Tea has become the second most popular drink, the world over, after water. It is an aromatic beverage commonly prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of the Camellia sinensis – or more commonly known as “tea plant”, an evergreen shrub native to East Asia.

Almost everyone has either had a cup of tea or made a cup of tea and whilst opinions and process may vary, there’s one thing you can be sure of – the perfect cup of tea can even convert non-tea drinkers.

The continued debate in the world of tea, is threefold:

1. Is it milk-in-first-or-after?
2. How long should you let the tea “sit” or “brew” in hot water?
3. Does the type of teapot matter?
4. And should you use boiling hot water?
   

The Tea Expert Method
Whilst the addition of milk is considered a personal choice, experts know that this tradition stems from the need to avoid cracking delicate teapots by adding hot water first. Many others believe that adding milk after can let you judge the strength of the tea.

But one thing is for sure, they have a very specific way to brew the best:
● Warm the pot, preferably a porcelain teapot.
● Yes the temperature of the water does matter: Between 170 and 185 degrees Fahrenheit for white and green teas; between 180 and 190 for Oolong; and between 208 and 212 degrees for black and herbal teas.
● Use fresh water for good oxygen levels, and do not reboil water.
● The golden rule for loose-leaf tea is adding one tea-spoon of tea per person, plus one for the pot.
● Stir the tea leaves or bags to help the tea to infuse, letting it brew for 3 to 4 minutes for optimum infusion.

The Scientific Method
The Northumbria’s School of Life Science has discovered a few key points to ensuring that perfect brew.
● Add boiling water to the tea and leave to brew for two minutes.
● Remove the tea residue/ bag and add the milk and leave for a further six minutes or until it reaches 140 F/60 C, which is considered the optimum temperature for the flavors to flow.
● Should the temperature drop below 113 F/45 C (approximately at 17 minutes and 30 seconds) the flavors are destroyed.

The British Standard Method (BSI)
The British Tea Producers’ Association, Tea Trade Committee and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food all helped to create the standards, which were developed in 1980 to help professional tea tasters and are officially known as BS 6008.

Documented in a guideline named “preparation of a liquor of tea for use in sensory tests” by The British Tea Producers’ Association, Tea Trade Committee and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food this was developed in 1980 to help professional tea tasters and is officially known as
the BS 6008. It recommends:
● Add milk first, to your porcelain teapot (The perfect pot size is apparently between 74mm and 78mm wide, and 83mm and 87mm tall).
● Ensuring at least two grams of tea to every 100ml of water.
● The temperature must remain below 85 degrees when served but should be above 185 Fahrenheit/ 85 Celsius for the “optimum flavour and sensation”.
● Since the average tea bag contains 1.5g of tea leaves, at least two tea bags should be used for a small pot, and four for a large one.
● The perfect brewing time is six minutes (also known as steeping) which extracts the flavours from the tea leaves.