How to Make Loose Leaf Tea

A while ago, my daughter and I went to a new coffee shop at our favorite beach.  As she loves coffee and I love tea, the shop had a great vibe with many coffee flavors and the traditional tea flavors to choose from.  As I was slowly evolving into a tea snob, I expected less to choose from in a coffee shop but was expecting glass containers filled with loose leaf tea or at least customized tea bags displayed behind the counter.  My daughter of course ordered the most expensive coffee drink (iced) on the menu, and I ordered my traditional Earl Gray tea.  The owner suddenly looked at me in horror and said I will be back in a few minutes with your tea.  The barista began creating my daughter’s drink as I waited patiently for the tea to arrive.  After a few minutes the owner came running into the shop with a grocery bag of a named brand store bought Earl Gray tea that he went to the next store to purchase. With my anticipation deflated and my look of horror I accepted the colored water and vowed never again to put my fate into coffee shops for my tea satisfaction. 

I love loose leaf tea!  However, most people prefer bagged for the convenience and I’m here to dispel some of the negatives and share how to make loose leaf. If you’re like me, a lot of bagged tea isn’t strong enough and you simply don’t know how long it’s been in the bag boxed up on some shelf waiting to be bought.  Of course, I purchase my loose leaf from 50Cups where I know it’s fresh and comes in 100-, 250-, and 500-gram bags.  As I like my tea strong, loose leaf is the perfect solution.

Now that I’ve told you why I like loose leaf, let’s look at some of the challenges to loose leaf.  First off it requires some work and technique and you must have some equipment to make the perfect tea.  For me, I use a 6 Cup Eclipse Tea Pot  where I can take 2 tablespoons of my favorite tea (Earl Gray), place it in the cylinder, pour boiling water into the pot and let it steep for however long you want.  When ready you simply pour the tea in the cup, and you’ve made a customized drink for yourself.  For herbal teas I do the same thing but use 180-degree water.  For those that are concerned about the water temperature, you can purchase an electric glass kettle with temperature settings or simply boil the water and let it sit for 2 minutes before pouring into your tea pot when making herbal tea. For iced tea, I double the amount of tea from 2 to 4 tablespoons and let cool for 30 minutes and then pour over a large cup of ice.  If you love sweet tea like me, take a large glass and put a teaspoon of organic cane sugar or Agave (more sweetener if you like it sweeter), pour the hot tea into the glass after 15 minutes and then stir to dissolve the sugar.  Once done, pour over ice and enjoy.

The second challenge for some is making your loose leaf portable when traveling.  For me, If I’m going away for a few days, I’ll simply custom pack my loose leaf into organic or reusable tea bags. I would suggest using a teaspoon to pack the bags as it’s easier to insert into each bag. Once packed place them in a plastic bag and you’re good to go.  For me there is nothing worse than traveling and not finding a good cup of tea in the am or experiencing the horror of my story I opened with.  If you’re lucky enough to find great tea, then no worries, you simply keep the bags for your next trip.

Simply put, with loose leaf tea any challenge is really a positive as you are avoiding the unknown chemicals in traditional tea bags, strings, and tags.  More importantly, you can customize your strength, taste and amounts to your liking.  Once you go loose leaf you’ll never go back as it is consistent, tastes great and is healthier for you.

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