How to Steep Tea Like a Pro
Cafe-quality at home.
Enjoying a nice cup of tea doesn’t have to require you to search for a cafe! You can enjoy your favorite beverage in the comfort of your own home with the right tools. Here’s how to make tea like a pro in your home kitchen anytime you want.
How to Make Tea
Step 1: Gather Your Materials
Make it easier for yourself by having all your materials ready to go, like your kettle, measuring spoon, and favorite mug or teacup. Whether you’re using a pre-made tea bag or loose tea leaves to steep, get the necessary amount out of your tea storage to have it nearby.
Step 2: Boil the Water
Pour water in your kettle before placing it on the stove and heating it up to a boil. Fill the kettle up with as much water as you need, but make sure you use water that’s filtered, spring, or bottled for the purest taste. If you are using an electric tea kettle, pour in the recommended amount of water and plug it into the wall for it to start the boiling process.
White teas and green teas taste best with water that is stopped before rolling boil occurs, so that the leaves are not stewed. Look for bubbles that are slowly rising to the surface and popping. This is the step before rolling boil occurs, which means the water is ready for these teas.
Most black and herbal teas require water to be boiled to 212°F, while white and herbal teas are best steeped in water between 140°F and 160°F. You can check the temperature of your water with a food thermometer, or with a tea kettle with built-in temperature gauges.
Step 3: Prep Your Tea
Grab your tea bag or use your measuring spoon to get the tea ready to steep. If you’re using a tea bag, place the bag in your teacup and gently pour the heated water into your mug over the bag. For tea leaves, the proper ratio is one teaspoon to every 6 ounces of water. Since one cup is 8 ounces, you will need to scoop a little more after the first teaspoon if you’re using loose leaves. Use your measuring teaspoon to scoop the right amount of leaves into the strainer.
Tip!
Make sure the handle of your kettle is safe to touch! If it’s too hot, use an oven mitt to protect your hands. Sit the kettle on a potholder to save your countertop from heat damage.
Step 4: Follow Steeping Instructions
Every tea requires a different timeline for letting the water infuse your tea leaves or bag. For the best time, follow the chart for the recommended times of letting your tea steep and develop its flavor.
- White Teas: steep a tea bag for 30-60 seconds, or tea leafs 2-3 minutes.
- Green Teas: steep a tea bag for 1-3 minutes, or tea leafs 2-4 minutes.
- Black Teas: steep a tea bag for 3-5 minutes, or tea leafs 3-5 minutes.
- Oolong Teas: steep a tea bag for 3-5 minutes, or tea leafs 5-7 minutes.
- Red Teas: steep a tea bag for 5-7 minutes, or tea leafs 5-7 minutes.
- Herbal Teas: steep a tea bag for 5-7 minutes, or tea leafs 5-7 minutes.
Leaf teas should not be steeped longer than 5 minutes since this can turn the taste very bitter. Taste your tea after 3 minutes to see if you like how strong it is, and leave it for an additional couple of minutes if you’d like it stronger!
Step 5: Strain the Leaves
Straining loose leaf teas is very simple if you are using a mesh strainer. Since these strainers sit in the mug and infuse the tea leaves in the water , all you have to do is remove the strainer after the allotted time.
Tea bags work the same way. Remove the tea bag after letting it infuse for the recommended amount of time so the tea can develop its flavor.
Step 6: Sip & Enjoy!
Once your tea is at your desired taste, it’s time to sit back and enjoy!
