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The guide explicitly says to use Earl Grey, which is a bergamot oil infused Assam. Both of these loose-leafed teas, as well as typical British loose-leaf blends
by jarvist 11y ago
The guide explicitly says to use Earl Grey, which is a bergamot oil infused Assam. Both of these loose-leafed teas, as well as typical British loose-leaf blends such as English Breakfast, are brewed at 100 C, and taste awful (bitter and slightly mealy in the mouth) when brewed at a lower temperature.
A cheap blended tea such as you'd find in a tea bag of PG Tips are much better at brewing (in seconds!) from non-boiling water.
- peterwwillis 11y agoAhmad English No. 1 loose leaf, when brewed at 208-210 F, steeped for about 5 minutes, tastes lovely with nothing added. It's not astringent or bitter and has a clean full taste, with a hint of bergamot. For a blend I think it's lovely, and it's my go-to everyday black tea. Also, the OP was incorrect; there are no tannins in tea. Bitter & astringent flavors in tea are caused by a different group of polyphenols (primarily catechins in green teas and theaflavins/thearubigens in black). Polyphenols bind with salivary proteins that reduce salivary lubrication. Since both temperature and steep time determine what gets extracted from the tea and how much, it's important to get both right to get the flavor right.