Tea Education and Research

Tea Special Events:  Tea Professional, Michelle Casson is available to speak to groups on tea – perhaps a tea talk could be the focal point for a special afternoon or morning tea event, tea tasting or conference break out – tea is a universally popular subject among men and women, with New Zealand having a rich and interesting history of tea.  Talk to us about how you can incorporate tea into your programme in a fun and interesting way.

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When Brewing at Home:

Some of the key components to achieve the perfect cup of tea are:

Water temperature: The optimal water temperature varies depending on the type of tea you are making.

It is recommended for:

Black Tea – bring cold water to a rolling boil and pour over your tea leaves

Oolong Tea – this depends on the style of oolong tea and whether it is closer to a black tea style or a green tea style on the scale of oxidation.  If it is closer to a black tea style the temperature should be around 93 degrees, closer to a green tea style it should be around 82 degrees.  As a general guide it takes a cup of boiled water resting at a room temperature of 20 degrees celsius between 30 seconds and 4 minutes to drop to the range of 93-82 degrees celsius 

Green and White Tea – these should be brewed at around 82 degrees celsius.  As a general guide it takes a cup of boiled water resting at a room temperature of 20 degrees celsius four minutes to drop to this temperature.

Always use freshly drawn and boiled water to ensure the water contains oxygen to produce a livelier cup of tea

Steep Time: Great loose tea needs time to steep in the water to release its aromatic oils and complex flavours. It is recommended to steep:

Black Tea: 3 – 5 minutes

Green and White Tea: 2 – 4 minutes

Amount of Tea to Use: The amount of tea to use varies considerably as some styles of tea leaf are more bulky than others. For most black, green and oolong teas generally a heaped teaspoon is ideal per cup. For specialty white teas, which have a bigger leaf style, then a tablespoon is recommended per cup. Many good quality teas can be infused more than once, just extend the steep time a little with each subsequent infusion. We suggest for all teas you refer to the manufacturers brew guide accompanying the chosen tea.

Tea Storage: To ensure your tea remains fresh store in an airtight container in a cool dark place away from strong odours.

Multiple Steeps:  Many of our oolong, green and white tea leaves can be steeped more than once.  Using the same leaves, simply extend the steep time of each subsequent infusion.  Ensure all liquid is drained off the leaves each time.