How do you make loose leaf tea?
05/12/25 5:19pm
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This post was sourced from submitted reader questions and posted by wikiHow Editorial Staff, based on our article: How to Brew Loose Leaf Tea
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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.
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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.
The word ‘teaspoon’ was actually created for how much tea you should put inside your cup. You would basically take one teaspoon of dried leaf. If it's a small leaf, use a regular size teaspoon. If it's a large botanical, you use a heaping teaspoon per cup. When we say "per cup", that refers to about 8-10 ounces of liquid.
There are multiple ways to steep tea. First, you can use a steeping device. Second, you can use a filter. I've actually created our own filter bags through my business, Art of Tea. We have our own patented design where you put the tea inside and you cinch the filter and you get the best of both worlds– both a loose-leaf tea and a tea bag.
Another question that might come up is how much tea to steep to make a full pot. For example, if it's a three-cup pot, then you put one teaspoon per cup and one for the pot. In other words, you put four teaspoons in it all together and you want to give enough room. Then, when it's time to pour the tea you can pour the liquid through a strainer, like the stainless steel ones my business sells. The key is that you want to make sure the leaves have enough room to expand in the pot. They go through this process called the "agony of the leaf" where the leaves unfurl and unfold, which delivers a much more aromatic, rich, full cup with all those amino acids coming through. Ensuring that there's enough room in the filter will deliver that great taste experience that you're looking for.
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There are multiple ways to steep tea. First, you can use a steeping device. Second, you can use a filter. I've actually created our own filter bags through my business, Art of Tea. We have our own patented design where you put the tea inside and you cinch the filter and you get the best of both worlds– both a loose-leaf tea and a tea bag.
Another question that might come up is how much tea to steep to make a full pot. For example, if it's a three-cup pot, then you put one teaspoon per cup and one for the pot. In other words, you put four teaspoons in it all together and you want to give enough room. Then, when it's time to pour the tea you can pour the liquid through a strainer, like the stainless steel ones my business sells. The key is that you want to make sure the leaves have enough room to expand in the pot. They go through this process called the "agony of the leaf" where the leaves unfurl and unfold, which delivers a much more aromatic, rich, full cup with all those amino acids coming through. Ensuring that there's enough room in the filter will deliver that great taste experience that you're looking for.
To steep loose leaf tea, you'll measure about one teaspoon for every six to eight ounces of water, but if it's a tea with a larger leaf, like a white tea, then you may need around two teaspoons for ever six to eight ounces of water. I recommend using spring water when brewing tea. You will then steep the tea for the allotted amount of time for that particular type of tea. For example if it's a green tea, that may be one to two minutes. These data points can all be found on the International Tea Master Scale.
Another important point is that different tea types steep best at different temperatures. Here's an overview of the ideal temperature for each major tea type:
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Another important point is that different tea types steep best at different temperatures. Here's an overview of the ideal temperature for each major tea type:
- Black tea: 200 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit
- Oolong: 180 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit
- Green tea: 165 to 175 degrees Fahrenheit
- White tea: 180 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit
- Matcha: 150 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit
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