How to Pick Good Quality Tea: Insights From Vikram Tea Experts
Image Credit: Vikram Tea

For most Indians, chai isn’t yet another beverage. Right from getting the perfect kick to wake up in the morning, followed by a quick cup of tea to pair with your breakfast, or a strong adrak vali chai in the evening to an occasional aadha cup chai, tea flawlessly fits into everyone’s routine. 

Since chai is such a big part of your day, why are you settling on buying the average-quality tea leaves? To help you find the best tea, some brewing tips, and finally, the best way to store loose leaves, Slurrp interviewed the experts at Vikram Tea. Known for their superior range of tea, from their premium elaichi tea to the flavourful green tea, here’s an ultimate guide to picking good quality tea.

Good Quality Tea: Cues To Take Into Account

Some of the best telltale signs that you have bought a good quality tea are as follows:

Quantity: If your tea is of good quality, it usually requires fewer tea leaves to prepare.

Smell: You will notice a sweet, biscuit-like aroma.

Colour: While preparing the tea, when you add the milk, it is usually bright reddish or golden yellow.

Tea Waste/ Residue Colour:  When you strain the liquid tea into a cup, its residue is usually a bright brown colour. If it is darkish, blackish, or dull, the quality is bad.

Aftertaste: While drinking, observe the taste on the tip of your tongue. If the tea is of poor quality, it will give a little pungent taste, whereas good-quality tea will have a richer, biscuit-like flavour.

Why Should Assam Tea Garden Be Your Go-to Choice?

“Even though most types of tea gardens produce good-quality tea leaves, Assam gardens are known for their superior quality due to their geo-climatic conditions. While Assam is primarily lowland, some areas of Upper Assam benefit from slightly elevated terrain, enhancing tea quality. Furthermore, a perfect balance of morning dew and sunlight nurtures the tea leaves, creating a full-bodied, malty flavour. The tropical weather and high rainfall enrich the soil, making Assam's tea bushes thrive. Therefore, Assam tea is usually known for superior quality & one of the best tea gardens. We source all our tea from the gardens of Upper Assam. Our best-selling brand, Vikram Kadak Dust Tea, is widely recognised for its strong brand loyalty. It was once known simply as "Assam Tea," and many consumers still fondly refer to it by that name. “the experts at Vikram Tea tell us.

Tips To Brew The Best Cup Of Chai

Taking into account the many different types of tea leaves, here are some tips by Vikram tea experts on how to get the most aromatic cup of tea.

Indian Black Tea

When you boil Indian black tea (CTC, dust, or a mix), boil it with milk and add spices and sugar (as needed). 

Black Tea Bag

If you’re making a cup of chai with a black teabag, steep tea leaves in hot water (not boiling) for 3-5 minutes to get a strong, rich flavour.

Green Tea

Unlike the traditional way of making tea, where the black tea is boiled with milk or water, green tea is not supposed to boil. It is supposed to be brewed in the below-mentioned steps:

Prepare: Rinse a glass cup and place tea leaves in it. The recommended ratio is 3–5 grams of tea for every 200 millilitres of water. 

Boil water: Boil water in a pan. 

Steep: Pour hot water into the cup and let it steep for a few minutes. The steeping time depends on the type of tea and whether you're using a tea bag or loose leaves. For tea bags, steep for 1–2 minutes. If you’re using loose leaves, it is recommended that you don’t agitate the leaves while brewing in a kyusu teapot. 

Water temperature: The ideal water temperature depends on the type of tea. For example, Japanese green teas like Sencha and Gyokuro work well with water that's 50–60°C, while Chinese green and white teas like Silver Needle and Dragon Well work well with water that's 70–80°C the tea leaves are in water that’s just for 1-3 minutes to preserve its fresh, light taste.

Oolong Tea

Oolong tea can be steeped multiple times, with each steeping revealing more layers of flavour. It's best to use fresh, cold filtered water and steep the tea at a temperature between 80-90°C for 60 seconds to 3 minutes. A typical steeping time is 3-5 minutes, but adjust it based on your taste and the specific oolong tea.

White Tea

Steep delicate tea leaves in water under boiling for 2-4 minutes for a soft, mild taste.

Herbal Tea

For most herbal teas, all you need to do is steep herbs in near-boiling water for 5-7 minutes to get a calming, flavorful brew.

Pu-erh Tea

To enjoy a rich, earthy flavour, steep fermented tea leaves in hot water for 4-6 minutes

Matcha

Whisk matcha powder with hot water (not boiling) until frothy, then drink the vibrant, grassy brew immediately.

Lesser Known Fact

Dust tea (Commonly mentioned as Powder Tea), CTC (often called "danedar" tea by Indians), or Mix Tea (a blend of dust and CTC) are simply different forms of tea. The true quality of tea depends not on its form but on the gardens from which it is sourced. It's simply that the market leaders in each region started with a particular form of tea, and as Indians, we’ve become accustomed to that style over time.

How To Store Tea To Maintain Its Freshness?

Tea should always be stored in airtight containers. If you are someone who prepares food using spices and flavours or Indians who love their masalas, it’s important to note that the strong aromas from these spices can affect the quality of tea. Improperly sealed tea containers can allow the tea to absorb these fragrances, altering its original flavour.

All in all, savour the finest quality tea and enjoy every sip to the fullest!