The flat white might be one of Australia’s most successful cultural exports, but that has not come at the expense of tea.
In public, Australians sip espresso-based coffees, while tea is a private matter – the quiet-achieving counterpart made for domestic, contemplative consumption. (That is, until it becomes the subject of a transatlantic brew-ha-ha.)
At home, many of us pop the kettle on rather than – you know – microwaving a mug of water. But from the water temperature to the teapot, how else can you ensure your tea is the best it can be?
We’ve asked three Australian experts to share their tips for a perfect serve of English Breakfast tea.
The tea: always choose loose-leaf
“If people want to drink tea they should drink the good stuff,” says Cara Chen, a Sydney-based tea ceremonialist and owner of Altitude Tea. Teabags, she says, were invented to turn “the bottom of the barrel” loose-leaf leftovers into a commodity. And that’s before you even think about the microplastic particles, which some teabags have been found to shed by the billion.
When it comes to loose-leaf, the smell is the first giveaway of quality – it should have a “roasted sweet-potato smell”, says Chen. Next, look at the shape of the leaves. Arthur Tong, co-founder of Sydney tea supplier Tea Craft, says English Breakfast blends typically feature “broken” Assam and Ceylon tea leaves. However a single-origin English Breakfast tea (that is, tea that has come from a single farm or estate) should have a consistent colour and size.
The water: fresh and 90C
If you’re tempted to reboil the water in your kettle, don’t. “The oxygen has all boiled out of the water and will affect the flavour of the tea,” says Lesley Pine, co-founder of Sydney wholesaler Pine Tea and Coffee.
Chen says the optimum water temperature for English Breakfast is 90C. If the water is at boiling point (100C), this “cooks” the leaves, bringing out tannins and bitter characteristics.
Tea aficionados might have a temperature-variable kettle; for those without, simply switch off the kettle just before it boils. If you forget, you can either add a splash of cold water to lower the temperature or wait a few minutes.
Though Tong says he’d probably just use the 100C water anyway. “It’s not the end of the world.”
The teapot: leaves need room to move
Tong says there are many teapots on the market with narrow baskets, which do not allow the tea leaves to fully and evenly submerge in the water. “Get rid of those baskets – they’re no good,” he says.
But you don’t have to throw the teapot out with the basket. Just add the leaves to the pot, sans basket, and use a separate strainer to filter as you pour.
No teapot? Tong says any heatproof vessel with a spout will do, such as a Pyrex measuring jug.
For keeping tea warm, Pine laments that crocheted crockery jackets have gone out of style (“do you know how hard it is to find a tea cosy these days?”). She suggests throwing a tea towel over the pot instead.
The brew time
For one person to enjoy two teacups of a medium-strength English Breakfast, Tong recommends 300ml of water and one tablespoon of leaves. “A teaspoon is not going to give you the satisfaction. A teaspoon is too miserly. It’s too much of a tight-arse,” he says. So measuring “should always be done by the tablespoon”.
If you are drinking the English Breakfast black, brew it for one minute. But if you take yours with milk, “you don’t want the tea to look translucent like dirty dishwater,” says Tong. “To avoid this putrid translucency in your milk-tea-making, you want to brew it on the stronger side.” He suggests an extra 15-20 seconds of brewing time, then give the leaves a stir, pour the tea into your cup and add the milk last.
“You know you’ve got it right … if you see a solid caramel colour after you’ve poured the milk.”
Enjoy it, will you?
Chen is an advocate for tea-making as an exercise in mindfulness and suggests a quotidian version of the traditional Chinese 21-step gongfu tea ceremony: “When the kettle boils, just try to refrain from multitasking. Try to be in the moment; breathe … Slowly pour the water into the cup, and just watch the steam rising from the cup. And then take small sips.”
A well-brewed English Breakfast will taste naturally sweet, with a warming, malty aroma and flavour. If the tea blend contains Assam leaf, there should be chocolate notes on the palate too. The mouthfeel should be delicate and smooth; with milk, it should be slightly viscous and creamy. Sugar? “If the stuff is good, you shouldn’t need it, but each to their tea,” says Tong.
Like Chen, Tong says tea-drinking is a moment for reflection – and perhaps some self-validation. “You should feel this sense of peace,” he says. “After the first sip, if you feel smarter than the guy next to you, you’ve done a good job.”