Sophie Steenberg, founder of Steenbergs, makes a range of organic loose leaf teas at their Yorkshire factory, comments:
What should you look for when tasting a tea? What flavour notes should it have?
When tasting a tea look for freshness, no overpowering bitterness. Different teas suit different moods and different times of days, so floral lighter teas work well in the afternoon. Experiment and try out different teas and mix it up to find flavours you enjoy.
What is the difference between English breakfast and everyday tea?
English Breakfast is a blend, generally a “house blend”. We blend ours to our own recipe at the Steenbergs tea factory in North Yorkshire. It is traditionally a balanced medium strength tea with lots of different flavour notes combining. Everyday tea tends to be a cheaper less complex tea, often just one tea, that is about strength of tea not flavour notes.
What’s the biggest mistake people make when brewing tea?
There are a few big mistakes that people tend to make:
- Not using fresh water when brewing – old water in the kettle gives that dishwater taste and doesn’t wake up the leaves to release the flavour. Tea needs the oxygen in freshly boiled water.
- Making it with the wrong temperature water – too cold for black tea and too hot for green or white teas. Aim for 90–98°C for black tea and around 80°C for green tea.
- Too short a brewing time – let loose leaf tea steep for around 3-5 minutes for black tea and 2-3 minutes for green and white teas.
Generally, I would advise people to choose a good quality loose leaf tea for a better tasting brew.
Is it bad to reheat tea or leave it sitting too long?
Yes, water should be fresh and if tea is brewed too long it becomes bitter.
Can tea support sleep, focus, or digestion – and which types are best?
Infusions and teas can help but there’s no magic cure. For better sleep, it’s about helping you get into the right mental framework. Slow yourself down, pause and take stock. Teas that can help to calm the mind and body for sleep include camomile or those with valerian in them.
If you’re looking to sharpen your focus, choose tea that contains caffeine, milk free green teas are great (don’t over brew these as they will get bitter and you don’t need a lot of leaf for the brew). Improve digestion with fennel, anise seed and mint teas.
What teas are best to drink in the morning vs evening?
Black teas are best drunk in the morning, and green or white teas in the evening. I drink only herbal teas after 5pm.
What ingredients should you look for in functional or wellness teas?
Simple mixes are best, nothing too complex and “no added ingredients” as they are usually not in large enough percentages to give the supposed impact.
