Professional tea taster shares 'correct' way to make the perfect cuppa

Maisha Rahman knows a thing or two about making a decent brew (stock) (Image: Getty Images/Maskot)

A professional tea taster has shared the perfect technique for brewing a cup of tea and even recommended drawing inspiration from a renowned British writer. Being the first female tea auctioneer in Bangladesh, it's reasonable to conclude that 33-year-old tea expert Maisha Rahman understands a considerable amount about crafting an excellent brew.

Maisha has established herself in a conventionally male-dominated field that requires expertise that takes years to develop. Thankfully, for us tea-adoring Britons, she's shared some of her tea-brewing knowledge. The initial aspect to observe is the colour; optimally, you should achieve a "coppery bright or an orangey shade", whilst a dark brown concoction is "dull", and a grey tea isn't merely less desirable, it's "poor" and even "faulty".

Maisha says you should aim for a "coppery bright or an orangey shade" (stock) (Image: Getty Images)

As we're all aware, the brewing process itself is vital regarding tea preparation. Maisha, who (despite her profession) still consumes five cups daily, revealed the ideal technique to the i Paper, and predictably, there was no reference to teabags.

The piece states: "She says that the best method to make it is the Bangladeshi way, by adding loose tea leaves to a pan of boiling water before pouring the dark 'liquor' – the liquid that comes from steeping tea leaves in hot water – through a strainer into a cup.

"She loves milky tea with a little sugar, but sometimes skips the sweetener altogether. While acknowledging that her method may not be everyone's cup of tea, she says that a good starting point would be to follow George Orwell's 11-point guide for the perfect brew."

Orwell, who famously authored the dystopian texts 1984 and Animal Farm, favoured Indian or Ceylon over Chinese tea. He also preferred his tea in earthenware or china teapots and was particular about adding the milk afterwards.

Maisha even suggested looking to a famous British author for tea inspiration (stock) (Image: Getty Images)

Another essential rule for Orwell was avoiding sugar altogether. Indeed, he observed that tea was "meant to be bitter" - just as "beer is meant to be bitter".

Those who favour the humble teabag shouldn't lose hope, though. Tea expert Dominic Marriott from Ahmad Tea previously offered guidance on achieving a perfect brew using this approach.

Dominic explains that key considerations with a teabag include patience, using water that's just reached boiling point and having a saucer ready. He observed in his video that people are "often in a rush", so they don't prepare the tea "properly".

On this point, he encouraged people to take their time when brewing their tea, as this enhances the drink's flavour profile and ensures the taste is "as intended."

He explained: "Take your teabag and put it in your cup. Some people would actually also like to warm the cup first so that it will help the tea brew."

Dominic emphasised: "Next, we need to take freshly boiled water. If the water is already boiled, it would have lost a lot of oxygen, and that will mean the tea won't brew properly and the resulting infusion will be flat and dull."

He underscored the necessity of using "freshly drawn water" and allowing the water to fully boil, reaching 100 degrees Celsius. At this juncture, switch off the kettle so it doesn't overboil and pour onto your teabag.

You should give your teabag as "good a brew as possible" and can use the saucer to cover the cup (this keeps the heat in). He recommended a minimum of three minutes of brewing time; a final press of the teabag once removed will finish the job.