“Chai bana?”
If you’ve grown up in India, chances are you’ve heard this line echoing through your home every morning, evening, and basically any time of the day that needed a reset. Tea has been woven into India’s social fabric for centuries, from Ayurvedic herbal infusions in ancient kitchens to the milky masala chai on every street corner today. India is not only the world’s second-largest producer of tea but also its largest consumer, accounting for nearly 30% of global output. Traditional blends with tulsi, cardamom, ginger, and fennel date back to Ayurvedic practices, where these spices weren’t just flavour boosters but health allies too. I mean, for most of us, tea is not just a beverage. It’s a feeling, a moment, sometimes even a ritual. But while we all drink tea, not many of us know how to truly brew tea in a way that fully maximises its benefits.
So today, let’s slow down a bit and talk about how to make that perfect cup of tea, the one that not only tastes divine but also gives your body and mind everything tea is meant to offer. And no, this is not your typical “boil water, add tea, strain” kind of blog. This is about improving how you brew and consume your tea!
Why Is It Important To Brew Your Tea Properly?
Let’s be honest, we Indians take our tea seriously. Whether it’s that kadak tapri wali cutting or your dadi’s secret Kashmiri Kahwa recipe, there’s passion in every sip. But here’s the kicker: even the best quality tea can lose its charm if brewed the wrong way. Steep it too long? It gets bitter. Use boiling water on green tea? You’re just burning the leaves.
The way you brew your tea affects everything, flavour, aroma, and, more importantly, healthy benefits like antioxidants, caffeine content, and calming compounds like L-theanine.
So if you’re drinking tea to relax, energise, or even detox, how you make it can make or break the outcome.
Know Your Leaves, Know Your Needs
Let’s start with a quick self-check:
Are you drinking tea to de-stress after a chaotic Zoom call? Or do you need that mid-morning caffeine nudge that doesn’t feel like a crash course in anxiety?
Different teas do different things. Here’s a quick breakdown (and yes, they all taste better when brewed with intent):
-
Green Tea (like Freshleaf’s Chamomile or Tulsi Green): Light, calming, full of antioxidants. Best for stress relief, digestion, and a gentle detox.
-
Black Tea (like Earl Grey or English Breakfast): Strong, bold, and energizing. Perfect for your 5 a.m. train or 9 a.m. emails.
-
Herbal Infusions (like Turmeric Ginger or Kashmiri Kahwa): Caffeine-free or very low caffeine, often used for relaxation, better sleep, and better skin.
Think of it like ordering food, would you want biryani when you’re craving a salad? Same with tea.
What Is The Right Way To Brew Tea?
Here’s how to make sure your tea isn’t just hot water with colour but actually doing something good for you.
-
Water Quality for Tea
Sounds basic, but most people skip this. Use clean, filtered water, not distilled water and definitely not straight from the hot tap. Why? Because good water makes good tea. Period.
Now, on a more technical side, the water in your kettle is the essence of a great brew. Tea tastes best when your water’s hardness is between 17-68 ppm (1-4 grains); anything above 120 ppm can make your cup taste flat, while below 10 ppm risks bitterness and dull colour. If your tap water smells of chlorine, simply boil it or let it rest in a covered jug for an hour to let volatile compounds escape.
-
The Right Temperature for Brewing Tea
Here’s where most people go wrong, especially with green tea. Green tea and white teas thrive at cooler temps (around 75-85 °C), preserving delicate catechins and preventing bitterness, whereas robust blacks, oolongs, and herbal teas can handle a full boil at 100 °C to extract maximum body and flavour. A quick rule of thumb: cooler water for lighter teas, boiling for darker ones.
Pro tip: If you don’t have a thermometer, just let the boiled water sit for a few seconds before pouring it over your green or herbal tea.
-
The Right Steeping Time for Brewing Tea
Oversteeping doesn’t make tea stronger. It makes it bitter, dull, and rude. Studies show that steeping for 3 - 5 minutes at about 85 °C brings out the highest levels of catechins in green tea, while a 5 - 10 minute brew at 80 - 100 °C maximises overall antioxidant extraction. Letting your teacup stay covered during steeping traps heat and aroma, making each sip more fragrant and beneficial.
Set a timer if needed. Trust me, your tastebuds will thank you.
Should You Add Spices To Your Tea?
In Indian homes, tea is often a canvas, cardamom here, ginger there, tulsi when someone’s got a cold, or maybe all of them on a rainy day. While we love a good masala chai (and who doesn’t?), there’s something to be said about letting the tea leaves shine on their own, too. Beyond flavour, these spices bring antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and digestive benefits straight from Ayurveda’s playbook.
If you’re adding milk, make sure you’re not boiling the life out of your tea. Let the tea steep first, then add warm milk (not boiling), and don’t re-boil. It’s not kadhi, it’s chai.
Also, watch the sugar. That one spoon might turn your “healthy detox” into “sweet regrets.”
Brewing Tea Correctly Can Make It Healthy For You
Tea is full of polyphenols and plant compounds that are linked to reduced risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol. Regular tea drinkers often show better vascular function and lower blood pressure, thanks to catechins that relax blood vessels. Intriguingly, recent research even suggests tea leaves can absorb heavy metals during steeping, potentially reducing your exposure to contaminants in water.
Practical Tips To Brew The Best Tea
-
Measure with care: Aim for one teaspoon ( about 2 g) of loose leaves per 200 ml of water.
-
Preheat your teaware: Rinse your cup or teapot with hot water before brewing to maintain temperature stability.
-
Mind the cover: Steep with a lid on to retain heat and volatile aroma compounds.
-
Experiment & Enjoy: Adjust steep times and spice levels to find your perfect balance, tea is as personal as your morning playlist!
Common Brewing Mistakes (And How To Avoid Them)
Here are a few crimes against tea that need to stop:
-
Boiling green tea in milk (yes, it happens)
-
Adding lemon to milk tea (curdling alert!)
-
Storing tea leaves in the open (they lose flavour and absorb kitchen smells)
-
Reusing tea bags endlessly (you’re sipping flavoured water by the third dunk)
Be kind to your tea, and it will be kind to you.
A Bonus Tip To Start Your Tea Ritual For Better Mental Health
Start a 5-minute tea ritual for yourself every day. No phone, no laptop, no chores. Just you and your cup. Observe the aroma. Take slow sips. Let it wake you up or wind you down. You’ll be surprised how something so simple can feel so luxurious.
And if you’re stuck in an office cubicle or a college hostel, get yourself a few Freshleaf Tea dips. No mess. All flavour.
Conclusion: Your Cup, Your Way
There’s no single “perfect cup” of tea. But there is a perfect cup for you, your mood, your body, your moment. And that’s what good tea should be about.
As the old saying goes:
“A cup of tea is a cup of peace.”
Let’s not make it in a hurry.
So the next time someone asks, “Chai bana?”, don’t just boil water.
Brew. Pause. Sip. Feel.
That’s the Freshleaf way.