How to brew the best cup of Jiaogulan Tea

We all know that tea brewing is a slowly disappearing form of art. Naturally, with a fast-paced lifestyle, not many of us have the luxury of brewing and enjoying our own cup of tea. Nonetheless, here are some ideas for brewing your perfect cup of Jiaogulan tea.

I am not going to divulge the benefits of Jiaogulan in this article, you can read them here. Instead I will give you a few different ways you can brew Jiaogulan tea to get the tastiest and most beneficial cup of tea.

Jiaogulan tea infusion

Probably the most common and well known way of brewing Jiaogulan tea. All you need is pure boiling water and Jiaogulan tea leaf.
Place one teaspoon of Jiaogulan leaf (or one tea bag) in a ceramic cup and pour boiling water in it. Finally, let it brew for 2-8 minutes. Viola! You have just made your first cup of Jiaogulan tea. Why ceramic cup? Because it preserves the heat longer and it is more natural.

Do not be in a haste to dispose of your tea leaves yet, because you can re-brew them for upto 3 times!

Cleaning the traveller’s feet

This is an Asian tea ritual where the leaves are briefly rinsed prior to brewing. This takes out the residue which is a natural byproduct of whole leaf infusions. To perform this procedure you will need a teapot or a teacup with an infuser. Alternatively a regular tea strainer will also do the job.

Place the desired quantity of Jiaogulan leaf in the infuser and pour hot water over it. “Rinse” the leaves in hot water for 15-20 seconds and then discard it. Now the Jiaogulan leaf is ready for brewing, you can pour hot water over the infuser and let it brew for 5-15 minutes.

What you have now is a refined cup of Jiaogulan tea, with slightly milder flavour and no powdery residue at the bottom.

Brewing by the pot

You can also brew Jiaogulan tea by the pot. For this you will need a pot with a screen or strainer and loose Jiaogulan leaf or teabags.

For every 8oz/250ml of water you will need one teaspoon of tea leaf, or one tea bag. Place adequate quantity of Jiaogulan leaf in your teapot and pour boiling water, making sure you leave some space for the leaf to expand. Optionally, you can discard the first water after “rinsing” the herb in it for 20-30 seconds and then refilling the teapot once again. Let the pot brew for 5-20 minutes depending on how strong you prefer your tea.

Drink the whole pot by yourself throughout the day or share it with your loved ones. Either way, Jiaogulan tea can be taken hot or chilled.

Jiaogulan tea decoction

When you pour hot water over tea leaf, it is called infusion. However, when you boil tea leaf in water it is known as decoction. Did you know that Jiaogulan tea can be made in both ways?

If you have enjoyed Jiaogulan tea infusion, you will LOVE this recipe. Take one teaspoon (or a tea bag) of Jiaogulan tea for every 10oz/300ml of water and hard boil it for 2-3 minutes. After letting it cool slightly so you can pour the decoction in a thermos or a teapot to enjoy throughout the day.

Additionally, if you prefer, you can add some spices like cinnamon, cardamon or clove. I like adding diced apple and cinnamon to get a delicious and healthy drink that me and my family can enjoy whole day long.

Jiaogulan sun tea brewing

Naturally this is one of those exquisite brewing techniques that will require patience and lots of sunshine. You will need a clear teapot or a glass jar and lots of sunshine. Take one-and-a-half teaspoons of Jiaogulan tea leaf for every 8oz/250ml of pure water and place it in a clear teapot. Then mix well to ensure the leaves are all soaked in the water. Afterwards place the teapot in the direct sun for 1-3 hours.

When ready, you can enjoy your Jiaogulan sun brew tea as it is or served over ice cubes.

Jiaogulan connoisseur’s tips

• Try different brewing times for different intensity of flavour.
• You can re-use the leaves for upto three infusions, each one will have a slightly different flavour.
• Have your Jiaogulan tea piping hot or freezing cold, it is entirely up to you.
• Although Jiaogulan tea is naturally sweet, you can use organic honey as additional sweetener.
• When making decoction, you can add different herbs and spices to get a blend of flavours. My favorite one is diced green apple and cinnamon sticks.

If you have some brewing recipes of your own that you want to share with us, feel free to contact us or leave it in the comments below.

You can purchase Jiaogulan Tea and Jiaogulan Capsules directly from our shop, or from Amazon here.