How to brew black tea

Black tea is the fully oxidised leaf: picked, withered, rolled and left to turn dark before it is dried. That oxidation is what gives it its colour, its body and its tolerance for boiling water — the one kind of tea that wants it.

The short version

Water: freshly boiled, 95 to 100°C. Leaf: one teaspoon of loose tea, about 2 grams, or one teabag, per cup. Time: three to five minutes. Those are Whittard of Chelsea's figures, give or take its 95 to 98°C; the difference between that and a kettle that has just clicked off is a few seconds' pause.

How long for which tea

Whittard's three to five minutes covers the robust teas, and where in that range a tea sits is a matter of how it is made and how you take it. A sound place to start:

Assam and breakfast blends: four to five minutes. Malty, strong and built to carry milk.

Ceylon: three to four minutes. Brighter and a little lighter than Assam; good with milk or with a slice of lemon.

Kenyan: three to four minutes. Fast to colour and brisk — most of the strength in a supermarket teabag comes from Kenya.

Darjeeling: two to three minutes, which is what Whittard gives all its delicate teas, and cooler water for the spring picking. It is the exception among black teas and has a guide of its own.

Earl Grey: three to four minutes. Any longer and the bergamot turns from perfume to soap. See how to make Earl Grey.

Bitterness

A bitter cup of black tea is nearly always one of two things: it was left too long, or the teabag was squeezed. The tannins come out late in the brew and come out fastest under pressure. Take the leaf out on time and leave the bag alone.

Milk, lemon or neither

A strong Assam or breakfast blend is made for milk. Ceylon goes either way. Darjeeling and the lighter teas are better without: milk flattens the very thing you paid for. Lemon and milk together curdle, as anyone who has tried will tell you, once.

Second infusions

Western-style black tea gives most of what it has in the first pot; a second is usually thin. The exception is good whole-leaf tea brewed in the Chinese way — a lot of leaf in a small pot, short steeps — where three or four infusions are normal.