Let's talk about time.
30 second flash infusion, or a long extraction?
We've all had tea that's bitter or too strong. This may be caused by leaving the tea leaves in the water for too long. There are many competing tea traditions that can leave you wondering what is best.
In China and Taiwan, it is customary to make multiple very short infusions at boiling anywhere from 30-60 seconds per infusion.
In Japan, green tea drinkers prefer a shorter extraction for green tea to avoid the bitter flavor from over-extracted chlorophyll (responsible for its green color). The range of infusion time is 60 seconds to 4 minutes.
Many European tea traditions keep tea leaves in the tea pot and only filter the leaves when serving tea.
At August we recommend 5 minutes of infusion for all types of tea. This system was designed to simplify tea brewing traditions. Like tea to water ratio, infusion time is a way to control tea strength. And since no one but you can say how strong your tea should taste, here's how to play with time to get your tea to be just the right strength.
Find your perfect flavor by adjusting infusion time.
We like our tea bold, so we use 5 minutes for all teas. Short tea infusion is helpful when you use boiling water for all tea types. If that tastes great to you, awesome! If the finished tea is too strong, infuse for a minute less (4 minutes). If it's too weak, wait for another minute (6 minutes). Keep experimenting with adding or subtracting time until you find the perfect infusion time for your taste.
How do you brew?
We love hearing about your tea rituals, brewing techniques and experiences. Share your stories and tips with us at hello@august.la Got photos or videos of how you brew? Tag us with @AugustUncommon on Instagram.
