Using a bamboo whisk and tea bowl Sift 1-2 tsp matcha into a cup using a small sifter. Add 2oz hot water. For best results use water just under a boil. Whisk vigorously in a zig zag motion until the tea is frothy. Enjoy your matcha tea straight from the bowl matcha in a cup <img decoding=async data-opt-src="https://mlmiiffj1hnj.i.optimole.com/w:300/h:245/q:mauto/f:best/https://lovelytea.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/aid6742318-v4-728px-Make-Green-Tea-Latte-Step-1.jpg" class="alignnone wp-image-19869" src="https://mlmiiffj1hnj.i.optimole.com/w:300/h:245/q:eco/f:best/https://lovelytea.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/aid6742318-v4-728px-Make-Green-Tea-Latte-Step-1.jpg" alt="" width="235" height="193" /> STEP ONE: Heat spring or filtered water STEP TWO: Add a few drops of hot water to matcha powder and mix into paste with a spoon STEP THREE: Add more hot water to paste mixture and stir. Try 1 teaspoon to 6 ounces of water. Adjust measurement to suit taste. STEP FOUR: Matcha is ready to drink All Mixing suggestions are also, on the back of our matcha bags. https://youtu.be/aLd1nliE0_8

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" overlay_color="" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" padding_top="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" padding_right="" admin_toggled="no"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" center_content="no" last="no" min_height="" hover_type="none" link=""][fusion_text] all steeping suggestions are on the back of our bags. Remember to refer to these instructions when making your tea. Preparing tea properly can be easy and delicious if you follow these basic guidelines. <img decoding=async data-opt-src="https://mlmiiffj1hnj.i.optimole.com/w:200/h:300/q:mauto/f:best/http://lovelytea.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_8886-3572347838-O_large.jpg" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-19582" src="https://mlmiiffj1hnj.i.optimole.com/w:200/h:300/q:eco/f:best/http://lovelytea.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_8886-3572347838-O_large.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /> Use Good Tea Use the best tea that is available to you. Good tea is a bargain. A tea that costs $100.00 per pound, only costs 50 cents per cup when steeped. Use fresh, loose leaf tea for the best results. Use Good Water When making any tea, be sure you begin with good water, it makes up over 90 % of the end product. Water quality and taste vary greatly between locales. If your water tastes really good out of the tap, chances are it will make good tea. If there is a noticeable unpleasant taste (metallic, chlorine, earthiness, etc.) it will come through in the tea. A simple, inexpensive solution is a store-bought water filter, such as a Brita or Pur filter. Spring water also works well. We do not suggest using distilled water. Heat the Pot Pour a small amount of hot water into the pot to warm it before beginning to make your tea. For best results, always make tea with fresh water, not water that has been previously boiled or has been sitting around. Measure the Tea The standard guideline for tea is to use one rounded, measuring teaspoon (3 grams) of tea for each 8 ounce cup of water. When measuring, take the leaf size into account. For example, if you are preparing a very fine particle tea, such as TeaSource Classic Iced Tea , use a level teaspoon. If you are preparing a large-leaf, bulky tea, such as White Peony , use two teaspoons per cup. In either case, the approximate weight of the tea should be 3 grams of tea per cup. Measure the Water Temp Different teas require different water temperatures for steeping. Using water that is too hot results in bitter tea and is probably the most common error people make when preparing tea. You can use a thermometer or visual cues to gauge water temperature. Tea Category Water Temperature Visual Cues Black 212 degrees Full, rolling boil Oolong 190-200 degrees Steaming rapidly, little bubbles Green 160-180 degrees Gentle steam, no bubbles White 155-165 degrees Very light steam Puerh 208-212 degrees Just off the boil Dark 195-205 degrees Steaming rapidly, little bubbles Herbal 212 degrees Full, rolling boil *If your water boils and you need cooler water, just add a little cold water to the kettle to bring the temperature down quickly Time the Steep Different teas require different steep times. Refer to the instructions on the bag for the specific steep time for each tea. Avoid steeping tea longer than recommended. If tea steeps too long it often becomes bitter. Using a timer when steeping tea is highly recommended. Leaf Expansion All teas require room for the leaf to expand as it steeps. Whatever preparation method you use make sure there is enough room for the leaf to expand 3-5 times in size as it steeps. Brewing the leaves loose in the pot and then straining works well, as do tea infusers and T-sacs. At TeaSource, we do not recommend using tea balls as there is very little room for leaf expansion, meaning that the full tea flavor never gets released into the liquid. Stop the Steeping Once the tea has steeped for the proper amount of time, separate the leaves from the liquid. This stops the steeping process so the tea does not oversteep and become bitter. Using T-sacs or filters makes this step easy. When the leaves are removed, the tea is ready to be served. Enjoy![/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container] https://youtu.be/Aw-PNHs3lyQ https://youtu.be/fnXZIXdg1xs

Black tea is allowed to wither, which precedes a process called oxidation (sometimes incorrectly referred to as fermentation) during which water evaporates out of the leaf and the leaf absorbs more oxygen from the air. Black teas usually undergo full oxidation, and the results are the characteristic dark brown and black leaf, the typically more robust and pronounced flavors of black teas, and when brewed appropriately, a higher caffeine content compared to other teas (50-65% of coffee, depending on the type and brewing technique).

