How to Brew Loose Leaf Tea

Looking to brew a great cup of tea? Follow these easy steps and say hello to a flavorful cup!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Teapot
• Strainer
• Cold Filtered Water
• Way to Heat the Water
• Your Favorite Loose-leaf tea
• A Watch to keep time

1. Choose the best tea for you: Everyone has different tastes. Know that every tea has different heaviness and flavor characteristics. Very generally, white teas are the lightest, then greens, oolongs, blacks, and pu-erhs which are very dark and bold. You will have to experiment to find the perfect tea for your palate.

2. Bring the cold, filtered water to a rolling boil. Do not re-boil the water if it had been previously boiled -- it will taste flat. Use freshly boiled water for each teapot.

3. Pre-heat the teapot you will be brewing in. If it's the same pot you just boiled the water in, then this step has already been done. If you are brewing in a separate pot, then fill it with some boiling water and let it sit. You want the teapot nice and hot so that it doesn't cool the water down when you begin brewing.

4. Use the proper water temperature: If you are brewing a white or green tea, then let the water cool for approximately 2 minutes before using it to brew. Boiling water does bad things to the delicate white/green tea leaves. If you are brewing a black or pu-erh, boiling water is actually better for the extraction. Keep that in mind.

5. Add the proper amount of tea to the teapot: General rule of thumb is approx 3g of tea per cup of water. Feel free to use more or less depending on your palate. Just know that altering the recommended ratio will affect the flavor greatly.

6. Add the proper amount of water to the teapot and begin to steep. Steep time is generally accepted as 5 minutes for full extraction. However many people consider a 3 minute brew time for white/green teas to be preferable. Use a watch or timer to alert you when the pot is ready.

7. Use a tea strainer to separate the loose tea leaves from the tea liquor. Now go enjoy your excellent cup of tea.

Tips & Warnings

• Filtered, Freshly Boiled Water
• Near Boiling for Black Teas
• 180 Degrees for White/Greens
• 5 mins for Oolongs,Black Teas and Pu-erhs, 3-5 mins for Whites/Greens
• Try not to just re-use the wet extracted tea leaves if you want another pot. It's depleted and will result in a thin, bitter cup of tea. Start fresh.
• Don't reboil the water -- re-boiled water tastes flat and almost metallic. It will affect the flavor of the tea. Start fresh.

[botticelli728]

on 7/10/2009 Escellent. 5*

[goodselfme]

on 4/10/2009 Good tips on brewing a great cup of tea.

[triciagoss]

on 2/28/2009 I've decided it's time I start drinking tea. Thanks for the tips!