Here at Chanui, we pride ourselves on being thought leaders in all things tea. No question is too silly to be answered. As the great Mr. Garrison from South Park once said, ‘There are no stupid questions. Just stupid people'.
In this blog post, Doug will be giving the Chanui answer to some of the tea-shaped knowledge gaps according to Google. Some will be silly, some interesting, some quite frankly insane.
1. When was the Boston tea party?
16 December 1773. At around 7 pm if you want to get specific. Which I do.
2. What was the Boston tea party?
It was the most legendary tea party ever to be held in Boston. Google doesn’t allow for italicised text but there is supposed to be emphasis on ‘the’. So it’s The Boston Tea Party.
3. What is boba tea?
An abomination, in my humble opinion. I’ve tried it a few times but couldn't finish my cup for fear of a pre-diabetic coma. We have answered this one before in our blog post - Boba tea according to Chanui. For the lazy: It’s a very sweet, usually milky tea drink with sweet tapioca balls at the bottom.
4. How to make ginger tea?
Strictly speaking, it's not really 'tea.' It's an infusion.
But to be much more helpful and for the sake of our Google rankings here goes:
Smash some stem ginger into a cup then fill it with loose leaf chanui tea. An excellent drink when you’re feeling a bit under the weather.
5. How much caffeine in green tea?
I’ll lift this directly from our blog post: Going green (tea) - Everything you need to know.
Green tea's caffeine content may be lighter than its coffee counterpart, but it still has plenty to lift you up throughout the day with approximately 20-45 milligrams of caffeine per 250 ml cup.
If like us you're not fluent in caffeine speak, use this handy comparison per 250 ml serving…
Black tea typically contains 47-90 milligrams of
Regular brewed coffee contains between 95-200 milligrams of caffeine
Just remember the rhyme they taught you in nursery...
When it’s time to rank your drink’s caffeine,
First comes coffee, black, then green.
For a big old jolt, you choose the bean,
For peace and calm, pick leaf serene.
… Remember? No? Ok moving on.
6. What alcohol is in Twisted Tea?
I’m pretty sure all drinking alcohol is ethanol, and honestly, I don't want to know what Twisted Tea is.
*Googles what is Twisted Tea*
Created in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2001, Twisted Tea is alcoholic beverage that strives to taste as much like real iced tea as possible.
Sounds delightful…
7. How to make tea?
For a full breakdown, read our blog: For the love of loose leaf or watch me making it myself!
The Chanui recommended way to brew loose leaf tea
As we’ve discussed, there are many ways to do this but here is a step-by-step guide to get you started. Some steps and details might seem surplus to your requirements and that is fine.
Only you can know the amount of time and effort you want to invest in this.
Pre-heat your teapot. Pour some hot tap water into the teapot to help keep the tea warm for longer when the time comes to enjoy it.
Heat your water. Fill your kettle with fresh, cold water and bring it to a boil. Some teas like white, yellow and oolong recommend lower temps between 83-94 c but most tea is best with boiling water (100 c).
Measure out your tea. While the water is heating up, measure out your desired amount of loose leaf tea. We recommend one teaspoon or 4 g of tea per 250 ml cup of water, but this can vary depending on the type of tea and your personal taste. Experiment until you have it down to a science. Add the weighed tea to whatever strainer you are using, be it a basket or ball infuser.
Add tea to teapot. Discard the water in the pot and add your loaded tea strainer to the pot.
Pour the hot water. When the kettle has just finished boiling, pour the hot water over the tea in the teapot. Be sure to leave some room at the top of the pot to allow the tea to steep without overflowing.
Steep the tea. Steep the tea for the time recommended by the provider and adjust depending on your personal preference. We recommend 3-4 minutes for our loose leaf varieties.
Strain and serve. After your tea is well steeped, lift out your strainer, chuck the spent tea in the compost and pour the tea into cups. Serve immediately and enjoy!
8. What is chai tea?
Chai means tea in Hindi, Urdu, Russian, Persian/Farsi, Turkish, Arabic, Swahili, and Hebrew and more.
Chai tea is ‘tea tea’. Tea. It’s tea. Camellia sinensis.
But fine, I’ll answer it properly. When people in the West say "chai tea," they usually mean a spiced tea blend known as masala chai. It typically consists of black tea brewed with a combination of aromatic spices and herbs, such as cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pepper. It’s also often mixed with milk and sweetened with sugar or honey. Not a million miles away from boba tea, come to think of it.
Final Thoughts:
Whether you're steeping in the history of the Boston Tea Party, debating the merits of boba tea, or perfecting your loose leaf brew, there's always something new to learn and enjoy about tea. Have a burning tea question? Drop us a line, and we’ll tackle it in a future post!