Scribbles & Munch

      Hello world!  I still live!  I hope you forgive my long hiatus--I decided that if I was ever going to have a shot at publishing one of my stories, I needed to eschew ALL my other keyboard-related distractions, and practice the BIC (Butt In Chair) approach to writing.  And it worked!  I finally have a polished final draft of my gas lamp novel, coming in at 90k words.

My cat was very supportive of my BIC approach, as you can see.

      Last week I went to the Pacific Northwest Writers Association's big annual conference & pitched to multiple agents.  I am pleased to report that I got three requests for material, & one referral to another agent who was not at the conference.  The only part more awesome than that was all the seriously cool writers I met!
      Preparing for the conference was pretty draining.  Pitching was an exercise in adrenaline.  Both reminded me of the critical role that tea plays in my life.  Tea was my pick-me-up & inspiration while writing.  After pitching my adrenaline dipped, leaving me light-headed, and tea came to the rescue once again.*  So out of gratitude to the leaf & as a means of easing back into my blog, I thought I'd offer a brief review of the proper way to brew tea.
      Let's start with a definition of "tea."  A lot of people think this includes herbal teas, such as chamomile or mint.  Common vernacular aside, these are NOT teas.  They are tisanes.  They can be delicious, & all you have to do is add hot water & steep to taste.  I like to steep my mint in near boiling water for about 5 minutes, then toss in an ice cube for cooling & dilution.  That's all I'm going to say on the matter.
      There is actually a shrub called a tea tree, & it has a leaf all it's own.  When that leaf is harvested, dried, & then steeped, THAT is tea.  That's what I intend to address, starting with 5 general guidelines, followed by steeping times by variety.

A mature tea shrub.

1) Firstly, if you don't like the taste of your tap water, use distilled water.  It's cheap, & it's all my cat will drink, so I have a jug of it on hand at all times.

2) Proportion is always one generous teaspoon of tea to 8 ounces of water.  A tea bag also wants 8 ounces of hot water.  If you get a grande cup of hot water & toss in one tea bag, thinking you'll just let it steep longer, you've just signed yourself up for a weak, bitter brew.

3) If you're using loose leaf tea instead of bags (lovely when convenient), then have a good strainer.  There's a lot of these on the market.  I prefer metal strainers with a fine mesh & plenty of room for the tea leaves to expand.  Alternatively, brew loosely in a pot, then place the strainer over your cup when you pour.

A *few* of my tea things: pots, cups, strainers, etc. The big mug in the upper left reads "I Drink the Tears of my Enemies."  It's for when I'm feeling feisty!

4) Warm your cup or pot before pouring in the water.  If your vessel is cold, it will suck the heat away from your water, messing with your steeping & leaving you with lukewarm tea (bleah).  Also, in very extreme cases, boiling water added to cold porcelain creates cracks, or even explosions.  So while your water is coming to a boil, just fill your vessel of choice with hot water from the tap & let it sit until you're ready to steep.

5) Teas are graded by the size of the leaves.  A really good, high quality tea will be a full leaf, either rolled up into little balls or dried up into what looks like wrinkled pine needles.  Some teas have leaves broken in half, or into smaller pieces, or even in minuscule flakes like ground black pepper.  And yes, some teas are powdered.  Unless you're very serious about your tea, any of these grades will do--what you want to avoid at all costs is a MIXED grade.  A tea that's a tossed salad of full leaves, broken leaves, & tiny bits will have a bitter flavor.  When buying loose leaf tea, look for consistency among the size & shape of the leaves.

My tea shelf this morning.  I'm running low.  The tupperware in the upper right holds Korean roasted corn tea, a treat introduced to me by my significant other.

Steeping Guide
Over-brewed tea is bitter, so pay attention!

Black Teas
     There are a lot of black teas out there, but the general rule for steeping is the same.  My favorite teas are Lapsang Souchong, Earl Grey, & pure Assam.  Bring your water just to the edge of a boil (NOT a full boil), pour over, & steep for at least three minutes, but not more than five.  Then remove the leaves & either toss them or set them aside for a second steeping.
      Most black teas can be steeped a second time.  Again, bring the water just to the edge of a boil, then pour over the leaves & let steep for two minutes longer than your first steep.  The flavor will be different--more mild, usually--but still satisfying.** 

Oolong Teas
      An oolong is a tea that has been cured longer than a green, but less than a black.  When properly brewed it will have a smoother flavor than a green tea.  My favorite is hands down Iron Goddess, but I've never met a full leaf oolong I didn't like.  As with black tea, bring your water to the edge of a boil, but NOT to a full boil.  Steep for two minutes on the nose.
      Oolongs can be steeped a second, & sometimes even a third time with excellent flavor.  Let brew for three minutes on your second steep, four minutes for the third.

Green Teas
      Lauded as possibly the healthiest form of tea, the flavors can vary greatly depending on the blend.  A straight up gun powder green can be very bright--even grassy tasting.  My favorite is Gen Mai Cha, a Japanese blend that incorporates toasted rice (be wary when selecting, as this often has mixed grade leaves).  Bring your water to a strong simmer, but don't let it bridge over into boiling.  I like to steep for one minute & twenty seconds, to bring out the full flavor of the tea without risking bitterness.  My Significant Other, however, was taught to brew tea by his Korean grandmother, & insists on brewing his for five minutes for a strong, potent brew.  I suggest starting with a minute twenty, tasting, then adding more time if desired.
      Quality green teas can be re-steeped up to four times.  I would add an additional thirty seconds of brew time for the second steeping, & then a full minute or more for the third or fourth steeps.

White Teas
      Using some of the most delicate tea leaves & just drying them to perfection, white tea offers the most ethereal flavor of all.  My favorite here is Silver Cloud, light & sweet!.  For this, bring your water to a simmer, & steep for only 50 seconds.  Taste--if it's too light for you, put the leaves back in for 10 second increments until you have the flavor you like.  Remember, this is SUPPOSED to be a delicate tea.  Over-steeping will become very bitter, very fast.
      White teas can be re-steeped up to four times.  Add only 20 seconds of additional brew time for each steeping.

      There you have it!  Now go forth & brew!  Let me know if you have questions, or tell me about a recent tea you discovered, & whether you enjoyed it or no.


*My first instinct was to go to the hotel bar for a gin & tonic, but then my training as a therapist kicked in, & I remembered that in a few more minutes I was going to feel woozy & tired without the help of intoxicating beverages.  So I went for a cup of earl grey and boy was THAT the right call!

**Second steepings of any tea have almost no caffeine.