French Press for Tea

At a recent tea tasting class we attended, a few folks mentioned that they use a French Press to make their tea.  I was intrigued by the notion and decided to buy one.  I justified the expense by claiming that I need the very best tools available to aid me in my tea education.

Not being a coffee drinker, I had only the vaguest notions of how a French Press works.  Undaunted, I made the purchase and brought one home.  The instructions for the press were helpfully written in 13 languages but only pertained to coffee, not tea.   Also, the little instructional drawings in the booklet neglected to show how and when the press part is plunged, so again, not so useful.

From the comfort of a recliner, my coffee-drinking, French-press experienced partner walked me through the steps.  First, I collected the water.  It should have been filtered, but I skipped that part.  I brought the water to a boil and actually went to the trouble to stick a thermometer in the water and waited until the temperature came down to the recommended 180 degrees for the Ancient Moonlight White tea leaves.

It was a beautiful sight to behold as the tea leaves danced in the water and began to release their light toffee-tan color.  I was quite enchanted by the view and took a photo to capture the moment.

After a recommended 5 minutes of steeping, I was told by the now lounging french-press expert to push the press slowly and steadily to the bottom.  I did so and then the tea was ready to pour.  At that moment, I realized that we needed to buy new teacups that would show off the beautiful “liquor”, because all we had were our cracked and stained utility mugs.  It was not quite the refined and elegant experience I had imagined, but it wouldn’t affect the taste.

It was time to sit and taste the results.  Oh my.  Oh my. What a light and luscious aroma.  What a perfect drinking temperature.  What a gentle, toffee-honey flavor.   Like meditation-in-a-cup.

I don’t know how the results might have differed if I hadn’t used the French Press – I suppose I should try it and see, but I don't want to waste one precious Ancient Moonlight white leaf or bud in what could be an inferior brewing method.  Oh, what have I wrought?