How to Make Loose Leaf Tea
Lifestyle

How to Make Loose Leaf Tea

Read Time
5 mins
Written by
frank green

There’s nothing more brew-tiful and soothing than that first delicious sip of tea—and it tastes even better when you brew it yourself. So pop the kettle on, grab your tea infuser, and discover how to make a cup of loose leaf tea.

How to brew loose leaf tea

Brewing loose leaf tea is easy once you know how, so let’s get this par-tea started. To make the perfect cup:

  1. Choose your leaves  
  2. Decide on the right tea-to-water ratio for the perfect strength
  3. Boil the water and add leaves
  4. Let it brew its thing  
  5. Add milk or sugar (if you like your tea sweet)  
  6. Empty the leaves and rinse out your pot or strainer

Once you’ve opened your packet of loose leaf, keep the leaves in an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place, so you seal in all that freshness and flavour!

So now you’re an expert at how to brew tea, let’s take a look at how long to brew it.

How long to brew tea

How long you should brew loose leaf tea depends on the type of tea and how much you choose to use.

For example:

  • scoop of black tea requires around 3-5 minutes of brew time at around 95-98°C
  • 1½ teaspoons of white tea will require the same amount of brew time, but at 70-75°C
  • 1 teaspoon of green tea needs around 1-3 minutes of brew time at 80-85°C
  • 1 teaspoon of oolong needs 2-4 minutes of brewing at 80-95°C

When figuring out how to prepare loose tea, try not to steep for too long as it might cause it to taste bitter. Not using enough leaves or pouring too soon can result in a weaker cup (which is fine, if that’s how you like it).

How much loose leaf tea per cup?

As a general rule of thumb, you'll want to use one teaspoon of loose leaf tea per cup, though this may vary according to tea type, the tea-to-water ratio and your own preferences.

Or, use a Tea Scoop to get the perfect portion of tea leaves every time!

What is a loose leaf tea infuser?

So what is a tea infuser and how does it differ from a tea strainer?

Both are tea-rrific at preventing loose leaves from escaping into your tea. But while water is poured straight onto a tea strainer and designed to catch the tea leaves, a tea infuser fully immerses them in the water, releasing fragrance and flavour. Our infuser also comes with a mesh filter to keep your tea sediment-free. With it, you won’t need to learn how to use a tea strainer!

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How to use a tea infuser - frank green style!

Here’s a step-by-step guide to using your frank green Tea Infuser (by the way, it fits snugly into all our reusable cups and bottles so you can skip the teapot all together).

  1. Unscrew the top of your infuser and add the loose tea of your choice (perhaps a box of our Black ZenPeppermint or Immunity tea?)
  2. Screw the top back on and click into a reusable bottle or cup from our Coffee and Tea range.  
  3. Add water and let your tea steep for a few minutes.
  4. Carefully remove the infuser by pulling on the metal handle.
  5. Put the lid back on your bottle or cup. Or you can leave the infuser in if you prefer your tea a little more hard-hitting!  

How to make iced tea with loose leaf

Making loose leaf tea is not only great to use for a piping hot cuppa, but also for a refreshing iced tea!  

Turning hot tea into a chilled bevvie is easy:  

  1. Boil the kettle, like you typically would to make a cuppa  
  2. Pour hot water over loose leaf tea  
  3. Cover and let tea steep for 5 minutes  
  4. Leave your cup or jug to chill for a bit in the fridge  
  5. Drink and enjoy! Also add a little ice, if you prefer.  

Or give the cold brew method a go:  

  1. Add a few scoops of loose leaf into your cup or jug  
  2. Pour in some cold water  
  3. Pop in the fridge for the next 8-12 hours  
  4. After tea has had time to steep, take out of the fridge  
  5. Pour tea through a tea strainer into a fresh glass (or a frank green reusable cup!)  
  6. Sip back and relax! Again, serve with ice, if that's your thing.

Making loose leaf tea is a lot simpler than you think (especially with our tea infuser by your side). Love coffee too? We’ve got some delicious recipes for iced coffee that’ll blow your socks off! .

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