Drinking Loose Leaf Tea
Loose leaf tea is easy to brew and produces a far superior drink to tea bags. There are many thoughts and styles of brewing tea – it can be as complex or as simple as you like:
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Boil Water |
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1 Teaspoon of tea per person |
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Mug or Teapot InfuserPlace the tea in the infuser and then remove this from the mug / pot 3 minutes later. Traditional TeapotPlace the tea in the pot and use a strainer to catch the tea when pouring. Tea SacLoose leaf tea with the convenience of tea bags; just place the tea in the sac. The Lazy StrainerPlace the tea in the strainer, place the strainer on a mug and pour hot water over (not recommended for the perfect cup). Leave the Leaves in the MugWorks well with green, white and oolong teas which after a minute will sink to the bottom of mug. |
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Drink and Enjoy |
The In-Depth Guide
Tea is an individual drink with most people enjoying their tea ‘just so’. Here, we have endeavoured to give you a detailed guide to getting the best out of your tea – there may be variations depending on variety or type of tea but you will receive tea specific brewing information with every order.
How much tea should I use?
As a rule a generous teaspoon of tea (2.5 to 3g) per teacup is fine. A teacup, however, is about 200ml so if you prefer your tea in a large cup or mug, add another half a teaspoon per cup.
Our perfect tea spoon measures just the right amount (approx 2.5g) every time! The perfect tea pot spoon measures 7.5g – just enough for 3 cups.
Water, Water Everywhere...,
Always try and use freshly drawn water as this contains the most oxygen and releases the best flavours from your tea. Water which has been previously boiled can give a flat and lifeless brew.
Black Tea Use water which has come to a rolling boil (100oc) to get the best results. To prevent the water cooling too quickly we recommend warming the pot first with a little hot water
Green / Oolong The secret for brewing really good green and oolong tea is to use hot, but not boiling water. These teas prefer a slightly cooler temperature (80-85oc) so allow the water in your kettle to cool for a few minutes before brewing your tea. Pouring boiling water onto these teas can cause a bitter taste.
Water quality can have a profound effect on how your tea tastes. If you have a water filter, try using filtered water and see if you can taste the difference.
Making tea in a teapot or using an infuser
We recommend using a teapot with an infuser which will allow you to separate the leaves from the tea liquor. This allows the leaves to be easily be removed after brewing and prevents your tea from stewing and becoming bitter. Infusers are also much easier to clean than teapots.
Warm the pot first by swilling out the pot with hot water. Add a generous teaspoon of tea for each cup then pour in the water. Once your tea has brewed to the desired strength, remove the leaves to prevent them stewing and keep warm with a tea cosy if you wish.
Sometimes it’s simply easier and more convenient to brew you tea in a cup or mug. A mesh infuser such as our Paris infuser is the simplest way – measure your tea into the infuser, add water and brew. Great tea on the go!
Brewing in the Cup
Some teas even lend themselves to brewing directly in a cup with the leaves sinking to the bottom. The Chinese tend to drink their tea this way, adding top ups of water throughout the day – try it with Jasmine Dragon Tears or Formosa Gunpowder. This makes it even easier to reuse the leaves.How long should I brew my tea for?
Length of brewing time is an individual preference depending on how strong you like your tea. For most teas we suggest 3-4 minutes. Loose leaf tea invariably requires longer to brew than teabags; the tea in most teabags is cut very small and blended to quickly give a strong colour. A larger premium leaf will need longer to impart its full flavours – be patient, it’s worth it!Some teas can be re-infused a number of times, each infusion giving a slightly different flavour experience. This works well with most green and white teas and is particularly recommended with oolongs.
Disposal
Tea is a natural product and none of our teas contain artificial colours or flavourings. Tea leaves make a great addition to the compost heap.
Tea-Sacs - the alternative to teabags
Love the convenience of tea bags but still want the flavour of premium loose leaf tea? Why not try our T-Sacs. These are handy chlorine free paper bags for making your own tea bags. Fully biodegradable, simply add your choice of loose leaf tea and brew in your mug or pot as you would a tea bag.
How do we make our tea?
Natty is an aficionado of the tea ceremony; she makes sure the tea is perfectly measured, the water heated to the perfect temperature and times the brewing to produce the finest cup of tea
Matthew likes his tea quick; he either brews his tea in the mug or pours boiling water through the tea sat in a strainer. Some have called him lazy...
The In-Depth Guide
How much tea should I use?
Water, Water Everywhere...
Making tea in a teapot or using an infuser
Brewing the Cup
How long should I brew my tea for?
Disposal
Tea Sacs - the alternative to teabags
How do we make our tea?