Few things in life are as satisfying as a well-brewed cup of tea. It is, as one former colleague likes to put it, a hug in a mug. To a British person like myself, drinking it is a national pastime, after whinging and queuing for hours on end.
But there are cups of tea and cups of tea. From over-milking to basic brewing mistakes, there’s a fine line between a warm, satisfying drink and a disappointing watery mess.
One of the YourLifeChoices team suggested that, as a man who drinks an industrial level of tea during the day, I should probably write down the method for a perfect brew. So here we are: a guide to getting your cuppa right every time. You may have other methods. They’re probably wrong.
Step 1: Select your bag
For the purpose of this article, we’ll focus solely on standard black tea in a bag. This is partly because if you Google “best way to make a cup of tea” you’ll get plenty of guidance on loose leaf brewed, bone china served tea.
Yes, it’s technically superior but also expensive and a bit unnecessary (although T2’s Melbourne Breakfast is probably my favourite blend). We’ve all got a favourite mug, so let’s assume you’ve stuck the kettle on ahead of settling down in front of the TV.
As a veteran of hundreds of brews, Yorkshire Tea is by far and away the best bag you’ll find in Australia. Twinings Strong English Breakfast is a good second. Avoid PG Tips and Tetley if possible. If you’re not a fan of strong teas, the method below works perfectly well with Earl Grey. Aldi’s own label version is surprisingly good.
Step 2: Boil, wait and brew
There’s a science to a good brew. Tea is a delicate leaf that needs warmth and oxygen to bring out the full flavour. Getting the right level of heat is important. Too hot and you’ll burn the leaves. Too cold and you’ll be left with a tepid, undrinkable mess.
The best way to bring out the comforting tea flavour is to boil a kettle with fresh water and then give the water a minute or two to cool down. Pouring water into the mug as soon as it boils scalds the tea leaves. It’s the same reason why you shouldn’t use a hot water tap.
The fresh water in the kettle comes with plenty of oxygen that lets the leaves breathe and opens up the flavour. The more water is boiled, the less oxygen it contains, dulling the brew.
Finally, putting milk in at this stage is a complete no-no. You’ll make it nearly impossible for the leaves to get hot enough and the end result will be watery milk with very little colour and only a hint of tea.
Step 3: Wait and squeeze
Now’s the time to let the tea leaves do their work. Get this step right and you’re on the home straight. The secret here is to do nothing. Get some biscuits, get the milk out of the fridge or scroll through your Facebook feed. Just don’t touch the bag.
Ideally, leave the bag to brew for between two and three minutes. This should give the leaves time to brew and release their flavour. The longer you leave the bag, the stronger and more bitter the brew will be, especially if you’re using Yorkshire Tea (Twinings and Lipton tend to be more forgiving), so the exact time is a matter of your own taste preferences. If you’re in a rush, 90 seconds is the bare minimum you should allow.
Once the tea has a couple of minutes to unleash the flavour, give it a quick mild squeeze against the side of the mug before removing the bag.
Step 4: Add milk
This will probably be the most contentious part of this article. Most people either put milk in before removing the bag or insist the bag never touches milk. I’m in the latter, as are Yorkshire Tea and Twinings.
Cold milk brings the temperature of the tea bag down, stopping the leaves infusing their flavour into the water, so it’s bag out before milk.
You don’t want to over milk your drink. You’re looking for a rich, deep brown colour that’s not too dark but not too watery. Pour a teaspoonful of milk into the mug and stir. Then very gently drizzle any additional milk in while stirring.
And that’s it. You should have a warm, rich cup of tea to enjoy. Grab a biscuit and dunk away.
How do you make tea? Are you a milk before bag person? Let us know in the comments.
Also read: Ranking classic Australian biscuits from worst to best
