How to Make Loose Leaf Tea

You’ve got the teapot. You’ve got the loose leaf tea. You’ve got the biscuits (obviously).

Now you need to know how to make loose leaf tea!

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Is Loose Leaf Tea Better than Tea Bags?

Brew yourself a lovely cup of loose tea, and you’ll experience mug-shaped satisfaction to the MAX. Because there are so many benefits to making tea with loose leaves. Unlike most teabags, loose leaf tea contains fresh, whole leaves of premium quality. Compare this to tea bags, which big brands mostly stuff with low-grade ‘fannings’, and you’ll soon taste the difference.

Lovely loose leaves can move about and expand as you brew, transferring all their gorgeous aroma and taste in the process. The result? Fabulously fresh tea every time!

Is Loose Leaf Tea Better For The Environment?

And is loose leaf tea better for the environment? The answer is almost always a yes. Most tea bags leave an earth-polluting plastic skeleton behind; even the supposedly eco-friendly ones come with problems. Some ‘green’ tea bags contain PLA, which you can’t compost at home. Others can go in the compost but shouldn’t go in the bin. It all gets rather confusing…

So why not keep things simple, sustainable and waaaay more delicious with an easy loose leaf tea recipe? Sounds good to us.

What’s the Best Loose Leaf Tea?

If you’re looking to buy loose leaf tea rather than tea bags, you’re already on your way to one stellar cup.

You can get loose leaf tea from most supermarkets, but it might be a bit dusty and not the best quality. There will probably be only one option on the shelf, too (usually a black tea blend containing leaves from many origins).

Buy loose leaf tea online from an indie team like Two Chimps, and it’s another story. A range of different single-origin teas? Yep. All sourced from the world’s finest tea gardens? Sure. And all ethical and climate positive? Of course!

Whether you like the crystal clarity of a Darjeeling or the hug-in-a-mug maltiness of English Breakfast, you can find your favourite tea in our loose leaf range. We carefully and ethically source each tea from premium estates like the Gielle Tea Gardens, and pack them in fully recyclable, freshness-preserving white bags. Oh, and give them funny names like Partea Starter!

How Much Loose Leaf Tea Per Cup?

How much loose leaf tea per cup is one of the most common question in the communi-tea. Loose leaf tea might not be pre-portioned (well, confined) like tea bags, but this doesn’t mean it’s hard to know the right amount of loose leaf tea to use.

This easy-peasy rule of thumb is all you need…

one teaspoon of loose leaf tea per cup

Like numbers? Want to know the loose leaf tea ratio to water? It’s about 2-3g per 200ml of water, so that’s 1:100.

For stronger tea, don’t brew for longer: increase the amount of tea leaves you use . Over-brewing can cause too many tannins release into your brew, which runs the risk of yucky, astringent flavours. Not what we want!

Find more detail about loose leaf tea amounts right here!

How to Make Loose leaf Tea in a Teapot

Making tea for friends? Got a really big mug? Then you need to know how to make loose leaf tea in a teapot!

Step 1: Boil the water

Start by popping the kettle on and leaving it to cool for a couple of minutes. This will prevent you from scalding your loose leaves when you pour the water into the teapot. For black and herbal teas, water at about 100°C is best. Green teas prefer water that’s a little cooler – around 80°C.

Step 2: Measure the tea leaves

Now you need to measure out your loose tea. If you are making tea for two, try using 4 tsp (10g) of quality loose leaves. Add these to your teapot.

Step 3: Brew the tea

Measure out 800ml of water and add it to the pot. Give it a little stir.

Then, wait for 3-5 minutes, depending on how strong you want your tea to be. If you’re making green tea, leave it for 3-4 minutes.

Step 4: Strain the tea and enjoy!

Pop a tea strainer over your favourite cup and pour in the tea.

Then take a sip. Fancy a little milk? A dash of sugar? Go ahead and make it your own!

Step 5: Do the cleaning up part

Sorry…

And now you know how to make loose tea! Simple, really. Just a bit of boiling, brewing and biscuit-dunking. And utterly beautiful tea flavour!

I can see you smiling from here…

How to Make Loose Leaf Tea with an Infuser

Tea infusers are ideal if you want a lush cup for one (self care and all). You make the loose tea straight in your mug, saving on time and washing up.

Making loose leaf tea with an infuser is almost identical to the teapot recipe. Here’s a little recap, complete with all the tweaks you need to make loose leaf tea with an infuser!

1. Pop the kettle on and leave it to cool for a couple of minutes.
2. Scoop 1 tsp (about 3g) of tea into your tea infuser and place it, head-down, in your cup.
3. Top it up with about 400ml of water and give it a stir. Gently now, we don’t want hot water sploshing all over the place…
4. Do something a) extremely productive or b) utterly unnecessary for 3-5 minutes, depending on how strong you want your tea to be.
5. Remove the infuser.
6. Add a dash of milk and/or sugar if needed.

Then you can put your feet up, grab the (packet of) digestives and chillax with your proper cup of tea!

Ready for your best ever cuppa? A mug of tea brimming with freshness and flavour?

Pop over to our online tea shop and buy your favourite loose leaf tea today!

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