How to Steep Tea Leaves

Cup of tea

Loose tea leaves are higher in antioxidants than bagged tea. Brewing tea leaves is an art that takes practice to master. The process of steeping tea leaves depends on the kind of tea you are making. Tea leaves are sold dried, and steeping them will let them soften and mix with the water.

Things You'll Need

• Water
• Kettle
• Teapot
• Tea leaves
• Cup

Instructions

1. Heat cold water in a kettle for two to three minutes for green tea and three to five minutes for black tea. Water for black tea needs to be heated longer for the flavors to come out when you steep. Use high quality water, preferably spring or filtered water.

2. Remove the kettle from the heat. When bubbles start to form on the base of the kettle, it is ready to be poured for green tea, while black tea needs a full boil. Heat plays a big role in steeping the perfect cup of tea. Make sure that the water is hot enough so that you can steep tea, but not too hot that you will burn your tongue. Pour the water into a pot to serve.

3. Add 1 teaspoon of loose tea leaves to the pot for every 1 cup of tea. Leave it to steep for one to two minutes. You can place tea leaves in a tea infuser, or directly add them to the pot. If using an infuser, use one that is big enough to hold the tea. Allow space for the tea to unfurl and let the water circulate.

4. Pour the tea into your cup. If you added tea leaves directly to the pot, use a strainer to catch the tea leaves. The second cup that you pour will be stronger because the tea leaves have steeped longer. You can also take out the tea leaves from the pot so they will stop steeping. You can then add them later if you choose to.

5. Save the leaves for further steeping. You can reuse the tea leaves for additional pots of tea. You must steep a minute longer each time you reuse the leaves even if the water has changed color and the tea looks ready. According to the Columbia University Press, "Certain flavors are released from the vegetable substances more slowly than the colorants."

Resources

• Tea myths on AARP
• Tea Leaves