Organic Raspberry Green Tea
China green tea blended with real raspberry to provide a cup with a natural sweetness and slightly tart finish. The scarlet color and bright raspberry flavor are equally pleasing to the eye and palate.
Use fresh tap water, preferably filtered to remove chlorine. Bottled waters labeled "spring water" work best. Distilled, mineral, or water labeled as "drinking water" should be avoided as they tend to have too much or too little mineral content to produce an ideal cup. In general, softer water requires a shorter steeping time and harder water requires a longer steeping time.
Green teas steep best when heat dissipates throughout the steeping process. (This is referred to as allowing the tea "to breathe.") Teapots made from silicon based materials such as glass or porcelain are ideal. Small pots (12 oz. or less) prevent stewing or over-extraction since they contain a smaller volume of water that can cool more quickly.
China green teas tend to steep best using water cooler than boiling, with 165-180° F as ideal. Boiling water will over-extract the tea producing a bitter, astringent cup. A quick way to cool the water is to pour it into the empty teapot. Then pour the water into a cup(s). Using the cool teapot and cups should cool the water to an appropriate temperature. If not, wait a minute or two, before adding the leaves and water to the pot.
Measure 1-1.5 tablespoons or 3-4 grams of tea per 6-8 oz of water. For a stronger cup, use more tea and reduce the steeping time slightly. Using the proper amount of leaves should allow for a second steeping (reusing the leaves for a second pot). Be certain to pour out all of the first infusion so the water doesn’t continue to steep the leaves beyond the specified time.
Steep the tea for 2-3 minutes. The quality and composition of the water dramatically affects the steeping time so you should experiment to find a time that suits your palate. For a second steeping, infuse for 30 seconds to a minute.