Brewing and Drinking Tea

I've never developed a preference for the taste of coffee, but slowly over the years I have turned into a tea lover. You can drink tea hot or cold and the flavors and variations are plentiful so you never have to worry about getting stuck in a tea rut!

The type of tea I drink the most is green tea. That is my preferred morning beverage. I also like a lot of herbal teas. I like almost any sort of mint tea and in very hot weather I like to drink fruity tea blends chilled. I am still learning which teas are best with sweetener, or cream and which just need a dash of lemon.

I keep a few balls of display tea in the cupboard in case I have guests. These carefully tied bundles of tea leaves unfold as they brew to form a decorative flower-like shape. These are definitely one of my favorite tea indulgences!

If there's one mistake people make with brewing tea it's presuming that all tea brews best with water that has been brought to a full-rolling boil.

For herbal teas or dark teas, this is appropriate, but for more delicate teas such as green or white, this can "burn" the tea, essentially overheating it. This often results in bitter tones and flavors. Here is a quick guide to the different types of tea and which temperatures bring out the best flavors for each variety.

• White tea brews best with water that is 180°F

• Green tea brews best with water heated in the 180°F - 190°F range.

• Oolong tea will taste best if brewed with water heated to 190°F - 200°F

• Black tea does well with water of 190°F - 200°F

• Pu'Ehr tea benefits from water boiled in the 200°F - 212°F range.

• Herbal tea require water brought to a full-rolling boil of 212°F

You can use a themometer to check your water temperatures, or buy a special water heater if you are a very prodigious tea drinker. Those will let you heat water to a very precise temperature and maintain the kettle in the determined range.

This is a great summer favorite! All you really need for sun tea is a large glass jar or jug, some tea, water and a sunny day. If you have two containers the same size and a strainer, you can do this with loose tea. Otherwise, it's often easier to use tea bags, as they are easier to fish out of the jar.

• If you have a half gallon of tea, try your first batch with 4-6 tea bags (4-6 Tbsp of loose tea). For a gallon of tea, try 8-10 tea bags (8-10 Tbsp loose tea). Although this tea is brewed hot, it's most often drunk cold, so don't fill up your container the entire way. Leave about 1/4 of the space open to add ice or cool water later.

• Put your water and your jar in a very sunny spot and leave it for a few hours. You want to do this on a really bright day where the tea brews more quickly as this gives the best flavor. When the tea takes on a medium color, taste a little bit to check the strength. If you want the tea stronger, let it brew longer. You almost want it just a touch stronger than you would prefer.

• When the tea is done brewing, take the jug out of the sun, fish out the tea bags and add water or ice to both cool the tea and adjust it to flavor intensity you desire. I tend to leave the large jug unsweetened and let people flavor their individual cups as they wish. You can add sugar, honey, lemon, orange, cherries, fresh mint leaves or just some ice.