Here are 4 steps in brewing the perfect cup of tea.
Step One: Measure Your Loose Tea
Start by measuring your loose-leaf tea. Generally, you should measure 1 teaspoon loose leaf tea per 8 oz cup of water. Place the measured tea in an infuser or directly in your cup/teacup. Next place the infuser (if you are using one) in your cup/teapot. If you want a stronger cup of tea add more loose-leaf tea to the infuser/cup.
Step Two: Heat Your Water to Temperature
Next, heat your water to the temperature suggested below. Be careful not to boil your water for too long.
- Black : 212° F
- Oolong: 195° F
- Green & White: 170-180° F
- Herbal: 212° F
How to tell if you do not have a thermometer? Here’s a way to estimate temperatures:
- 180° F = bubbles form on the bottom of the pot
- 195° F = the first bubbles begin to rise
- 212° F = full rolling boil
Step Three: Steep Your Tea
Pour your heated water over the tea-filled infuser. Be sure the tea is covered completely with water. Steep your tea for the amount of time shown below. When enough time has elapsed, remove the infuser. If you are steeping directly in your cup, simply wait until most of the tea leaves have fallen to the bottom of your cup. Keep in mind that brewing your tea for too long can extract undesirable bitterness from the leaves, so steeping time matters! For a stronger brew, don’t steep longer, just use more tea.
- Green & White: 2-3 minutes
- Black : 3-5 minutes
- Oolong: 4-7 minutes
- Herbal: 5-7 minutes
Step four: Sweeten as you like and Enjoy!