In the beginning, I sipped only herbal infusions, also known as tisanes or herbal teas. At some point, somebody recommended green tea for its health benefits, so I gave that a try and ended up adding it to my tea habit. A few years ago, I started expanding my tea palate to include black, oolong, and pu-erh teas.
As I explore new teas and learn more about the mental and physical health benefits of drinking tea, my love for tea continues to grow.
Below is a collection of my thoughts on all things tea and a guide for maximal tea enjoyment.
1. Steeping
2. Re-steeping
3. Upcycling Tea
4. Cold Steeping
5. Favorite Tea Brands
6. Favorite Tea Gear
1. Steeping
I love the ritual of making tea as much as I love the beverage itself. For many years, I boiled water for in a glass measuring cup in the microwave. A couple years ago, I switched to heating water in a small stainless steel kettle on the stove. Some claim the different heating methods produce different tasting teas, but, if there are any, they are minute.
- Measure desired amount of water:
- Tea bags – 8 ounces per bag
- Tea sachets – 16 ounces per sachet
- Loose leaf tea – 8 ounces for each teaspoon of tea leaves
* I heat ¾ of the water I need for the tea, then add cold water and/or ice after the tea is steeped to make the correct amount of tea. This way, my tea is ready to drink right away – without scalding my tongue.
- Heat water to ideal temperature:
- White tea – less than boiling (175°F)
- Green tea – less than boiling (175°F)
- Oolong tea – depends on the variety; some use less than boiling, some use boiling
- Black tea, pu-erh tea, herbal infusions – boiling (212°F)
- Pour hot water over tea. (Don't add tea to hot water.)
- Cover mug or teapot and steep:
- White tea – 1 minute
- Green tea – 3 minutes
- Oolong tea – 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the variety
- Black tea, pu-erh tea – 5 minutes
- Herbal infusions – 5 to 7 minutes
- Remove tea bag, sachet, or strainer from mug.
- Add cold water and/or ice to cool tea to preferred drinking temperature. Enjoy!
- Adjusting the flavor: If your tea tastes too bitter, try reducing the water temperature or steeping time. With loose leaf tea, you can try using fewer leaves.
I am 100% a child of the 'Reduce. Reuse. Recyle.' era. So I love that many teas can be steeped a second time for even more enjoyment. Some teas even taste more delightful on the second steep.
- The best teas for re-steeping are loose leaf teas or those packaged in sachets. Tea in bags doesn't re-steep very well.
- The number of times you can re-steep depends on the variety. In general, green, oolong, and black teas and herbal tisanes are good for two or three steeps; pu-erh tea can be steeped five times or more.
- All varieties of tea can be re-steeped with boiling water. There's no need for cooler water for green or white teas.
- Add 1 - 2 minutes to the original steep time, to extract more flavor from the tea.
*I steep all of my teas and herbal infusions, except pu-erhs, twice. Then I upcycle the twice-steeped tea (see the section below). Read more about re-steeping in this post from DiviniTea.
3. Upcycling Tea
My sister, Sara, gets credit for this idea. While visiting, she made a cup of tea for the drive home. After she left, I found the tea bag sitting in a cup full of water on the counter. I asked her about it and she said she always soaks her used tea bags. Now I do, too, but with a few tweaks to the method.
After I've steeped (and re-steeped) my tea, I put the tea bag, sachet, or loose leaves in a glass jar. I fill the jar with 16 ounces of cold water, cap it, and stick it in the fridge. A day or two or three later – whenever I get to it, really – the tea has transformed the water into a delicious, lightly flavored water.
I'm not sure if this beverage should be called upcycled tea or tea water – neither sounds very cool. Regardless of moniker, this flavored water is delightful. It's also a clear indicator of my frugality; every last drop of flavor (and beneficial phytonutrients) is squeezed out of the tea I purchase.
4. Cold Steeping Tea
Upcycling tea prompted me to try cold steeping tea. Mostly, this came about because hot tea isn't as enjoyable during the hot summer months as cold tea.
- Combine cool water and tea in glass jar with lid.
- 8 ounces water per tea bag
- 16 ounces water per tea sachet
- 8 ounces water for each teaspoon loose leaf tea
- Place jar in refrigerator to steep.
- Steep green, oolong, and black teas for 8 to 24 hours.
- Steep herbal teas for 8 to 48 hours.
- Strain tea or remove bag/sachet.
- Cold steeped tea leaves/bags/sachets can be re-steeped several times.
5. Favorite Teas
I dedicated one of my newspaper columns to the topic of tea. While writing that column, I counted how many varieties of tea I actually had on hand. The number topped 40. Instead of listing my entire collection, here are some of my favorite tea brands:
Grocery Store Brands (sold mostly in bags)
- Tazo
- Stash
- Bigelow
- Celestial Seasonings
6. Favorite Tea Gear
- Tea Kettle
- Tea Mug with Infuser
- Tea Pot with Infuser
- Tea Sachet Squeezer
Squeezing your tea sachet or tea bag is frowned upon by some, but I am a diehard squeezer. I love strong tea, enjoy bitter flavors (to a certain degree), and don't like dripping tea bags dribbling all over my counter.
Happy tea sipping!
I have no affiliation with the brands listed in this post, nor was I compensated for mentioning them.
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