Brewing loose-leaf tea is among some of the easiest things to do. Whether you need a quick pick-me-up or you are new to loose leaf tea, you’ve just landed exactly where you need to be to learn how to brew loose leaf tea.
As you’ll see, making it is actually simpler than you think. All you need is some loose-leaf tea, something to brew your tea in, and some hot water.
This guide answers any common questions on how to brew loose leaf tea. Do you need a kettle, how much tea per cup, what temperature is good, and how long do I let it steep? and so on and so forth. Let’s get started.
Gather all the required apparatus
It’s always good practice to put everything you need in one place. These include the loose-leaf tea, your pot, or infuser, a mug, and your kettle.
How to brew loose leaf tea
1. Decide on your ratios
Unlike tea bags, loose leaf tea offers you a lot of flexibility. You can play around with the quantity to get to your desired flavor profile.
You can, however, start by measuring out 2 tablespoons of loose tea leaves per each 400ml of fresh filtered water.
2. Boil your water
The blend of tea you choose to work with determines the temperature of your water. As a rule of thumb, It’s advisable to keep the temperature at 100 degrees for black teas and 85 degrees for green teas. When the water isn’t hot enough, black teas taste flat while green teas taste bitter when the water is too hot.
3. Steep your tea
Once the water has come to the desired boil, the next step would be to infuse your tea. It’s often advisable to pour hot water over tea leaves. This ensures that every part of the leaves is saturated. Do this as often as possible to achieve the best flavor.
To get the best steep and flavor from your tea, it is advisable to time it right. Every blend has varied steeping times. However, most teas take a maximum of three minutes to steep. Use your phone as a timer to get the steeping time right if you don’t have a timer.
4. Sieve the tea
When your tea is done steeping, sieve the tea if you used a teapot or kettle. Doing this ensures that your tea is just about how you like it rather than being too strong from steeping for far too long. If you used an infuser, then simply remove it from your steeped tea.
5. Add milk and sweeten to taste
If you are one who enjoys your loose tea black, then you are free to indulge. But for those who prefer their tea with milk, sugar, or honey, go ahead and add the desired quantity to taste Voila! There you have it! A cup of loose tea in no time. Take one good sip to open your palate to the rich flavor of loose tea. Remember the secret lies in the temperature of the water and the steeping time.
Now that you know how to brew loose leaf tea like a barista, here are some more awesome recipes you can try:
