Brewing Guidelines For Loose Leaf Tea

Watching loose leaf tea steeping is a beautiful thing. Yes, you can use a disposable tea bag if you like. I get it – sometimes that’s easier. But when you first see those curled tea leaves unfurling, and flowers opening in your water, there’s no going back.

But first, a measuring guideline.

A good measurement for loose-leaf tea is 1 teaspoon tea per 6 ounces water, or 2 teaspoons per standard 12-ounce mug. If this seems like a lot, keep in mind that a high quality tea is good for up to 3 steeps. We’ll come back to that.

You can scroll through the images for a quick overview, or read on below.

Steeping Method One:
A tea infuser that fills your cup, like this one, is the optimal way to brew tea. Measure your leaves into the infuser, heat your water, and pour it into your cup. When the tea is ready, simply lift out the infuser and there you go. Tea is served.

Steeping Method Two:
If you don’t have an infuser, you can measure the leaves directly into a brewing container such as a small glass Pyrex measuring cup, or a mason jar, and pour your water directly over the leaves. When the tea is ready, pour it through a small mesh strainer into the cup you wish to drink from. Even though I have an infuser and love it, I still choose to brew tea this way at times for the delight of watching it through the glass.

If you don’t have a small strainer, pouring the tea through a coffee filter or a piece of paper towel works as well. And drinking the occasional floating tea leaf does you no harm.

A note on tea balls:
You can use a tea ball if that’s your preference. Just bear in mind that your tea leaves do not have much room to unfurl in most tea balls, and you may miss out on some of the flavor.

Loose leaf teas are not chopped, as are pre-packaged teas, but are left whole in order to retain their flavor. I follow the same practice with all the herbs that I dry, keeping them whole as they dry and also storing them whole. While I do crush them lightly with a wooden spoon as I blend them, in order to let the flavors meld, they are still in bigger pieces than commercial teas, and need room to expand in the water.

And now back to the second and third steeps… yes, steep it again!
Loose leaf teas such as these are born for more than one steep. Simply increase your steeping time by a minute with each subsequent steep. You should be able to enjoy up to 3 cups of tea from the same leaves. Experiment with this, according to your tastes. You may not like a third steep with every tea, but at least give each one the honor of a second steep. Some of the flavoring botanicals I use are only fully experienced with the second steep.

Need more than one cup of tea?
Tea is even better when shared with a friend! For this, a French press is an excellent way to brew loose leaf tea. Follow the same guideline of 1 teaspoon tea per 6 ounces water. After you press the tea, you may want to pour it into another container, such as a teapot that will keep it warm, if it won’t all be drunk right away. It will become bitter if it sits on the tea leaves. Just remember to give those leaves at least a second steep, to catch all the nuances of flavor in your tea.

And the final step?
When you’re done with the leaves, compost them if you can, returning them to the earth with gratitude. Not only does this feel better than dumping them in the trash, after they’ve given such a beautiful thing, but this practice is so good for the health of our soil.

As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions.

Happy steeping! ~Sheila