The Dian Hong you Brew is sour and bitter, which may just be because you don't know the correct way to brew Dian Red Tea. Learn the following techniques, and your brewed black tea will be sweet and fragrant. Why does our black tea taste bitter and astringent when we first sip it? It may have something to do with your brewing method. If you want the black tea you brew to taste good, try the methods below and give it a go yourself.
Master 4 Tips for Smooth and Unbitter Black Tea!
1: Master the Water Temperature
When brewing black tea, pay attention to water quality and temperature. Boiling water at around 90 degrees Celsius is most suitable for brewing. High temperatures can easily cause the tea to become astringent when the tea bag is steeped, while lower temperatures prevent the full release of the tea's aroma. In addition to controlling the temperature, also consider the water quality used; purified water or natural mineral water are the most suitable for brewing tea.
2: Do Not Stir While Steeping
During the steeping process, the tea bag should not be soaked for too long. As the steeping time increases, the bitterness and astringency will become more pronounced. Avoid stirring the tea leaves or tea bag during the steeping process, as stirring will speed up the release of the bitter flavors from the tea bag. Simply let it sit. After the tea bag has been steeped, do not squeeze out the tea juice, as this can allow the tea residue inside the bag to leak out, which contains bitter compounds that can affect the taste of the brewed tea and its overall quality.
3: Add Sugar Before Drinking
Do not add sugar to the brewed black tea immediately after brewing. Adding sugar can make the tea less durable and prone to developing an acidic and astringent taste. Add sugar to the black tea one serving at a time, adding the sugar once the tea has cooled. Use granulated sugar or sugar syrup, which allows the unsweetened tea to be stored for a longer period.
4: Rapid Cooling
Unlike Green Tea, freshly brewed black tea should not be slowly cooled. Instead, it should be rapidly chilled. Prepare ice cubes in advance and brew concentrated black tea. Then, add the ice cubes to the tea to rapidly cool it down. This not only reduces the bitterness but also keeps the tea fresh and suitable for storing in the refrigerator under sealed refrigeration.
For concentrated black tea, the ratio is approximately 1:50. To brew good black tea, use half the water for brewing and the other half to make ice cubes separately. For example, to brew 2000 milliliters of iced black tea, use 1000 milliliters of water and 50 grams of tea leaves to brew. After brewing the tea, add 1000 milliliters of water in the form of ice cubes and mix to cool it down.
A sign of good black tea is the formation of “cold cloudiness” in the cooled tea. This cloudiness makes the color of the black tea lighter due to the larger size of the molecules, but it does not affect the quality of the tea or its freshness. If you wish to drink the tea hot, you can gently reheat it, and the tea will become clear again without altering the taste.