loose leaf tea Brewing Loose Leaf Tea is the process of making tea in an old-fashion way. Not only that it's healthier, but using loose leaf tea creates much more flavorful tea compared to pre-packed tea bags! No one can deny that drinking a cup of your favorite loose leaf tea is a delightful experience. So, if you don't know how to brew it, you're at the right place. In this blog we are going to go over steps of brewing loose leaf tea and share the best tips that will make the difference! Here is how to do it!

Measure Loose Leaf Tea

Loose Leaf Tea The first thing you have to do is measure your loose leaf tea. An optimal and best proportion to measure is 1 tablespoon leaf tea per 8 oz cup of water. However, teas such as White tea and Chamomile may require more than 1 tablespoon because they are fluffier. On the other hand, tea like Gunpowder is rather denser and may require less than 1 teaspoon. Or, if you are still unsure about measurement, simply take a look at the back of your tea bag to find a suggested serving size. After you decide on the serving size of tea, place it in an infuser. Or, you can place it directly in your teacup. If you chose to use an infuser, place it in a teapot. Check out these Colorful Ceramic Leaf Tea Infusers that will ensure you get the absolute best tea flavor!

Heating Water

The second step of brewing tea is heating the water to a desired temperature. Needless to say, always use fresh water! This is very important because using water that has been sitting all night in a teapot can result in a stale taste to your tea. Naturally, different types of teas require different boiling temperatures. Here are the boiling temperatures for the most popular types of tea: Green Tea: 185° F - 1 to 3 minutes White Tea: 185° F - 1 to 2 minutes Black & Pu-Erh: 212° F - 2 to 5 minutes Oolong: 195° F - 1 to 3 minutes Herbal: 212° F - 3 to 5 minutes Tip: Do not boil water for too long because over boiled water can result in a stale taste.

Steep Your Tea

Loose Leaf Tea The final step is to pour heated water over the infuser filled with tea. One thing you should pay attention to is that the tea is always completely covered with water. Next, you should steep the tea for the amount of time that corresponds to each type of tea (shown below). When indicated time has elapsed, you can go ahead and remove the infuser. Also, brewing tea for too long can extract bitterness from the leaves. Thus, steeping time really matters and contributes to the end result and better taste! Tip: Many types of tea can be re-steeped numerous times so feel free to re-steep tea leaves as desired! Many people find this process more complicated than simply using tea bags when brewing tea. However, with basic understanding of how to brew loose leaf tea and a few tips that we've shared, you'll master it very quickly! If you need any help or guidance, visit Teabloom for many other helpful tea brewing techniques and tips!