Steeping Instructions
Spill The Tea
How To Prepare Loose Leaf Tea
Instructions
1. Boil water.
2. While waiting for water to boil, add 1-2 scoops of loose leaf tea to your tea bag or infuser. Place the tea bag inside your mug.
3. When the water starts boiling, pour it over the tea bag into your mug. Cover your mug with a lid or saucer. This will allow the tea to steep. Steeping is the process of extracting the flavor and health-promoting compounds from the solids used to make tea.
4. Time your tea. Allow tea to steep at least 2-3 minutes. Herbal Teas (5-7 mins). Once the time is up, dunk the tea bag a couple of times to circulate the water. Remove the tea bag and set aside for a second steeping.
5. Add honey or sugar and lemon to taste.
Tip: when resteeping your tea, add another minute to the steep time, this is because the tea needs longer to draw out the flavor.
Ideal Temperature
How to Brew Black Tea
Some delicate black teas (like First Flush Darjeelings) require lower brewing temperatures of around 180 F to 190 F. However, most black teas can be brewed between 200 F and 212 F.
How to Brew Herbal Teas/Tisanes
Tisanes (a.k.a. 'herbal teas') come from many different plants, so their brewing instructions vary widely. However, generally speaking, water at a full boil (212 F) will work.
How to Brew Green Tea
It's better to err on the side of lower temperatures with green teas. If your green tea tastes bitter or overly grassy, try brewing it at a lower temperature. Most green teas are best when brewed well below boiling temp (212 F), at somewhere between 150 F and 180 F. If you're warming water in a pot, this means it will have either tiny bubbles forming in the bottom of the pot or tiny bubbles (about 3 mm) rapidly rising to the surface of the pot.