What to use instead of black tea
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Tannic base for a cold sweetened drink
The tannins give a dry grip that keeps sugar from tasting cloying, and they are the reason iced tea tastes like tea rather than flavoured water.
OolongRan out
1:1 by weight of leaf, brewed 4 minutes at 90C
Lighter and floral with far less grip, so cut the sugar back by a quarter or the glass tastes syrupy.
Green teaRan out
1:1 by weight, brewed 3 minutes at 80C
Grassy and quick to turn bitter. Brew it above 80C and the whole pitcher goes harsh and astringent.
RooibosRan out
1 1/2 times the weight of leaf, brewed 7 minutes
Naturally sweet, red, and caffeine-free, with no tannic bite, so the sugar comes through much louder.
Yerba mateRan out
1:1 by weight, brewed 5 minutes at 80C
Grassy and bitter in a vegetal way rather than a tannic one, and it still carries caffeine.
What doesn't work: Instant iced tea powder. It is sugar, citric acid and a trace of tea extract, so it tastes sour and flat and the acid curdles condensed milk on contact.
Strong brew that stands up to milk and sugar
Milk fat blunts tannin, so the tea has to be brewed at roughly double strength to still taste of tea once the milk goes in.
Assam or English breakfast leafRan out
2 tsp leaf per cup of water, steeped 5 minutes
Maltier and stronger, and it holds up under whole milk without needing to be doubled again.
Pu-erhRan out
2 tsp per cup, steeped 4 minutes
Earthy and much darker with a smoother body and almost no astringency behind the milk.
Masala chai concentrateRan out
1/2 cup concentrate per 1 cup brewed tea
Already sweetened and spiced, so drop the sugar and the whole spice, and the balance is fixed for you.
RooibosRan out
3 tsp per cup, steeped 8 minutes
No caffeine and no tannin, so it goes soft and sweet under milk and stops reading as chai.
What doesn't work: Brewing at normal strength and adding milk anyway. The tea disappears completely and you are left with warm sweet milk and a faint brown colour.
Tannin and colour in a cooking pot
A tea bag dropped into simmering chickpeas stains them dark and adds a dry, tannic edge for the spices to sit against.
Loose black tea tied in muslinRan out
2 tsp per pot
Same colour and tannin as a bag, and you can lift it out at 20 minutes before it turns bitter.
Onion skins tied in a clothRan out
The skins of 2 onions per pot
The same brown colour with no tannin at all, so the gravy tastes rounder and less dry.
Dried pomegranate seedRan out
1 tbsp anardana per pot
Browns the pot and turns it sour at the same time, so pull back the amchur or lemon at the end.
What doesn't work: Leaving the tea bag in for the whole simmer. Past about twenty minutes the tannins turn the gravy dry and bitter and the chickpeas end up tasting of stewed tea.