How to Brew the Perfect Cup of Tea
For a start using good quality tea is essential, whether choosing loose leaf tea or a tea bag. Each has their merits, for speed and convenience it’s the tea bag, but for flavour and taste loose leaf tea is considered to be the best.
Loose leaf tea is very popular among serious tea lovers. There are many reasons why loose leaf tea is preferred, the variety of flavours is greater, and the leaves are bigger than in tea bags meaning it retains its flavours better and generally makes it higher quality tea.
Loose-Leaf Tea
You will need to use a strainer or infuser when making a pot of tea. View our range of infusers here.
Start by boiling the water in your kettle. Make sure this water is freshly drawn. While waiting for your kettle, add the appropriate amount of tea to your infuser before placing into your teapot. Alternatively, if using a strainer simply add the loose leaf tea to your teapot. The amount of tea you need varies based on which type of tea you are using. Once your kettle has boiled, leave it to cool for a few minutes. This will stop the tea burning upon contact with the water. Pour the water into the teapot, allowing the water to circulate through the leaves. The length of time allowed for steeping will vary depending on the type of tea you are using. Follow the instructions on our brewing guide for the temperature of the water and the length of time you need to steepen. If you are using an infuser, you may wish to remove it and set it aside for a second steeping. When steeping your tea for the second time, add another minute to the steep time, as the tea needs longer to draw out the flavour. And there you have it! You can now pour the tea into your favourite cup and saucer or mug.
In Cup Infusers
In-cup infusers offer a convenient way to use loose-leaf teas for a single cup. You can still put loose-leaf tea into these infusers but just in smaller quantities than you would need for a teapot. Find our full range of infusers here.
Tea Bags
Brewing a tea bag in a cup is a simple task. Start by boiling your water. Always make sure your water is freshly drawn. As with loose leaf tea, once your kettle is boiled, leave it to cool for a few minutes. This will stop the tea burning upon contact with the water. Leave the tea brewing until it is at your desired strength, before removing the tea bag.
Making tea with bags in a teapot is a similar procedure. You’re going to want to boil some fresh water and use it to warm your pot. Depending on the material of your pot, the time it takes to warm will differ. We have a variety of teapots on our website, and you can find them here. Preheating the teapot will keep the water hot for longer and yield a better brew. As the water approaches the proper temperature for brewing your tea, empty the teapot and add the appropriate tea bags for your pot. It is recommended to use a tea bag per cup of tea, plus one for the pot if you like it stronger. Once you have put your heated water into the teapot with your tea bags, leave to infuse for around 4-5 minutes to get the full flavours. The timescale can be customised depending on how strong or weak you prefer your tea. When the tea is at your ideal strength pour the tea into mugs before serving. Check out the range of mugs we stock on our website.
Teabrew Filters
Teabrew filters offer the best of both worlds. They have the speed and convenience of a tea bag but allow you to choose from the vast range of loose-leaf teas. Depending on the size of the filter, you may able to get multiple uses of the tea bag. To view our full range of teabrew filters, head on over to our website.
Milk First or Last?
The big question is when do you put in the milk? Before or after putting in your tea. If you are brewing in a mug, you should put the milk in last. This is because black tea (your traditional tea) needs to have freshly boiled water to infuse properly. When you put milk into infusing tea, you lower the temperature of the water, so a proper infusion cannot take place. However, if you are brewing your tea in a pot, you should consider putting in milk last so you can judge and monitor the strength of your tea before adding the milk, but it is a matter of personal preference. All in all, tea bags are for time-saving and convenience, whereas loose tea is mainly brewed for its flavours. Loose teas offered by both High Teas and the extraordinary Cristal Sachets from Dammann, will ensure success.
