Tea Brewing

Question: Where can I find high pressure brewing tea machines for commercial use? I am planning to open up a tea lounge. I was told that there are machines specifically designed for brewing tea by pressurization similar to the idea of the espresso machine. Does anyone know where I can get one?

Answer: Most of the commercial brewing machines are for Iced teas. The reason being is that most of the flavor in hot teas are volile aromatics. Being so means that over time, depending on the tea a few minutes, they begin to lose flavor and turn more bitter. If you are looking for a commercial iced tea maker the most prolific is Bunn. http://www.coffeeespressopro.com/icedteabrewers.html

Question: Does cold green tea from the refrigerator have as much health benefits as brewing? I'm not too good with brewing tea, and I have never been a tea drinker before, but I did buy a bottle of green tea that is refrigerated after learning of its health benefits. Am I supposed to brew the bottled tea too or can I pour it right out of the bottle?? I want to reap the benefits from it as much as I can.

Answer: Bottled green tea is already brewed, you can drink it straight. But don't think you're getting the same effects from bottled green tea drinks compared to fresh tea made from loose leaves. Check the ingredients to see what I mean. And note that most bottled greens are made from green tea extract poured into water. The health benefits are real, in terms of long-term health. Try getting in the habit of having a pot a day-- with high-quality green tea like Long Jing, you can even rebrew the leaves once or twice!

Question: What type of tea should you buy to brew in a kettle? Any suggestions on brewing tea? I got a tea kettle for Christmas (I love coffee but need a break from it, so I am branching off). Problem is, I don't know what tea to buy, where to buy it, or how to brew it properly. Any advice for a beginning tea drinker?

Answer: Awww. I bet you're American, aren't you? Tea is to the British what coffee is to the Americans, therefore I shall advise you. You need to buy tea bags. These can be herbal tea bags, fruit tea bags, green tea, jasmine...it doesn't matter. You place the tea bag in a mug. With plain, normal tea, you can add milk. With most of them you can add sugar or a sweetener, too. You put water in the kettle, then hit the button to make it boil. It will flick off when the water is boiled. Add the water to your mug with the tea bag and let it sit in there anywhere from a few seconds to ten minutes. It's a taste thing - up to you. Remove the tea bag and drink! Enjoy :).

Question: Tea Drinkers: Is it normal to see a white foam when brewing loose-leaf green tea? I had received some loose-leaf green tea from a friend who recently visited China and was wondering if it is normal to see white foam on top of my brewed tea. Could there be pesticide residues on my tea? I try to drink organic tea as much as possible, but don't want to throw away the tea which was a gift. All honest answers appreciated. Thanks!

Answer: i have brewed all kinds of tea from an herbal shop where I live and have experienced little bubbles on the edges of the brewing "mug" where it's brewed. I use the ingenuiTea pictured here. http://www.adagio.com/ I have brewed green tea, oolong, and some white tea from this herbal shop. All tasted wonderful, but do remember some bubbles occasionally. but not sure which specific ones. I personally wouldn't be concerned. Of course I'd have to taste it and smell it to make sure. if you're concerned, I would just give the tea away to someone. But I think you'll be fine. oh, I forgot. one thing you could do is drink the 3rd steeping of green tea rather than the first. The first usually contains most of the caffeine and *might get rid of some pesticides. The 2nd is just for insurance. The 3rd one they say usually tastes just as good as the first. Oh and congrats on the TC on vegetarian and vegan category.

Question: Why is my water brewing tea so fast? We just moved out to well water/soft water, and I just brewed tea that literally turned dark in seconds....VERY quickly. Why is that?

Answer: Fewer impurities in the water might make the tea brew faster. I'm guessing here but that sounds reasonable. I'm also guessing that you came from a place where you had city water? The water you get from the city is full of chemicals to kill bacteria and other baddies. Your well water is actually purer than what you are probably used to. The only problem I've ever had from a well was too much sulfer which makes the water smell like rotten eggs. That smell will pass if you run the tap for a few seconds before filling your cup. But if you have a good filter that won't be a problem.

Question: what exactly does "brew" mean in brewing tea? when they say brew from 3-5 mins, what exactly does that mean. Is' it jsut letting it sit there in boiling water, Or over a mid-low flame. or any other tips you got for brewing tea i could shure use

Answer: "brew" when used in combination with "tea" means you just "steep" the tea leaves or teabag in hot (close to boiling) water for a few min. then remove. no flames, no additional cooking. don't over brew it or the tea will be bitter.

Question: How does brewing tea bags in cold water affect tea nutitionally? I love tea, and usually would google this but thought I'd ask the YA community. does brewing tea in cold water affect the nutritional aspects of tea? I know most tea is brewed in hot or boiling water, but I recently saw some cold brew tea bags frok Lipton what were Orange Pekoe and Peko cut black tea which made me think. Was it just that type of tea or can all tea bags be brewed in cold water. I know lots of sun tea are brewed in lukewarm water, and I doubt they reach super hot temps. thanks for any input.

Answer: The warmer the water the more the antioxidants are released from the leaves..That being said if you let tea stand. It then releases the antioxidant properties into the air reducing the potency of positive benifits. Fresh brewed is best.

