Steve Schwartz
Master Tea Blender and Founder of Art of Tea
Steve Schwartz is a Master Tea Blender and the Founder of Art of Tea based in Los Angeles, California. He studied preventative medicine at the Ayurvedic Institute which first sparked his interest in the homeopathic impact of plants on the body and mind. With over 20 years of experience, Steve has lectured sold out tea blending classes for World Tea Conventions and frequently travels to offer educational programs on tea and tea blending. He is the best selling author of his book, Art of Tea: A Journey of Ritual, Discovery, and Impact. He also worked as a Tea Blending Program Developer for the World Tea Expo, and served as a Tasting Judge, Evaluator and Panelist for World Tea Expo Entries of Teas and Blends in 2016. Art of Tea is an award-winning importer and wholesaler of organic and specialty teas, and their tea club is a 2 time winner of Food & Wine’s best overall tea subscription. Steve has been featured in Forbes, the LA Times, LA Magazine, and more.
Education
- Graduated from the Ayurvedic Institute in NM
Professional Achievements
- Art of Tea’s founder and master blender
- Trained the country’s first tea sommelier
- Created custom tins for the White House
- Developed signature teas and experiences for renowned institutions including The Getty, LACMA, Huntington Gardens, Hotel Bel-Air, and The Peninsula Beverly Hills
- Author of the best-selling book Art of Tea: A Journey of Ritual, Discovery, and Impact
- Through Art of Tea, earned Food & Wine’s Best Overall Tea Subscription two years in a row
- Featured in the LA Times, Vogue, and Forbes
- Has won various awards for his tea blends
Certifications & Organizations
- Shared his expertise through sold-out tea blending classes at World Tea Conventions
Favorite Piece of Advice
There's tremendous solace, joy, and wellness that comes just through taking time out, selecting your leaves, getting the water ready, and being really mindful in that process of enjoying a good cup of tea. So I'd say it's more about what people can do to take that time, permit themselves, just a few moments out of the day. My mission is to impact as many lives as I can through tea.
wikiHow's Editorial Process wikiHow partners with over 1000+ experts from a wide range of fields to ensure our content is accurate and based on well-established research and testimony. Content Managers conduct interviews and work closely with each expert to review information, answer reader questions, and add credible advice. Learn more about our editorial process and why millions of readers trust wikiHow.
Forum Comments (3)
How long should you steep green tea?
If it's a Japanese green tea like a Sencha or Gyokuro, you steep it for less time and at a lower temperature than some other types of tea. The temperature range should be around 160 to 175 and the time should be about 3 minutes, because Japanese green tea is processed by gently steaming the leaves and then finished by a baking or heating process. You don't want too high of a temperature when you eventually steep the tea because of the steaming.
If it's a Chinese-style green tea, like a dragon well or garden powder, you'd also steep it for about three minutes. For Chinese green teas you use a temperature range of 175-185 because Chinese green tea has been baked or pan fired, depending on the style.
Finally, there are some other styles of Japanese green teas like Kabu Sencha. At my business, Art of Tea, we offer a type called Matcha Plus Sencha, which is ceremonial grade matcha dusted with high grade Sencha. I drink it almost every day and it's fantastic. For this type of tea, we recommend a 30-second steep time at a really low temperature because it's so delicate, creamy, vibrant, and grassy that it doesn't require a tremendous amount of steep time. Only giving it that delicate flush of hot water for 30 seconds prevents over-extraction and yields a really nice flavor profile. I mention this example to illustrate that it's always a good idea to look up any specific steeping instructions that the brand recommends for that particular type of tea.
If it's a Chinese-style green tea, like a dragon well or garden powder, you'd also steep it for about three minutes. For Chinese green teas you use a temperature range of 175-185 because Chinese green tea has been baked or pan fired, depending on the style.
Finally, there are some other styles of Japanese green teas like Kabu Sencha. At my business, Art of Tea, we offer a type called Matcha Plus Sencha, which is ceremonial grade matcha dusted with high grade Sencha. I drink it almost every day and it's fantastic. For this type of tea, we recommend a 30-second steep time at a really low temperature because it's so delicate, creamy, vibrant, and grassy that it doesn't require a tremendous amount of steep time. Only giving it that delicate flush of hot water for 30 seconds prevents over-extraction and yields a really nice flavor profile. I mention this example to illustrate that it's always a good idea to look up any specific steeping instructions that the brand recommends for that particular type of tea.
How do you make loose leaf tea?
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.
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.
How do you guys make matcha lattes at home?
My first piece of advice is to keep leaning in and trying to make it better each time you make it. There are some simple tools that you can get easily online. We have a whole matcha kit available online at artoftea.com, and I'm sure there are other places where you can get matcha kits. We also have a whole online academy at artoftea.com where you can learn how to actually make matcha, too.
But basically, you need a whisk, hot water, and about a teaspoon of matcha for every six ounces of water. And you give the powder and water an aggressive whisk in your bowl. Why? Because you're trying to aerate and froth that matcha , which helps create a really smooth texture and sweeten it. You should probably whisk for 30 seconds to a minute. You can drink it straight out of the bowl if you'd like, or you could add your favorite alternative milks or whole milk. And if you want to sweeten it, there's all kinds of ways you can do that. You can add a drop of French vanilla, some honey, or other simple syrups to give it a little bit of sweetness, which balance the astringent bite that you might get out of your matcha. There are so many places to get matcha, you want to make sure you're getting it from an accredited, high-quality source, because it's worth spending a few extra pennies on a high-quality matcha
But basically, you need a whisk, hot water, and about a teaspoon of matcha for every six ounces of water. And you give the powder and water an aggressive whisk in your bowl. Why? Because you're trying to aerate and froth that matcha , which helps create a really smooth texture and sweeten it. You should probably whisk for 30 seconds to a minute. You can drink it straight out of the bowl if you'd like, or you could add your favorite alternative milks or whole milk. And if you want to sweeten it, there's all kinds of ways you can do that. You can add a drop of French vanilla, some honey, or other simple syrups to give it a little bit of sweetness, which balance the astringent bite that you might get out of your matcha. There are so many places to get matcha, you want to make sure you're getting it from an accredited, high-quality source, because it's worth spending a few extra pennies on a high-quality matcha
