Sorry for the infodump, but I love tea. I recently got into it, and I think it is just so fun. From what I have seen on a beginner level, there are pretty much five types of common tea, two ways the leaves are packaged, and about three ways to make it that are all very beginner friendly. This by no means a comprehensive list of every way tea is made or the types, but just some really simple stuff you can pick up so you at least know where to start.
There are fivee basic types of tea, though I just donât know much about white tea or Oolong. When most people ask, âOh, what kind of tea do you like?â they are usually not asking for the specific blend that is your favorite, they are asking about what category you like. There is herbal, green, black, white, and Oolong, and most non-tea people can figure out what you mean when you say everything except Oolong.
Herbal is rather self explanatory but it can also have berries and spices, not just herbs and flowers, and tends to be on the sweeter end. I personally think herbal is the most beginner friendly, because with most blends I have found the rules are more a suggestion and messing up is less punishing. Green tea is a little more bitter than herbal, and also has flowers and herbs in it, I think it is what most people think of at the mention of tea. Black is the most potent to my knowledge, Oolong is like herbal and green tea had a child, and I donât know very much about white.
There are two basic ways the leaves are prepared, loose and in an infuser. The reason they are used in different scenarios is because loose leaf lets the stuff have the most space to absorb water, so it has a more potent or saturated taste. Infusers (the leaves in a pouch) are a little easier because the portion is already made and you can use a regular cup without thinking much about it, and the history behind infusers is actually pretty funny if you decide to look into it.
There are a TON of ways to make tea, I saw that Japan recently developed a method called Tokine, which is an evaporative method that is supposed to be better, but there are three easy ways that donât need any special equipment. The most basic way is heating the water. With different tea kinds there are different temperatures and times you need to let the leaves steep (sit in the water), but most tea brands will have instructions somewhere on the package. Iced tea is basically the same, except you let the tea cool off, place it in the fridge for a while, then put ice in it when you are ready to drink it. I find green teas and Oolong to be pretty good like that, though I did find a black tea blend I really enjoyed iced, so itâs really just what flavor you want cold. The last method that I commonly use is cold brew. Cold brew is honestly the least hands on, you donât boil the water, you just put the leaves/infuser into the water, stick it in the fridge for a couple hours, then drink it when you feel like. I personally just fill a mason jar with water, put my infuser in, pop it in my fridge, then take the infuser out the next day or when I remember it exists again. For cold brew, there are special infusers you can get, but I donât think it is necessary, just nice. I use herbal teas and it is great.
If you try your first attempt at tea and you think, âWoah, that is so bitter and gross! I guess I am not a tea person!â You probably just over-steeped your tea OR steeped it at too high a temperature for too long. Like I mentioned before, some teas are very forgivingâlike herbal, I once steeped an infuser for almost half an hour and it tasted just fineâbut other teas are less forgiving. Honestly, if you follow the directions perfectly and it is still too bitter, while you CAN sweeten it (I like using honey for the taste and the health benefits, but you obviously donât have to), you could also mess around with the time/temperature until it is to your liking. You are the one drinking the tea, and while I have found that following the directions with the lowest suggested time works for me, it really is a suggestion.
What I am writing down next is a beginnerâs chart of brewing times for tea at what temperature.
Black Tea: Boil for three to five minutes.
Herbal Tea: Boil for five to seven minutes.
Oolong Tea: 190° for five to seven minutes
White Tea: 160° for one to two minutes.
Green Tea: 160° for two to five minutes.
This is NOT sponsored or anything like that, but if you decide that you do like making your own tea and want to try more flavors than the regular coffee bar options, I really love all things Tea Forté, since their infusers are designed for multiple uses, I really love their blends, and they are extremely beginner friendly. My family also likes Tea Republic, but if you are looking for medicinal teas I personally use stuff from Traditional Medicine.
To be clear, I am NOT saying that medicinal teas are a cure all, and if you have a serious medical problem please go seek a doctor, but if you are like me and donât want to use medicine until you actually need it, I have found that medicinal teas are nice and some of them even taste great. For period cramps, I have found that Raspberry leaf tea works really well and kicks in fairly quickly, and even if it is just a Placebo effect, I will take what I can get. If you want to boost your immune system, then I would suggest elderberry tea, because it sounds cool, tastes good, and was a nice little immune system boost to help with my other healthy practices. There are other teas, like Throat Coat which helps sore throats, but I am not as confident about the names of those other blends so I wonât put them here. If you are interested I am confident you can find what you are looking for!
Final thing, I promise, but if you are sensitive to caffeine, make sure to read the label of the tea! While most teas I have found contain no caffeine, some have low levels and others are specifically caffeinated. I am obviously not the caffeine police, but if you care about your caffeine intake, make sure to read the label, and most teas will tell you under the description of the tea or at least somewhere on the box.