Blogs

Why Hand Blending Tea Impacts TasteAt Twist Teas we are passionate about providing the best tasting tea you’ve ever had. So how do we deliver on this promise? The secret to this lies in our unique approach to hand blending our ingredients.Tea grade quality: whole leaf tea vs tea dustTea flavour is derived from the oil contained in the leaves and whole leaves contain the most oil. When tea leaves are picked, they are rolled and dried then sorted according to size. They are graded from whole leaves and buds

Tea StorageThe Perfect BrewWhat is the best way to store tea?Storing tea correctly is vital for preserving flavour. Tea quality begins to degrade if it is exposed to heat, moisture, odour, light and air. If properly stored, premium tea will stay fresh for at least 12 months. The following factors can affect the shelf life of your tea: HeatLong term exposure to heat can cause tea to degrade. Kitchens can get hot during the peak of service, and it is impossible to avoid all heat. We do recommend that you

Loose Leaf vs Tea BagsThe Perfect BrewDoes loose leaf tea taste better than tea bags?There are some tea drinkers who swear that loose leaf tea is the only way to make the perfect brew. Brewing loose leaf tea allows the tea leaves to comfortably unfurl within the hot water, thereby releasing as much flavour as possible. The flat paper tea bags used by many, less premium, tea companies don’t let water circulate around the leaves in the same way and they can only hold smaller tea particles, not whole leaf

Brewing TimeThe Perfect BrewHow long should tea be brewed?Brewing time is the length of time the tea bag or tea leaves are left to steep in hot water before it has a detrimental impact on taste. The length of time up to this point can vary according to personal taste. Some people love a very strong brew, while others like to whip their tea out almost immediately after the water has been poured. The size of leaves used also has a bearing on required brewing time. Smaller tea particles tend

Water TemperatureThe Perfect BrewHow does temperature affect taste?The optimum temperature of water for brewing tea varies according to each tea type. Black teas taste best if brewed in water just off the boil but if you do the same to green or white tea you risk burning the leaves and creating a bitter brew.Essentially this comes down to how each tea type is processed. The greater the amount of oxidation the tea has undergone, the hotter the water needs to be. Black teas are 100% oxidised during production and need