Most Americans enjoy tea either brewed from a teabag or premade iced tea already bottled. However, brewing gourmet loose leaf teas using one of the methods described here will produce such an exquisite brew, it will be hard to go back. Because the tea leaves are in direct contact with the brewing water, tea brewed with these methods capture more of the tea's flavor and essential oils.

Brewing loose leaf tea is easy. Essentially, you simply use an infuser like the ones pictured on the left, or a device described in the methods below. If you use one of the infusers on the left, you place the tea inside of it, and place it in the teapot or teacup. Whatever method you use, it is best to brew in a cup or teapot that is covered, in order to bring the leaves of the tea in direct contact with the brewing water while avoiding losing the essential aromatic oils found in the tea.

Water quality, temperature, brewing time and quantity of leaves are all important factors in preparing tea, and are described in detail below.

Teapots come in all shapes and sizes. The teapot pictured on the left is a 12 ounce teapot imported from India, and holds enough tea for two cups. A fine selection of teapots can be found on our Tea Accessories Page.

Step 1:

Add one teaspoon of loose leaf tea per cup, plus one teaspoon for the teapot, as a rule of thumb. A standard size cup of tea is 6 ounces. If your teapot holds 18 ounces of water, then a good amount of tea to put in would be four teaspoons (three teaspoons for the 18 ounces of water, plus one teaspoon for the teapot).

Step 2:

Fill the teapot with hot brewing water, and...

Step 3:

Cover the teapot and let the tea steep according to the recommended brewing time for the type of loose leaf tea. Note: Brewing the tea for too long or with too hot of water will "stew" the tea and produce a bitter brew.

Step 4:

Pour the brewed tea into your teacup through a stainer to filter out any tea leaves. Sweeten and/or add milk as desired. Enjoy!

If your brew was particularly strong, you may try a second or even a third infusion. If necessary, you can cut back on the amount of water added for the second or third brewings.

A one cup and teapot is an unique and handy way to brew loose leaf tea. Essentially, the teacup itself doubles as a teapot to brew an individual cup of tea. The one cup and teapot pictured on the left has the infuser inserted into the teacup for brewing. A nice selection of One Cup and Teapots can be found in our store catalog.

Step 1:

Place the infuser inside the teacup and add one teaspoon of loose leaf tea per cup, as a rule of thumb. A standard size cup of tea is 6 ounces. If your teacup holds six ounces of water, then a good amount of tea to put in would be one teaspoon.

Step 2:

Fill the teacup with hot brewing water, and...

Step 3:

Cover the teacup and let the tea steep according to the recommended brewing time for the type of loose leaf tea. Note: Brewing the tea for too long or with too hot of water will "stew" the tea and produce a bitter brew.

Step 4:

After the tea has finished brewing, lift out the infuser with the loose tea leaves. Sweeten and/or add milk as desired. Enjoy!

If your brew was particularly strong, you may try a second or even a third infusion. If necessary, you can cut back on the amount of water added for the second or third brewings.

The French press is a handy device that can efficiently and optimally brew a fair amount of tea. The press pictured on the left holds 32 ounces, or enough for five cups of tea. An interesting History of the French Press was written by Nancy Michael.

Step 1:

Add one teaspoon of loose leaf tea per cup, plus one teaspoon for the French press, as a rule of thumb. A standard size cup of tea is 6 ounces. If your French press holds 24 ounces of water, then a good amount of tea to put in would be five teaspoons (four teaspoons for the 24 ounces of water, plus one teaspoon for the French press).

Step 2:

Fill the French press with hot brewing water, and...

Step 3:

Insert the plunger into the press to the top level of the brewing water. Let the tea steep according to the recommended brewing time for the type of loose leaf tea. Note: Brewing the tea for too long or with too hot of water will "stew" the tea and produce a bitter brew.

Step 4:

After the tea has finished brewing, press the plunger to the bottom of the French press to separate the brewed tea from the loose tea leaves.

Step 5:

Pour the brewed tea from the French press into your teacup. Sweeten and/or add milk as desired. Enjoy!

If your brew was particularly strong, you may try a second or even a third infusion. If necessary, you can cut back on the amount of water added for the second or third brewings.

When discussing tea brewing practices, much mention is made about methods, water temperature and brewing times. However, the basic foundation of any cup of good tea is the quality of the water from which it is brewed. Normal tap water that is filled with chlorine and other contaminants is not a good candidate for tea brewing. Neither is distilled water that has its natural minerals removed. The best water is that filtered by solid carbon block technology, such as the Multi-Pure water filtration systems. These systems remove both visible and invisible contaminants, while leaving behind natural minerals.