To ask you how you make tea taste good?

[VeronicaM27]

Every now and then I make a cup of tea and it tastes like pure magic. The problem is 99 times out 100 it tastes like soggy cardboard.

I put the teabag in the cup with 2 sugars, pour in the boiling water, leave for 2-3 minutes, take out and then add a splash of milk. I have no idea what I do differently that one magic time but it’s so annoying when I crave a nice cup of tea and it ends up tasting like the aforementioned cardboard.

So what am I doing wrong? How to you get the perfect cup of tea every time?

It depends on the teabags. I normally buy Aldi or Lidl own brand in the red box and was previously just as good as the labelled ones. But I've noticed recently it tastes weak and not as much flavour.

Use a pot, let it brew, don't muck it up with sugar.

Put the milk in before you extract the tea bag (game changer if you have hard water as you don't get the grim floaty scum). Also don't reboil kettle water too often.

That said, the magic when it tastes just right and the crushing disappointment when you get a crap cup...it's a lottery!

Don't leave the teabag in the cup! Drinking tea made by my partner this morning I ended up with the teabag attached to my lips when I took the last swig.

I do like loose leaf tea made in a one person teapot.

Agree, tea is disgusting any way it's made. Now coffee is another story ☕

Borders Chocolate Gingers help!

Leave out the sugar. Any tea with sugar in is awful.

Completely agree with this, I'll only drink tea from cups that are plain white on the inside. Any colour or pattern on the inside of the cup completely ruins tea for me 😆I also recommend using leaf tea in one of those mini infusers, it keeps hotter than in a pot.

Net put milk in before the boiling water, that means the water doesn't hit the tea bag at 100 degrees.

But OP, am aware that most of these recommendations don't address your issue of "sometimes nice, sometimes yuk"!

It's not just the way you make it. The taste also depends on the brand of tea, the water used, the cup or pot, the environment and situation you're in, the weather, the company, your mood, how thirsty/hungry you are, any biscuit or cake eaten with the tea, other food recently eaten, hormones, footwear, room temperature, lighting, and many other factors. .

Barry's Tea is a good start though. Yorkshire and Tesco red label tea are also good.

I think the tea bag might be absorbing some of the sugar, best to stir it in at the end (before or after milk doesn't matter but after tea bag is removed). Yorkshire tea is a decent brand (I'm not super fussy about this but I know others that are!)

Filter jug water, never tap water

Whole leaf loose tea in a teapot made with freshly boiled water. Wait for several minutes before stirring and then pouring through a strainer into a cup that already has the milk (and, if you must, sugar) in.

Get a tea pot and let it brew properly for a few minutes before pouring.

Swap it for wine.

George Orwell’s rules are absolutely right - www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/a-nice-cup-of-tea/

I use freshly boiled water as soon as the kettle has clicked - water has to be scorching when it hits the tea.

Red or green milk - never blue (Orwell agrees - skim the cream off first!)

Half a teaspoon of sugar at most, never more

Use good quality tea

Run the cold tap and fill the kettle with enough water for your mug/s
One teabag in the mug - add sugar to taste
Once the kettle has boiled immediately pour the still bubbling water into the mug.
Let it sit for a little while - about 30 seconds if you have time.
Add milk to taste and then stir until the colour you like appears. If its taking time mash the teabag against the side of the mug.

Occasionally I have had a nasty taste to the tea Ive made as above. Tastes sort of metallic /plastic . This horrid taste never varies though no matter which kettle /teabag/milk is used so the only constant is the water. Never found a source as the water smells okay. Usually use bottled water for the rest of that day to be sure its gone and then its okay until the next time.

3 large sugars

Put sugar in after teabag is removed

Fresh water in the kettle every time.
Make sure the kettle fully boils.
Put teabag and sugar in the mug.
Add water, stir and leave to brew for a good 2-3 minutes.
Add milk, stir again, and smush the teabag against the side of the mug to get all the water out of it.
Remove teabag, one final stir.
Enjoy!

I suspect from what you've written that the variable is actually (as a couple of people have mentioned) what you've eaten before hand .

Two sugars is too much unless you have a hang over though, which tea bags you use and which and how much milk obviously make a difference, and whether the water is fresh (freshly boiled not boiled two minutes ago, and also fresh water not boiled multiple times), whether there's limescale in the kettle ...

Some mugs do also give tea a weird taste...

I think it's the food you had before in your case though.

Try just one sugar and have a biscuit with it instead 🤣

Punjana teabags

I think it must be about Fresh water though OP?

An then experiment for the perfect brewing time - you might be leaving it different times.

Mashing the tea bag as others suggest changes the taste too - not for the better although its better than drinking weak or tepid tea if it's a rubbish tea bag/ weak blend.

If making in mug.
Fresh boiling water onto tea bag.
Leave for three mins
Lift bag out don't squeeze or will taste metallic.
Drop of milk after bag is out. Stir in sugar if you need it .

Also twinnings tea bags