1. Boil water. Filtered water is recommended. Black tea’s water should come to a rolling boil before infusing the tea leaves. (source: The Republic of Tea). The book Healing Teas recommends a full rocking boil for black teas.
2. Infuse/steep tea leaves. For full- or partial-leaf black teas, The Joy of Cooking says 3-5 minutes, The Republic of Tea says 4-5 minutes, while we Leaheys say 45 seconds. For teabags, Joy of Cooking recommends 3 minutes, while The Republic of Tea advises 30 seconds.
The amount of loose tea to use varies. Most sources on making tea will tell you one teaspoon per cup. The Republic of Tea mentions the British practice of “one for the pot”, whereby you add one more teaspoon in the tea pot than you have cups of tea.
3. Drink the tea.
Note: Shelf Life (from The Republic of Tea)
Black tea has a shelf life of 18-24 months from the time of harvest. Use it within six to twelve months of purchase. Store tea in airtight containers in a cool, dry place away from strong-smelling stuff like spices or garlic.
How to make hot green or herbal tea
1. Boil water. According to The Joy of Cooking, green tea should experience its bath at the hot-but-not-boiling temperature of 170-190 Fahrenheit. Healing Teas recommends 160 degrees for green or herbal teas. Filtered water is recommended.
2. Infuse/steep tea leaves. For full- or partial-leaf green teas, The Joy of Cooking says 1-2 minutes of steeping. For teabags, Joy of Cooking recommends 3 minutes, while The Republic of Tea advises 30 seconds.
The amount of loose tea to use varies. Most sources on making tea will tell you one teaspoon per cup. The Republic of Tea mentions the British practice of “one for the pot”, whereby you add one more teaspoon in the tea pot than you have cups of tea.
3. Drink the tea.
Note: Shelf Life (from The Republic of Tea)
Green tea stays fresh for six months. It may take as long as a year for tea to get from the garden to the store shelf. (Most tea is still shipped by ship rather than by air.) Store tea in airtight containers in a cool, dry place away from strong-smelling stuff like spices or garlic.
How to make hot oolong (semi-fermented) tea
1. Boil water. The book Healing Teas recommends a dancing and hissing boil at 180-195 degrees Fahrenheit for oolong (semi-fermented) tea. Filtered water is recommended.
2. Infuse/steep tea leaves. The Republic of Tea says 7-10 minutes for full-leafed varieties of oolong. For teabags, Joy of Cooking recommends 3 minutes, while The Republic of Tea advises 30 seconds.
The amount of loose tea to use varies. Most sources on making tea will tell you one teaspoon per cup. The Republic of Tea mentions the British practice of “one for the pot”, whereby you add one more teaspoon in the tea pot than you have cups of tea.
3. Drink the tea.