I think we all know one of those people who puts the milk in before their cereal in the morning.
Well, The Breeze’s Mike Puru has taken that to another level - he puts the milk in first when making a cup of tea.
Not only were listeners appalled with this shocking confession, he admitted it to the CEO of one of the largest tea companies in the world.
Dilhan Fernando from Dilmah sat down with Mike to set the record straight on how to make the perfect cuppa.
“The best way to make a cup of tea begins with the storage,” said Dilhan.
“When you have your beautiful wines from the Hawke’s Bay, for example, you don’t want them mixed with the wines from different territories,” he compared.
“Each place, each estate, each garden has an identity, so you need to protect that, which means keeping your tea in a cool, dry place - ideally in an airtight container.
The second thing Dilhan recommended was using nice, clean water - the good thing is, here in New Zealand, we are pretty lucky with that.
After boiling the water, it’s important to get the ratio of tea to water correct.
“Typically 200mls per 2 ½ grams of loose tea or one tea bag,” confirmed Dilhan.
“Pour the freshly boiled water directly onto the tea and make sure you stir every minute.”
“If you’re taking your tea without milk, three minutes, if you are taking your tea without milk, give it a bit more strength.”
“Gastronomy and good taste, it's about harmony,” he explained.
“It shouldn’t be overpowering in the direction of milk or the direction of tea; it should be a balance.”
Wanting to add a little extra pizazz to your tea? Dilhan insists on adding extra spices for more flavour.
“Tea has a beautiful synergy with spices [and] with herbs.”
“At the end of the day, I take mandarin peel, I score it to get the oils out, and I put it into my tea once I’ve brewed it with a little bit of cinnamon, cardamom, sometimes I use basil leaf,” he continued.
“Stay away from sugar… keep it light, everything in balance… make it your own, personalise it.”
Anyone else feeling like a good cuppa right about now?
