea has can be disintegrated by water that is too hot.
You Steep It For Too Long
You should not steep your tea longer than recommended. If you are making white tea, steep it for one to three minutes. If you are making green tea, don’t steep it longer than three minutes. If you are making black tea, don’t steep it for more than five minutes. In fact, three minutes for black tea is ideal. If you steep it for too long, the tea will become bitter and tannins will be released which are found in red wine!
You Don’t Steep It For Long Enough
You read in the point above how long you should steep your tea for and if you are not steeping for it long enough, then you are missing out on the aroma, the flavor, and most importantly, the healthy properties that tea has to offer. You are basically drinking mildly flavored water if you don’t steep it for long enough.
You Don’t Use Loose Leaf
If you use teabags, they may be more convenient but they don’t provide you with the major benefits that loose leaf tea provides. You will want to look for brews that are packed in sachets shaped like pyramids. It allows the water to flow much better and gives you the best of what tea can offer.
You Don’t Reuse Your Teabag
If you do use tea bags, then you should at least reuse them. When it comes to high-quality teas, you will only get the best when you reuse those teabags. They will be more infused which means you will get more flavors and nutrients and you will want to drip dry your teabags after removal. That stops the leaves from getting bitter.
The Quality Of Water You Use Is Not High
If you want to get the most of your tea, then use filtered water. Tap water has chemicals in it such as chlorine as well as harmful minerals such as fluoride. Not to mention, it can influence the flavor of the tea and not in a positive way. But if you end up having to use tap water, only use cold water to heat up. Warm water will bring out more impurities to your tea.
Adding Unnecessary Milk and Sugar
If you want to sweeten your tea with a sprinkle of sugar, you can do that. However, don’t put heaps of sugar into it in addition to creams. You are adding too many calories and if they don’t become burned off, they will only contribute to weight gain. The same goes for sugar substitutes. You can use honey as a substitute, and a little bit of milk into your tea as well if you need to add something to it. That will keep the calories to a minimum.
You Use A Cup That Is Not Right
You will want to get cups that are specifically used for tea. If you use the wrong cups, you are not allowing your tea to cool down properly due to the shape of it. Secondly, if the cup is too shallow, you are not getting the opportunity to enjoy more tea. You want to make sure once your tea is at the right sipping temperature, the entire tea in the cup is perfect for sipping instead of having irregularities in it.
You Don’t Use A Teapot
There is a reason that a teapot exists and it is because it keeps the tea warm and at the perfect temperature. If you don’t use a teapot and you just pour your tea in a mug, it will cool off too fast. You will want to enjoy plenty of tea and the only way to keep it enjoyable is by using a teapot.
If you are drinking your tea incorrectly, then now you know how to correct the mistakes you are making. You have the potential to drink the best tea ever. All it takes is utilizing some tips and tricks.
