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The Perfect Cup of Loose Leaf Tea

For the perfect cup of loose leaf tea, you’ll always want to:

Once steeping is complete, remove the leaves completely.

Start with fresh, cold water for the best oxygen content.

Preheat your teacup by rinsing it with hot water and be sure give your leaves room to expand while steeping.

Don’t squeeze or press the leaves after steeping, as this can release bitter compounds.

Heating the Water

The temperature of your water is crucial for extracting the optimal flavor from your loose leaf tea. Different types of tea require different temperatures for the best results:

• Herbal tea: 212°F (100°C)
• Black tea: 200-212°F (93-100°C)
• Green tea: 170-180°F (76-82°C)
• White tea: 160-170°F (71-76°C)
• Oolong tea: 180-190°F (82-88°C)

For best results, we recommend that you use fresh, cold water and heat it using your preferred method – whether that’s a traditional kettle, electric kettle, or stovetop pot.

If you don’t have a thermometer, you can gauge the temperature by looking at the water: small bubbles indicate lower temperatures (170-180°F), while rolling boils indicate maximum temperature (212°F).

Steeping Your Loose Leaf Tea

Proper steeping time varies by tea type. Steeping your tea too long may result in a bitter taste. The approximate amount of time for each loose leaf tea type is:

• Black tea: 3-5 minutes
• Green tea: 2-3 minutes
• White tea: 1-3 minutes
• Oolong tea: 2-5 minutes
• Herbal tea: 4-7 minutes

Select your preferred loose leaf tea brewing method from these popular options:

In-mug infuser: Built into specialty mugs for convenient brewing

Basket infuser: Basket infusers fit most mugs and allows leaves to expand fully

Tea filter bags: Disposable paper filter bags, perfect for travel or office use

Mesh ball infuser: Also called a charm infuser, this is a classic choice that works well for most teas

Tip 1: Know Your Water Temperature

Did you know that you can actually burn your tea?

It’s true that many of our favorite blends steep at a rolling boil of 212°F, but there are some blends that quickly turn bitter and astringent if the water is too hot. Green teas, for instance, almost always steep at a lower temperature, closer to 160°F or 180°F, but it can vary from tea to tea.

Delicate Japanese greens, for instance, can steep as low as 140°F, and most matchas do best between 160°F and 170°F. White teas and oolongs also often steep at lower temperatures, but most herbals, black teas, and rooibos blends do require a higher water temperature to brew properly, usually much closer to 212°F.

Tip 3: Timing Matters

Did you know that you can actually burn your tea?

Speaking of steep times, we’ve all been there. You’re excitedly brewing a cup of tea but then get distracted, leaving your forgotten cup steeping away on the counter. When you finally come back 30 minutes later, you’re left with a bitter, over-brewed cup of tea.

While a few blends, like fruity herbals, can withstand longer steep times, most “true teas” like greens and blacks cannot, so it’s crucial to stick to the brew time listed on the package. Like with water temperature, over-brewing your tea can result in the burning of the leaves, not just a stronger flavor.

How Do You Make Iced Tea?

For the perfect cup of loose leaf tea, you’ll always want to:

here are two primary methods of brewing the perfect cup of loose leaf iced tea: the concentrate method and the cold brew method.

• For the Concentrate Method: brew a concentrate by using half the water (for a 16oz glass, brew 2 tsp of loose-leaf tea in 8oz of hot water) and then shake in a tumbler of ice after steeping!
• The Cold Brew Method: this method takes longer. You should place 1-2 tsp of loose-leaf tea per 8oz of water in cold water and let it brew in the fridge for 8-12 hours.