Complete Guide to Steeping (and re-steeping) Tea

Steeping instructions vary from person to person and shop to shop, but these are my fail-proof general instructions to steeping loose-leaf teas, compliments of the teaologist from Teavana.

*=Teas WILL become bitter if steeped for too long

White

• 1.5 teaspoons per 8 ounces of water
• Bring water to a temperature of 175 degrees
• Steep for 4-5 minutes

*Flavored White

• 1.5 teaspoons per 8 ounces of water
• Bring water to a temperature of 175 degrees
• Steep for 2 minutes

Blooming

• 1 ball per 8 ounces of water
• Bring water tp 180 degrees
• Steep for 3-4 minutes, or until bloomed

*Green

• 1 teaspoon per 8 ounces of water
• Heat water to 175 degrees
• Steep for 45 seconds-2 minutes

*Flavored Green

• 1 teaspoon per 8 ounces of water
• Heat water to 175 degrees
• Steep for 2 minutes

Oolong

• 1 teaspoon per 8 ounces of water
• Heat water to 195 degrees
• Steep for 3 minutes

Maté

• 1.5 teaspoons per 8 ounces of water
• Heat water to 208 degrees
• Steep for 5-6 minutes

Rooibos

• 1.5 teaspoons per 8 ounces
• Heat water to 208 degrees
• Steep for 5-6 minutes

*Black

• 1 teaspoons per 8 ounces of water
• Heat water to 195-200 degrees
• Steep for 2-3 minutes

Herbal

• 1.5 teaspoons per 8 ounces of water
• Heat water to 208 degrees
• Steep for 5-6 minutes

Always heat your water before adding the tea. When steeping, don’t add the tea directly to your water–you’ll end up with tiny bits in your tea, and it’s also time-consuming to try and get ALL the tea bits out of your cup/pot. To steep loose tea, you must use either an infuser (they’re little mesh things that you can either buy to place over or in your cup/teapot; see below for links) or tea bags you can fill yourself. Most teapots come with their own infusers.

So far, I’ve found that all of these teas can be re-steeped at least once or twice. Some teas (like blooming teas or Teavana’s Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls) can be re-steeped more than others, but I always get at least three steeps out of all of my teas. Of course, the flavor may diminish as your number of steeps gets higher, but some claim that higher-quality teas produce a more flavorful second or third brew. Re-steeping is a super-cool way to stretch your money and get the most out of your tea.

Tea ball infuser for your cup of tea: http://www.teavana.com/tea-products/tea-makers-infusers/p/perfect-tea-ball

Tea infuser for your cup or teapot: http://www.teavana.com/tea-products/tea-makers-infusers/p/stainless-steel-mesh-tea-strainer

Fillable tea bags: http://www.teavana.com/tea-products/tea-makers-infusers/p/perfect-paper-tea-filters