Coffee, Tea : Almost-Lost Arts of Brewing

Making coffee and tea are old arts. But it’s amazing how they have gotten lost through the years. There is a right way and a wrong way to brew each, and unfortunately they are not the same.

While very hot--but not boiling--water should be used for coffee, boiling water is best for tea. That’s for starters.

Coffee: Brewing the perfect cup of coffee requires the perfect water temperature and the perfect amount of coffee, which requires adjustments for personal taste. The water should be 195 to 205 degrees (cooler would not be hot enough to extract the flavor of the grind; warmer would be boiling and cut off the oxygen), while the best holding temperature is 180 to 185 degrees.

To begin, plan on 2 1/2 ounces of ground coffee per 12-cup pot. Pour the grinds into the open filter and pour water over them. The best coffee is fresh coffee, so try to brew a pot using individual, prepackaged packets. The best guarantee of freshness from larger quantities, whether whole beans or ground, is air-tight storage in the freezer.

Tea: The use of hot water leaves most of the tea flavor in the tea leaves, not in the pot, so remember the adage: “Bring the pot to the kettle, not the kettle to the pot.” In other words, keep the water boiling until you pour it into the teapot.

Heating the teapot first--preferably a china or clay pot--with hot tap water helps. Then pour the water over the tea (about one teaspoon per person and one for the pot) and cover to help keep the aroma in the tea. Steep for 3 to 5 minutes and remove the leaves immediately.

As for storage, keep the tea in an airtight canister in a dark place; never put it in the refrigerator, because the tea could absorb moisture there and impair the quality.