I've run into quite a few individuals who don't enjoy how tea tastes, but I tend to believe that most likely, they simply have never drank tea that was brewed using the right way. Owing to various teas having their own brewing process, many individuals are understandably in the dark as to how to prepare them in the proper way. And when you make an important error, you'll get a bad tasting cup of tea. No worries, though, since you can generally use almost any process for just about any style of tea. Being mindful of a small number of critical elements is really all it takes and I'll show you those below.

How about we start with the easiest one. Black tea doesn't generally present any problems for most persons. Basically, use boiling water and let the leaves steep for a couple of minutes. This technique will do well for Assam tea and all of the popular Chinese teas, Ceylon teas or Nepalese teas. Darjeeling tea musn't be prepared with this way, however. Due to the fact that it is pretty much an oolong tea, meaning it is not completely oxidized, it should be made using colder water (80-90ºC or 180-194ºF).

With a large variance in the way of preparation among varieties of green tea, they can be quite a bit more difficult to brew well. The correct water temperature and the steeping times are the main two factors you definitely must do right. Pretty much all green teas are best brewed using a temperature of about 80°C (176°F).

Definitely use a significantly colder 50°C–60°C (122°F–140°F) for the exceptional quality Japanese tea gyokuro, however. One additional exception is Houjicha, a roasted Japanese tea. Perhaps the most difficult possible tea to make incorrectly, it can simply be brewed employing boiling water. Check the guidelines on the packaging for a good steeping time to use first. If you don't have the packaging or if you can't find any guidelines printed there, simply try beginning with a steeping time of two minutes for all other teas and a minute and a half for gyokuro.

Matcha green tea powder is completely unlike all the other green teas. As you might guess from the name, it's a powder and as such, it needs unique utensils and a different and somewhat complicated way of brewing. If you've ever before enjoyed a Japanese tea ceremony, you've witnessed the making of matcha. I would prefer not to go off on a tangent of several thousand words, so I'll postpone running headfirst into any details on the brewing method for this high quality tea.

Also a little more tasking to make properly is white tea. It is made up of new leaves, which means they are somewhat more delicate and thus necessitate a lower water temperature than any other type of tea. 75-80°C (167-176°F) is best for both White Hair Silver Needle and White Peony teas. 2-3 minutes is a good starting place for steeping times; adjust from there until you're happy with the result. Increasing the steeping time should make your tea more astringent, while decreasing it will yield a milder cup.

The toughest kind of tea to make properly, apart from matcha, is oolong tea. The traditional gongfu method of brewing uses a number of short infusions using a heaping amount of leaves. You can easily get a tasty cup by sticking to normal methods, however. Just make sure to pay attention to the water temperature: it needs to be just slightly below 100°C.

I understand the instructions I've presented are very simplistic. It goes without saying, the perfect results are attained by using the specific brewing guidelines for each individual kind of tea. Most people don't have the proper guidelines or the specific utensils they need and if that describes you, employing my guidelines will give you a good cup of tea, no matter the kind used. Should you have in the past determined you can't stand the taste of tea, ideally reading this will inspire you to give the world's most loved beverage, not counting water, a second try. You absolutely won't regret it.