Oolong tea (also known as wulong tea) is allowed to undergo partial oxidation. These teas have a caffeine content between that of green teas and black teas. The flavor of oolong (wulong) teas is typically not as robust as blacks or as subtle as greens, but has its own extremely fragrant and intriguing tones. Oolongs (wulongs) are often compared to the taste and aroma of fresh flowers or fresh fruit.

Green Tea is allowed to wither only slightly after being picked. Then the oxidation process is stopped very quickly by firing (rapidly heating) the leaves. Therefore, when brewed at lower temperatures and for less time, green teas tend to have less caffeine (10-30% of coffee). Greens also tend to produce more subtle flavors with many undertones and accents that connoisseurs treasure.

White teas are the most delicate of all teas. They are appreciated for their subtlety, complexity, and natural sweetness. They are hand-processed using the youngest shoots of the tea plant, with no oxidation. When brewed correctly, with a very low temperature and a short steeping time, white teas can produce low amounts of caffeine. Of course, steeping with hotter temperature and longer time will extract more caffeine. But by definition, white tea does not have less caffeine than other teas.

What is tea? That's a good question! Tea is the second most consumed drink in the world, surpassed only by water. An often-surprising fact to tea novices is that all teas (Black, Green, Oolong, White, and Pu'erh) come from the same plant. The scientific name of this versatile plant is Camellia sinensis (it's actually related to the lovely camellia flowers seen in botanical gardens and landscapes). Camellia sinensis is a sub-tropical, evergreen plant native to Asia but is now grown around the world. The tea plant grows best in loose, deep soil, at high altitudes, and in sub-tropical climates. So, in short, "tea" is anything derived from the Camellia sinensis plant. Anything else, while sometimes called "tea", is more accurately referred to as an herbal tea or tisane. Tisanes include chamomile, rooibos and fruit teas. We'll learn about those in a minute. How is it grown? The tea plant, which grows naturally in the wild throughout much of Asia, is cultivated in a variety of settings from small family gardens to giant estates covering thousands of acres. The best tea is usually grown at higher elevations, and often, on steep slopes. The terrain requires these premium teas to be hand-plucked, and it takes around 2,000 tiny leaves to make just one pound of finished tea. If that sounds crazy, keep in mind these methods have been around for several millennia. Many of the teas produced for large scale commercial production are grown on flat, lowland areas to allow for machine harvesting. However, it should be noted that some of the finest, hand-plucked teas in the world come from flat fields and lower altitude. So, how the tea is grown is just one of many factors to be considered. Teas which are processed in the traditional fashion are called Orthodox teas. Orthodox teas generally contain only the top two tender leaves and an unopened leaf bud, which are plucked carefully by hand and then processed using five basic steps, creating the thousands of varieties of tea we know and love today (note: While tea plants do have small flowers, the "buds" tea people refer to are the young, unopened leaves, not flowers). Most Orthodox tea production these days involves a unique combination of age-old methods, such as bamboo trays, to allow the leaves to wither on, and modern, innovative machinery, like leaf rollers carefully calibrated to mimic motions originally done by hand. A true art form, the tea is handled by artisans with often generations of training from the moment of plucking to when the tea is finished. For some teas, one batch can take several days of work. The other way of making tea is the Unorthodox method, of which the most common type is CTC (crush-tear-curl). This much faster style of production was specifically created for black tea. These teas may or may not be plucked by hand. For commercial production, large machine harvesters are used to "mow" the top of the bushes to get the new leaves. CTC production uses a leaf shredder which macerates the leaves (crushing, tearing, and curling them, hence the name) into fine pieces. They are then rolled into little balls. The result looks quite a bit like Grape Nuts cereal, actually. These teas will brew very quickly and produce and a bold, powerful cup of tea. Crush-tear-curl is usually used primarily in the tea bag industry, as well as in India to create Masala Chai blends (due to their strength and color). What is in tea? The three primary components of brewed tea (also called the "liquor") are: 1. Essential Oils - these provide tea's delicious aromas and flavors. 2. Polyphenols - these provide the "briskness" or astringency in the mouth and are the components that also carry most of the health benefits of tea. 3. Caffeine - found naturally in coffee, chocolate, tea and Yerba Mate, caffeine provides tea's natural energy boost. How the leaves are processed will determine their final classification as black, green, etc. We'll discuss these styles of tea in the next lesson. Although tea is one of the most enjoyed beverages worldwide, its culture can be very "local." For example, most tea drinkers in Darjeeling, India have never had (or even heard of) a Taiwanese Pouchong. In China, most people do not drink black tea. The centuries-old Japanese tea ceremony uses powdered, rare Matcha tea, which most folks in black tea-loving Sri Lanka have never tasted. Tea is a truly special, uniting thing, especially when you imagine how so many tea-drinking cultures developed all on their own. America's own newly found tea culture is unique because we actually enjoy all types of tea (white, green, oolong, black and pu'erh). No other country can claim that distinction. The amount of knowledge to be shared and tea to be enjoyed is tremendous. TeaClass seeks to help in this process by providing accurate and insightful tea knowledge. https://youtu.be/9ciJujA6Rlc