Darjeeling tea question
Just bought a nice spring flush green Darjeeling tea. Before brewing this I have a question. Do I use the same temp as a normal green tea? Around 170 degrees Fahrenheit? Also, I read somewhere that you should first pour the water in your cup then add the leaves? I always thought you pour the water over the leaves…. I am new to darjeeling! Any insight is great.
If it is a green tea I would brew it like one. However if it a first flush Darjeeling that is really partially a black tea and partially a green tea I would probably brew it at 190 or 185. Some first flush Darjeelings are like this. They tend to be called black teas but have some green leaves too.
If you are brewing it western style:
Pre heat the teapot with hot water. Discard the water.
Add tea leaves to your teapot
3.5grams per 200ml.
Pour in hot water, 190F-195F (95C)
Wait three minutes and pour the tea into your cup, straining out the tea leaves.
These are just baseline parameters and you should start from here. If your first brew is to light, add some more tea and/or steep it longer for your next brew. If you want more astringency, steep it longer. A First Flush Darjeeling is always temperamental and it may take some trials to extract the best flavor according to your preferences.
Happy Steeping
Login or sign up to leave a comment.