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A tea infuser is small device used to brew loose leaf tea. Rather than using prepackaged tea bags, tea infusers allow you to use fresher, higher quality tea, or even create your own blends. Tea infusers are simple to use. By preparing your infuser, and then carefully making tea, you can enjoy a perfectly brewed beverage in the comfort of your home.
Steeping Loose Leaf Tea with a Tea Infuser
- Fill your tea infuser with 1 to 3 tsp. (4.8-14.7 ml) of loose leaf tea.
- Set the tea infuser inside your mug.
- Boil water and pour it into the mug.
- Let your tea steep for 1 to 3 minutes, depending on the type of tea.
- Take out the tea infuser and enjoy.
Steps
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Choose your infuser. A tea infuser is a container used to steep loose leaf tea (taking the place of a traditional tea bag). All tea infusers have some place to hold the tea (a basket) and some kind of handle or cord. Select the infuser of your choice. Some common styles include:
- Tea ball with chain
- Tea ball with long handle
- Tea strainer (that sits on the edge of a mug)
- Novelty infusers shaped like robots, deep sea divers, or anything else.
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Measure your tea. Depending on the type of tea you are using, add 1-3 tsp. (4.8-14.7 ml) of loose leaf tea to your infuser. It is important not to overstuff the infuser, as this can cause tea leaves to spill out into your tea. Many loose leaf teas will include recommended measurements, but here are some general guidelines:- Green tea: 1-2 tsp. (4.8-9.8 ml)
- White tea: 2-3 tsp. (9.8-14.7 ml)
- Black tea: 1-2 tsp. (4.9-9.8 ml)
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Place the infuser in your mug. Once you have measured your loose leaf tea and placed it inside your tea infuser, simply place the infuser inside your mug. Affix your infuser to the edge of your mug, or allow the chain/handle to hang over the edge.
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Boil some water. In order to brew tea, you should always use freshly drawn, cold water. If you have access to filtered water, this is even better. You will need about 8 oz. (1 cup) of water for one cup of tea. Place your water in a kettle and heat it until boiling.
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Measure the water temperature. Once the water has reached a boiling point, remove it from the heat. Use a kitchen thermometer to check the temperature of the water. If the water is too hot for the type of tea you are brewing, allow it to cool down for a few minutes and check it again. Once again, you can follow the instructions included with your tea, but here are some general guidelines:
- White tea: 176-185 F (80-85 C)
- Green tea (Japanese): 158-176 F (70-80 C)
- Green tea (Chinese): 176-185 F (80-85 C)
- Black tea: 203 degree F (95 C)
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Add hot water to your mug. Once your water reaches the appropriate temperature, and your infuser is in place, add the hot water to your mug. Then wait the specified length of time (you may want to set a timer). Follow the instructions included with your tea, or follow these guidelines:
- White tea: 3 minutes
- Green tea (Japanese): 1-2 minutes
- Green tea (Chinese): 2-3 minutes
- Black tea: 2-3 minutes
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Remove the infuser. After the steeping time is up, remove your infuser. If you are finished making tea, you can discard the tea leaves and rinse your infuser under warm water. Otherwise, you can reuse the tea for another cup. Simply increase the steep time by 1-2 minutes. [1] X Research source
- If you compost food waste, you can add tea leaves to your compost pile.
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Join the Discussion...
To make loose leaf tea, start with fresh water that is filtered, ideally. Make sure that you have a way to control the temperature of your water, since different teas need different temperatures to get the best taste out of them.
When you brew loose leaf tea, make sure you can effectively remove the leaves from the water. If the leaves are left in the water too long, they'll over-extract and make the taste more bitter. I recommend using an infuser basket, which is kind of like a strainer. They come in a lot of different forms, but they’re often made out of stainless steel or a mesh to allow you to catch the tea leaves without having lots of pieces of your cup.
The main advantage with loose leaf tea is that you have the ultimate control over how your tea tastes. With tea bags, they're pre-measured. You're not necessarily in control of how much tea you're using. Adjusting the amount of tea that you use helps you make your tea either stronger or milder. Also, loose-leaf tea tends to be higher quality than a lot of tea bags.
When you brew loose leaf tea, make sure you can effectively remove the leaves from the water. If the leaves are left in the water too long, they'll over-extract and make the taste more bitter. I recommend using an infuser basket, which is kind of like a strainer. They come in a lot of different forms, but they’re often made out of stainless steel or a mesh to allow you to catch the tea leaves without having lots of pieces of your cup.
The main advantage with loose leaf tea is that you have the ultimate control over how your tea tastes. With tea bags, they're pre-measured. You're not necessarily in control of how much tea you're using. Adjusting the amount of tea that you use helps you make your tea either stronger or milder. Also, loose-leaf tea tends to be higher quality than a lot of tea bags.
Community Q&A
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QuestionHow much loose tea do I need for two quarts of water?DchungsCommunity AnswerTo brew approximately 2 quarts (8 cups) of tea with loose tea leaves, measure 1/4 cup tea leaves into your infuser. If would like to make iced tea, pour 4 cups of hot water first and steep (length of time depends on type of tea and taste preference), and then pour the tea over a pitcher with ice.
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About This Article
Article Summary
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To use a tea infuser, start by putting 1 to 2 teaspoons of loose tea into the infuser. Then, place the infuser in your mug and pour hot water over it. Next, wait 2 minutes for the tea to steep before removing the infuser from the mug. Finally, discard the tea and rinse out the infuser. Alternatively, reuse the tea leaves to make another cup by steeping it in the hot water for an extra couple of minutes. For tips on how to heat your water to the right temperature based on the type of tea you’re preparing, read on!
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