The ingredients

It is necessary to have good quality tea and pure, odourless water to start with. It is therefore recommended to avoid water treated with chlorine or loaded with minerals (hard water). If necessary, use bottled (spring) water, but avoid distilled water, which gives a bland infusion. In order to preserve its oxygen content – an essential quality for good tea – the water should be brought to a gentle boil and boiled only once.

Choosing a good container

Care should be taken to ensure that the teapot or cup used to brew the tea is large enough to allow the leaves to unfurl perfectly, otherwise the infusion will be bland. Warm the teapot or cup by pouring boiling water into it, which should then be discarded.

Water temperature

Black tea and oolong tea : boiling or slightly less hot (95°C).

Green and white tea : 70°C to 80°C (about 160°F to 180°F). Hotter water will literally burn the tender leaves of green or white tea. As a first step, use a food thermometer to determine how long to let the water stand after boiling before pouring it over the leaves.

Matcha is a finely ground green tea used for the tea ceremony in Japan, but also as a daily drink and for seasoning certain foods. It is prepared with water at about 45°C to 50°C (boil it first and then let it cool). The tea is measured out with a special small wooden spoon (two spoonfuls for a bowl), the cooled water is poured over the powder and the mixture is stirred with a bamboo whisk to form a froth, which will remove some of the bitterness of this type of tea.