General Tips for Brewing the Best Cup of Hot Tea
Use fresh water: Use freshly-drawn cold water as water that has been reheated gives tea a flat taste. If you're unhappy with the taste of your tea, you may, in fact, dislike the taste of your water. Try making a cup of tea with water from a purifier or bottled water and taste the difference.
Heat the water to the right temperature: Bring it to a rapid boil for black or herb tea (either in a kettle or microwave) to extract the full flavor. For green tea, the water should be hot, just to the point of boiling. Water temperature will drop rapidly, so bring your pot or cup to the stove and pour as quickly as possible.
Cover your cup: Whenever possible, if brewing tea by the cup, use the saucer to cover the cup and retain the heat. Some tea mugs on the market are designed with a built-in lid for added convenience and practicality.
Watch the clock, not the color: Never brew tea by color if you want the perfect cup. Some teas brew light, others dark.
Squeeze the bag: Some people have debated -- to squeeze or not to squeeze. We recommend that you should squeeze the bag. Why? Tea leaves can absorb up to seven times their weight in water and compressing the bag enhances color and flavor. So, give a gentle squeeze to the tea bag before removing from the cup.
Brewing Instructions for Specifc Types of Tea
Herb Tea
Hot Tea by the Cup: Place one tea bag in your favorite cup. Add boiling water and let steep 4 to 6 minutes. Sweeten if you desire -- we recommend honey!
Black Tea
Hot Tea by the Cup: Place one tea bag in your cup and pour boiling water over it, cover and steep 3 to 5 minutes, depending on desired strength. Remove tea bag. We recommend adding honey to sweeten.
Green Tea
Green tea is brewed differently from black tea because its fresh green leaf makes a slightly astringent tea. With cooler water and shorter brewing time, you get more delicate flavor from the unfermented leaf.
Hot Tea by the Cup: Place one tea bag in your cup. Pour very hot (just at the brink of boiling) water over the tea bag. Cover and steep 3 minutes. Remove tea bag and add lemon and/or sweetener if desired. Traditionally, green tea is served without milk.
Wellness Tea
Hot Tea by the Cup: Place one tea bag in cup. Add boiling water and let steep for 6 minutes. We recommend that you use no more than 4 tea bags per day. Sweeten if you desire -- we love our Wellness Teas with honey!
Chai
By the Cup: Place one tea bag in your favorite mug. Fill with 3/4 cup boiling water. Steep for 4 to 6 minutes. For authentic chai taste, remove tea bag and fill mug with 1/4 cup hot milk or dairy substitute. Sweeten to taste with sugar or honey.
By the Pot: Use one tea bag for each 8-ounce serving. Steep tea bags with 3/4 cup of boiling water per serving. Remove tea bags, add 1/4 cup of hot milk (or dairy substitute) per serving and sweeten.
Maté
Hot Tea by the Cup: Place one tea bag in your favorite cup. Add boiling water and let steep 4 to 6 minutes. If desired, add sweetener and milk or lemon to taste.
General Guidlines for water temprature and Steep time.
Tea Type |
Water Temperature |
Steep Time |
Green Tea |
160 degrees F |
1 - 3 minutes |
White Tea |
180 degrees F |
4 - 8 minutes |
Oolong Tea |
190 degrees F |
1 - 8 minutes |
Black Tea |
Rolling Boil |
3 - 5 minutes |
Herbal |
Rolling Boil |
5 - 8 minutes |
Brewing Tea | Iced Tea | Tea Bags vs. Loose Tea | Tea Pots