The Two Pot Method of Brewing Tea

When I brew tea western-style, I primarily use the two pot method. It is really simpler than it sounds. The two pot method is just pouring your hot water over your tea leaves in one pot, and then pouring out the brewed tea through a small kitchen strainer into a second pot when it is done steeping.

You can also use a press pot, also known as a French press to do this. Simply put your measured tea leaves into the French press, brew for the required time, push down the plunger and pour all the tea in the French press into the teapot or mug you are using.

You can then remove the plunger assembly and keep the tea leaves in the French press to reuse the next morning. Most loose tea from the tea plant, known as Camellia Sinensis, may be brewed between 3 to 5 times using the western method. Camellia teas are all green, oolong, black, yellow, white, and puerh or dark teas. They have some caffeine, so I would recommend drinking them before noon, though tolerances will vary.

You can also use two mugs for the two pot method, so long as you have a large enough kitchen strainer to pour the liquid through, because you will collect most of the tea leaves into the strainer. One of the best ways to use the two pot method, however, are two teapots of equal size, one of which has small holes or mesh between the spout. Teapots that have a strainer built into the spout are excellent for brewing tea using the two pot method.

A good source of inexpensive teapots is probably a flea market or antique store that is not fancy. You always want to check such teapots for small holes leading into the spout instead of an open spout. Try to get two that are very close to the same size.

Or, you can just use an inexpensive kitchen strainer with two teapots you already own. Make sure you dump the tea leaves that drop into the strainer back into the teapot you used to brew the leaves in. Leave the lid off and brew the tea leaves again the next day and the next.

This re-brewing of leaves may not work with black tea that comes from India or Sri Lanka, commonly known as Ceylon tea. The tea growers there do not really process their tea in a way in which they are intended to be re-steeped. Asian teas, however, tend to re-steep very well, even the black teas.

I am sorry for not posting for 3 days, but I have spent Sunday and Monday driving to Texas from Erie, and was unable to post new blog entries. I hope this information on the two pot method de-mystifies the process of brewing without a tea bag for some people! Try it, you won't be disappointed!

#tea #TipsandTricks