BEHIND THE CRAFT
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Time for Tea?

There are so many variables to juggle with a new tea: how much tea; what temperature water; how long to brew…?

For all of our teas, we'll guide you - if you disagree, do tell us!

A trick of the trade to get consistency in the cup, is to use an accurate Tea Timer. Our Triple Tea Timer can measure 3, 4 or 5 minutes.

With a tea that's new to you, if unsure we suggest brewing for 3 minutes and then to try it. You can always continue the brew, but you can’t reverse it. White, green and light oolongs are usually best brewed for 3 minutes. Black teas and darker oolongs tend to benefit from a little longer, 4 to 5 minutes.

Over-brewing tea delivers too much of the bitter, astringent tannins into the cup. They are important little particles - just like with wine, they give structure to the liquor - but can be too much of a good thing. Using a timer reduces that risk.

FGWH10101

Perfect Tea Timer with 3 Time Zones

This triple tea timer is perfect for brewing the perfect cup of tea. The colour coded sand will help you select the best time required to brew black, green or white teas.

The East India Company - Lifestyle

Accessories

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£15.00
In stainless steel, this delightful little tea timer is one of our Tea Master's vital accessories in ensuring consistency of brew.

As a tea lover, you'll know that choosing your tea is not the end of the journey - different teas have different brewing requirements:

- How much tea to use?
- What temperature of water?
- How long to brew?

It's this last step we can help with here.
Lalith Lenadora, The East India Company's Tea Master suggests the following as guidelines by type of tea, but do always check the suggested times given by your tea supplier for your specific tea. Leaf size will be a determining factor, which is principally why Lalith gives a range below - in general, the larger the leaf size, the long the brew time.

White teas: 3-6 min
Green teas: 2-3 min
Black teas: 4-5 min
Oolong teas: 3-4 min
Stainless steel and glass tea timer with 3 time zones

Dimensions:
Width: 90mm
Height: 30mm
Depth: 80mm
Weight: 170g

Stories

Legend: Emperor Wan Tu Discovers Tea

Extract taken from “The East India Company Book of Tea” by Anthony Wild.

There are many legends about the discovery of tea, none of which have solid foundations in historical fact. But the world requires an explanation for the discovery of one of its most popular drinks, and the ancient Chinese story of the Emperor Wan Tu is by far the best…

The Emperor of China, Wan Tu, an evil, cruel, and despotic ruler, was overthrown by his first minister and banished to a remote southern part of China.

He sat in the shade of a large bush, plotting his revenge.

Driven by poverty to drinking only hot water, he was delighted one day when some of the leaves of the bush fell into his saucepan of boiling water and he discovered that the resulting brew was tasty, refreshing, and relaxing. It cleared his mind so effectively that he sat under the bush for seven years, drinking it, learning to regret his former tyrannies, and vowing to make amends.
Her named the drink ‘tai’, meaning peace, in recognition of its effect on him.

He returned to the capital city in disguise and became a valued advisor to his former minister. He was so wise and so beloved by the people that when the minister died, he was chosen as his successor, and ruled justly for many years, introducing tea to the nation.

Only on his deathbed did Wan Tu reveal his true identity, and to honour the wonderful changes that tea had wrought in him, the poet Lu Yu wrote the Tai Chin, the famous book of tea in the 8th Century.

There are other legends - another Emperor Shen Nung was thought to have discovered tea in a similar way, but 3000 years earlier.

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