Question: Help with proper tea brewing technique? I drink high quality loose leaf teas, and I was wondering the proper way to heat the water for tea. I know depending on the type of tea your drinking, the water should be a certain temperature. When heating water, are you supposed to bring the water to a complete boil first and then let it cool down? Or do you steep the tea once the water reaches the proper temperature, before it boils? I've seen both techniques in different places... Does it make a difference in flavor? Anyone know the proper technique?

Answer: God dam i love tea!, THE MAIN RULE WITH TEA IS !!!! MAKE SURE THE WATER IS BLOODY BOILING HOT OR YOU DONT GET TEA!!! you get horrible non english tasting piss water! And dont just leave the tea in there for a few secounds and pour! Let that bad boy sit there and absord the brilliant tea goodness, then pour milk and then some tea and add awesome sugar for the ultimate in tea tastes! A POINT TO NOTE< DRINK TEA FROM FINE CHINA CUPS TASTES BETTER THAN ANY OTHER METHOD< DO IT AND SEE!

Question: How to filter tea after brewing? I have recently started to use loose green tea leafs to make my tea (previously used tea bags). I love it but have a small problem. After I brew for 2-3 minutes, I filter the contents of my teapot (tea with the loose leafs) into my cup using a strainer. After filtering with a small kitchen strainer I still see some really small pieces of tea (dust) in my tea cup. What can I do about this? Is using a coffee filter a good idea?

Answer: tea steeper is a good option definitely coffee filter does the job a strainer with small holes obviously Good luck!

Question: what is the difference between bottled green tea and brewing green tea? Is brewing a cup of green tea better for you than drinking the pre-bottled ones such as Lipton Green Tea with citrus added? I prefer the pre bottled ones. I am drinking it on directions from my M.D. so I need to know if the benefits are the same. Thank you for your thoughts on this.

Answer: I just think when food is processed (bottled) they have to do a lot more to it so it will last longer. There may be preservatives added that change the benefits. Brew it yourself and get used to the taste.

Question: Are there any benefits to brewing extra strong green tea? I've been trying to drink a cup of green tea a day but I've heard that at that amount the benefits are negligible. Supposedly, 5-8 cups a day are good but I don't really want to drink that much green tea. Would simply brewing 8 normal cups worth in just 2 cups make the tea stronger with more antioxidants?

Answer: what type of green tea are you using? if your looking for the best source of antioxidants in a green tea you will probably want to go into the matcha tea, its a powder that you mix up with a whisk. anyways just increasing the amount of tea that you put into the diffuser (you are using loose leaf tea right?) has its limits and you will hit the point of deprecating return pretty quickly because the leaves will not have room to open fully and release all their antioxidants, also the tea could be to strong to drink if you use to much. as a note if you are using the store bought bagged "tea" (comes in a box, looks like a small amount of black or brown stuff in a small cheese cloth bag) most of this can be disregarded since you will not be getting any where near the benifits you would hope for in the first place.

Question: brewing shroom tea through a coffee maker? I am planning on making some shroom tea and i have a question. I plan on putting some tea bags in to add some flavor. should i put them in after the brewing process or during the process?

Answer: I wouldn't add tea to it, as it will taste not so nice, I would add some fresh lemon juice to it as it makes it work stronger and a spoonful of honey for flavour.

Question: Cold brewing vs hot brewing:Is there any major difference between the two when making green tea? Except for the preparation of course.....I mean is there any cons in cold brewing green tea?

Answer: There is no major difference. However, you'll need to play with brewing times. In her book "Tea" (nice title, haha), Lydia Gautier recommends brewing for far more than twice the recommended length. For green teas, 10+ minutes. For black, 20+ minutes. I brew Gunpowder Green tea leaves for 10 minutes in room-temp water on a hot day and love it! That said, one difference she notes is that brewing tea in hot water nukes the Vitamin C that naturally occurs in tea leaves. She claims a cold brew actually has Vitamin C which hot tea lacks. I've not seen this corroborated in another source, but her book's well-researched and I trust her.

Question: Can anyone remember when you could smell a pot of brewing TEA a mile off? What has happened to the aroma and taste of modern day teas? I think they mix a little tea leaves with some other kind of bush. What do you think? Do you know a good brand?

Answer: Yorkshire tea are good. So is premier Gold from Aldi. I know what you mean. Nowadays, with other types of tea I find I have to use double the amount of tea bags. I cannot live without it! I joke that I need it intravenously! Any time of the day or night, but particularly morning!!

Question: Where can I find brewing instructions for Mr Coffee Iced Tea Maker model#4092H? This model has 2 brewed tea containers & 2 lids plus brewing lid. Any information would be greatly appreciated

Answer: go too the mr. coffee web site and download it ,then print it out http://www.mrcoffee.com/manuals.aspx if you cant find it send them an e-mail and they will help you

Question: will taking tea out of the bags and making it like coffee taste the same or better than brewing tea in bags? i have bigelow sweet dreams tea. but one teabags doesnt make much. if i take the tea leafs out of the bags and make it like coffee in a coffee maker will i get a stronger tea?

Answer: If you brew tea in the coffee maker you will get tea that has coffee flavor. You can add additional tea to make stronger tea, but i would not recommend brewing it longer, it will get bitter from the tannins released.