TO BOIL OR NOT TO BOIL Not all tea should be steeped in boiling water. Green tea, in fact, will scorch in boiling water because the leaves aren’t oxidized like black tea leaves are. Instead, you should steep green tea in water that’s 185°F for Chinese green tea and 158°F for Japanese green tea. (Water boils at 212°F.) If you don’t have a temperature-variable kettle, try boiling your water, then allowing it to cool with the kettle’s spout open, for about three minutes, before steeping for an additional three minutes. When prepared in this way, green tea should be smooth and refreshing, never bitter.
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january 2022
very morning I have the same cup of coffee (black with a half-teaspoon of honey). But an hour later, I’m ready for a cup of tea that’s different every day. I live in the country, and often I gather my tea ingredients on my morning walk. Loblolly pine needles (crazy healthy), medicinal mushrooms, goldenrod, or the last of this year’s French mulberries. Once home, I might add clover or yarrow I dried last spring and always some honey from our hives. Or I could visit my herb boxes and snip some lemongrass, basil, rosemary (a little goes a long way), fennel, or mint and grind in a little ginger. I realize this is a bit too pioneer woman for most, and a true tea connoisseur would argue what I’m drinking isn’t tea at all since it didn’t come from the Camellia sinensis or “tea plant.” The Camellia sinensis is the origin of most of what’s considered tea in this country — and around the world. Whether you’re enjoying green, black, white, or oolong tea, it all comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. The difference is in the way it’s processed and the way it affects the drinker. Here’s a quick rundown.
