{"id":870,"date":"2015-06-04T00:00:40","date_gmt":"2015-06-04T04:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/?p=870"},"modified":"2019-04-22T13:45:45","modified_gmt":"2019-04-22T17:45:45","slug":"how-to-sip-tea-like-a-pro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/how-to-sip-tea-like-a-pro\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Sip Tea Like a Pro"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time:<\/b> <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

Everyone loves a good cup of tea. But are you\u00a0enjoying each cup\u00a0to its full potential? We spoke with our resident tea expert, Ravi Pillai, to find out how he gets the most out of each and every sip.<\/p>\n

\"Sipping\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Turn over a new leaf<\/strong><\/h3>\n

From steeping to sipping, tea is a sensory adventure that starts with the dry leaf. Next time you prepare a cup of tea, take a moment to inspect and touch the loose leaf. The beauty of the leaf is captivating, while the feel of it can tell you a lot about the quality of the tea.<\/p>\n

Before preparing a pot, Ravi always examines the dry leaf for its appearance, size, ingredients and the general feel to ensure quality. \u201cAlways look at the leaf. Touch it. Smell it. Inspect it. And make it a sensory experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Loose<\/a><\/p>\n

Heat things up<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Once you\u2019ve studied the leaf, it\u2019s time to get steeping. Before infusing, heat your teapot or mug with warm water. If either is cold, the temperature of the infusion will drop, which changes the tea\u2019s character and the aromatic profile. By warming the vessel before pouring your tea, you prevent this from happening. According to Ravi:\u00a0\u201cThe warmth of the vessel starts the taste of the cup. If you put it in a cold mug, you risk changing the attitude of your brew.\u201d<\/p>\n

That said, it\u2019s important to note that as tea cools down, its flavour strengthens. That\u2019s because even after you remove your infuser, the tea is still \u201csteeping\u201d (i.e. oxidation is taking place). If you want to avoid this effect, try to finish your cup before it reaches room temperature.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_8527\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Hold your liquor<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Now that your tea has steeped, take a moment to examine the liquor colour and aroma. Eye it for brightness and clarity, and try to pick up on subtle scents. The aroma should give you an early indicator of the taste, so really hone in on it. Says Ravi, \u201cwhen examining the liquor, I don\u2019t want to be distracted. My mind is entirely on this tea.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Wet<\/a><\/p>\n

Suck it up<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When testing teas, it\u2019s not uncommon to slurp them up. Try this technique:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Steep a cup of tea.<\/li>\n
  2. Grab a shallow soup spoon, and fill it with the steeped liquor.<\/li>\n
  3. Slurp it up quickly, letting the liquor roll across your palate and around your tongue.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Ravi explains: \u201cI suck it in as hard as possible, so that the mist of the slurping goes across to palate and across the sensory glands. Then, I swish the liquor around my tongue. The tongue has five sensory glands \u2013 sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami. Slurping allows you to evaluate all characteristics of the tea.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Give it a try! You\u2019ll notice some nuanced flavours that you may have otherwise missed.<\/p>\n

    You must sip it<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    While it\u2019s fun to do, slurping obviously isn\u2019t the most efficient way to drink your tea. Imagine slurping a pot of tea or more\u2026 it would take forever!\u00a0That\u2019s why Ravi recommends sipping. “When I\u2019m at home, I make a pot and drink small cups all day.\u201d<\/p>\n

    We know, everyone sips their tea. But there\u2019s more to it than you might think; remember, tea is a sensory experience. So then what\u2019s the proper way? Just follow the steps listed above. First, warm the cup. Next, let the scent of the cup pull you in. \u201cFollow the aroma as it goes through the nostrils, past the cilia, and across your neural pathways.\u201d Then, take a slow sip and let it embrace your senses. And now you\u2019re sipping tea like a pro.<\/p>\n

    \"How<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Reading Time:<\/b> <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>Everyone loves a good cup of tea. But are we enjoying each cup to its full potential? We spoke with our resident tea expert, Ravi Pillai, to find out how […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":882,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55,176,537],"tags":[107,450],"class_list":["post-870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-gardin-to-cup","category-tea-101","tag-loose-leaf-tea","tag-tea-101"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=870"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1010,"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870\/revisions\/1010"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}