Respond to prefers-color-scheme dark in app web views

Follow section front redirects in Spectrum

Enable NLP source in PCS for load testing

Switch off the News Alerts Survey Widget when we have enough responses

Poll to determine if new LUF updates are available

Allows the winning A/B test variant to be turned on without Spectrum deployment

Show infinite scrolling sections in Assembler MultiView

Show option for NLP article summaries in Action Bar

Show NLP summaries collection recirc on article pages

A general feature flag for Recipe Features that aren't yet released

Feature flag for media team features that aren't yet released

Use new Orca video player for preroll plugin in Spectrum

Show the snow tracker (instead of the heat tracker) on Spectrum

In the campaign against Donald Trump, do the ends justify the means?

The next global crisis could come from the sun. We should prepare now.

The FTC’s noncompete clause rule goes too far

What Trump promised oil CEOs as he asked them to steer $1 billion to his campaign

Judge keeps tying Trump to possible intimidation

What extremism looks like to Sean Hannity and his party

Ask Amy: Relatives keep giving me updates on my old family home

Ask Sahaj: My husband wants me to forget all about his emotional affair

Carolyn Hax: Was it wrong to approach late wife’s pal for no-commitment sex?

Hack targeting hospital chain Ascension is impacting patient care

A college professor wants to use Section 230 against Big Tech

Commerce Department revokes more export licenses to China’s Huawei

Dog hit by car loses leg, is adopted by firefighter who helped her

Postal worker finds WWII-era letters, drives 5 hours to deliver them

Strangers help Sesame Street puppeteer after heirloom necklace was stolen

5 big travel lessons from a Patagonia CEO-turned-conservationist

Cruise worker accused of stabbing 3 with scissors arrested in Alaska

France tries to shed its rude reputation ahead of the Olympics

In Arizona, election workers trained with deepfakes to prepare for 2024

How Trump’s allies amplify his Truth Social messages to the wider world

Indy Star bars columnist from Caitlin Clark’s games after awkward exchange

Need beauty? These are 7 of the most gorgeous gardens in the D.C. area.

Nationals finally run out of answers and fall to Orioles in 12 innings

4 best things to do with kids in the D.C. area this weekend

Protesters descend on Eurovision, object to Israel’s participation

Emboldened Russia marks Victory Day with parade of nuclear-capable weapons

Deaf baby hears for the first time after ‘groundbreaking’ gene therapy trial

Think you want a dog? Take our quiz to find out if you’re ready.

In Photos: Russians mark 79th Victory Day with military parade

Tornadoes hit Michigan, damage FedEx facility

RFK Jr’s ‘history lesson’ on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine flunks the fact test

The Trump-Biden battle over the 2017 tax cut

That time football legend, rig-driving eligible bachelor Biden was arrested

US-POLITICS-BIDEN

See more coverage in your recommendations

Recipes

One recipe a day, Monday through Thursday

The Eat Voraciously newsletter

Regular readers of this space already know that I’m quite the tea fanatic. The ritual of brewing tea and then savoring it sip by sip is one of the best things I do for myself, even if I’m just making a pot at my desk at the office.

What I find so great about tea — other than the self-care and beautiful flavor — is that the bar for entry is so low. While I find <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/how-to-brew-better-coffee-at-home-and-save-money-in-5-easy-steps/2017/10/27/261d6dde-b9b4-11e7-be94-fabb0f1e9ffb_story.html">the advice and equipment for making good coffee</a> absolutely head-spinning, really all you need for a nice cup of tea is some hot water, tea leaves and a way to strain out the leaves. Bliss in minutes.

[Put the kettle on: Tea is the star of these 10 food and drink recipes]

Here are some tips to guarantee the perfect brew:

Use loose-leaf tea. This is the single best way to instantly improve your cuppa. I’d say I lived the first two-thirds of my life indiscriminately gulping down cheap grocery store tea from bags only when I was sick and desperate. I also typically drowned those murky brown mugs with milk and sugar (see below), because they were bitter. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/tea-might-become-your-favorite-hot-beverage-if-you-ditch-the-little-bags/2014/10/20/426d03c4-4ff3-11e4-aa5e-7153e466a02d_story.html">As my former colleague Bonnie S. Benwick</a> pointed out a few years ago, bitter tea can result from oversteeping, which is especially easy to do with a tea bag full of finely ground leaves. Who hasn’t plopped a tea bag in a cup and forgotten about it for too long?

Moreover, say Emilie Holmes and Ben Benton in the recently released book “Good and Proper Tea,” low-quality teas in bags have higher levels of bitter tannins, the assertiveness of which can be masked when milk proteins bind to them. They also explain that the process that creates smaller, more uniform pieces for bags does result in loss of complexity and flavor.

[The no-frills, very British way to host an afternoon tea]

Loose-leaf has the advantage of being more environmentally friendly, with less packaging to dispose of. If you need the convenience of a single serving, especially when on the run, consider biodegradable filters or sachets you fill yourself. And the market is full of mugs and travel thermoses that allow for easy, portable brewing. At home, my tool of choice for a personal brew is a heatproof miniature glass pitcher with a lid similar to a Hawthorne strainer.

Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post

Understand the main types. All teas — black, oolong, green, white — come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. The differences are determined by where they originate and how they’re withered, oxidized, rolled, dried and sorted. Here’s a brief rundown, with flavor and color descriptions from “Good and Proper Tea” and brewing guidance <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/tea-how-to-steeping-loose-leaves/2014/10/21/f6727f86-526c-11e4-892e-602188e70e9c_story.html">from “Modern Tea: A Fresh Look at an Ancient Beverage,”</a> by Lisa Boalt Richardson:

Black: Fully oxidized for dark, robust flavor. Water at 205 to 212 degrees, look for a constant stream of large, swirling bubbles. (Note: Some electric kettles allow you to select a temperature.) Steep 3 to 5 minutes. For Darjeeling, water at 200 to 205 degrees, look for bubbles that are connected to one another in a steady stream. If you don’t have a precise way to measure the water temperature, bring to a boil and let rest for 1 minute. Steep 2 1/2 to 4 minutes.

Green: Not oxidized for fresh, vegetal flavor that can be sweet and floral or more savory. For Chinese green, water at 170 to 180 degrees, look for water bubbles the size of a peppercorn with vertical wisps of steam, or let boiled water rest for 3 minutes. Steep 2 to 3 minutes. For Japanese green, water at 160 to 170 degrees, look for pinhead-size bubbles with barely visible steam, or let boiled water rest for 5 minutes. Steep 30 seconds to 1 minute.

White: Some natural oxidation that results in a fresh, delicate flavor and a champagne-colored tea. Water at 180 to 190 degrees, look for pearl-size bubbles with good amount of steam, or let boiled water rest 2 minutes. Steep 3 to 5 minutes.

Oolong: Semi-oxidized at levels that can vary, resulting in flavors that may include delicate floral and tropical from greener varieties to others more similar to black teas. Water at 180 to 200 degrees, look for pearl-size bubbles with a good amount of steam, or let boiled water rest 1 to 2 minutes. Steep 3 to 5 minutes.

Herbal: Technically not tea, but tisane. They can come from a wide variety of plants, such as hibiscus, mint or chamomile. Water at 212 degrees, look for a constant stream of large, swirling bubbles, and no resting time for boiled water. Steep 5 to 10 minutes.

Care about your water (but don’t stress too much). I’ll admit it, even though some experts will tell you otherwise: I basically only use tap water for my tea, and I’ve never thought it tasted off. I happen to find what comes out of my Washington-area faucet just fine for drinking straight up and in tea. But that doesn’t mean everyone’s is (I, for one, have always found Florida tap water … less than ideal). As Holmes and Benton say, it helps to know whether your water is hard, which can lead to a cup that is chalky or even metallic-tasting, or soft, the acidity of which can make the extraction process happen too fast, leading to a bitter tea. If your water falls to either of those extremes, or just tastes off when straight-up sipped, consider filtering, either through your refrigerator’s built-in equipment, a faucet attachment or a pitcher. But I can’t with good conscience recommend bottled water given the environmental impact, not to mention the cost.

I do, however, recommend heeding the advice from Holmes and Benton to only use “freshly drawn water.” As they explain, “The best flavour is drawn out of the tea leaves using oxygen-rich water. Water that has been sitting a while, or more likely boiled over and over again, will lack oxygen, leaving your cup of tea tasting flat.”

Brew thoughtfully. Your tea leaves need sufficient time and space to brew, so follow the guidance above by type or whatever instructions are included on the package. Holmes and Benton say leaves can expand up to five times their original dry volume when wet, which is important to keep in mind if you’re using a tea ball or infuser tongs.

Try not to overload it. Follow your heart, and stomach, when doctoring your brewed tea, but I would advise at least making sure you can appreciate the actual taste of the tea. Good tea doesn’t necessarily need a ton of milk (dairy or non-) and sugar, although I love a creamy, sweetened chai. Otherwise, I almost never add milk, and my sweetener of choice is a drizzle of honey. If you’re taking the time to make a fine pot, you might as well treat it right.

Correction: A previous version of this post included resting times for water brought to a specific temperature. The resting times are instead intended for water that has been boiled and then allowed to cool to the correct brewing temperature.

More from <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/">Voraciously</a>:

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2020/01/02/this-buttery-british-shortbread-is-our-new-favorite-5-ingredient-treat/">This buttery British shortbread is our new favorite 5-ingredient treat</a>

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2020/01/08/this-spicy-streamlined-chicken-parmesan-is-saucy-and-crispy-in-all-the-right-ways/">This spicy, streamlined chicken Parmesan is saucy and crispy in all the right ways</a>

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2019/12/18/this-hot-and-sour-soup-recipe-is-a-cure-all-for-cold-and-have-a-cold-days/">This hot-and-sour soup recipe is a cure-all for cold (and have-a-cold) days</a>

University of Virginia, BA in English

Becky Krystal is the recipes editor for Washington Post Food, following a six-year stint as a staff writer and recipe developer. She came to The Washington Post in 2007 to work for TV Week and Sunday Source. Her time at The Post also includes five years in the Travel section.

Becky Krystal

The Washington Post

How to make tea with 5 tips for a better cup or pot

News

How To

Dining

Newsletter

Instagram

Food

Voraciously

prism://prism.query/site-not-subtype,/lifestyle/food,recipe-template&limit=20

Get the Eat Voraciously newsletter for delicious dinner inspiration, delivered straight to your inbox.

Your source for everything food and drink: recipes, restaurant reviews, dining guides, cooking for one, Tom Sietsma's column, and much more!

prism://prism.query/food-highlights/&limit=2

prism://prism.query/tag,foodherofeature&limit=1

prism://prism.query/site-articles-only,/lifestyle&limit=20

Lifestyle

Washington Post Lifestyle gives you the latest fashion and beauty trends, home d&eacute;cor pointers, food and recipe ideas and reviews, relationship advice, travel ideas, wellness tips and much more.