The perfect cup of Ceylon White Tea is an artform involving many artists. The journey begins at the point of handpicking the buds from the bush and then moves through the involved process of sun-drying by hand, but it does not end there. Before a cup of tea is ready, a final artist must delicately make the right moves to ensure perfection. That artist is the brewer. That artist is you!
The Art of the Perfect Brew
Step 01 – Water & Heat
White tea is an exquisite and expensive tea with very delicate flavours that can quickly be overcome by contaminant flavours. Therefore, it is essential that you use good, clean, still water with a neutral flavour. Spring water is often considered best, but clean filtered water will work perfectly well too. Even tap water is acceptable if it has a neutral flavour. Avoid water that may not have a neutral flavour, such as water sourced from wells or transported through copper pipes.
Contrary to popular wisdom, you should NOT use boiling water. Pouring boiling water over delicate Ceylon White Tea will ruin its flavours. Instead, you should aim for a temperature of about 80 degrees Celsius. Using a thermometer would be ideal, but simply bringing the water to a boil and letting it cool for about 5 to 8 minutes before using it, works splendidly too.
Step 02 – Prewarming
Prewarming your teapot and teacups will go a long way in helping maintain the temperature of your brew, which is important to ensure that the best flavours are experienced by the drinker.
Step 03 – Quantities and Measures
Add about 4-5 grams of Silver Tips or Golden Tips into your, preferably prewarmed, teapot. That should be about 2 teaspoonfuls of Ceylon White Tea or about 1-2g per cup of tea you intend to prepare. Then add about 160ml of water at 80 degrees Celsius into your teapot and leave to steep.
Step 04 – Steeping Time
Steeping time will vary based on your personal preference. If your teapot is transparent, you will notice the ‘needles’ standing vertically. When this happens, your brew is ready.
Anything between 1 to 5 minutes is acceptable, with the recommended time being between 2 and 3 minutes. Shorter steeping times yield lighter cups and longer times stronger ones.
However, avoid steeping times exceeding 5 minutes as undesirable flavours, such as bitterness, may emerge.
If you are still ‘finding your tongue’ in terms of the perfect steeping time, consider tasting the brew every 30 seconds after the 1st minute, until it is just right for you.
Step 05 – Strain & Serve
Pour and strain the tea into, preferably prewarmed, cups and serve straight away.
Going for Round 2 or even 3
With Ceylon White Tea, it is possible to attempt a second or even third steeping with the same batch of tea leaves. You will encounter changing flavour profiles when you do so, which will be an adventure for more discerning palettes. If you wish to do this, simply follow the instructions as above, but while utilising the same 4-5g of tea leaves you used previously, instead of fresh leaves.
