The single most common thing people tell me is that loose leaf feels intimidating. It is not. Bagged tea is loose leaf that somebody already measured for you, usually badly, and then crushed. Once you have made a pot yourself twice, you will never go back.
Get the water right first
Temperature matters more than anything else on this list. Boiling water scorches delicate leaves and makes them bitter, which is why so many people believe they dislike green tea. If you have no thermometer, boil the kettle and let it sit with the lid off for two minutes before you pour on anything green or white.
- Black tea and chai: full boiling water, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Green tea: around 175F, 2 minutes, no longer.
- Herbal infusions: full boiling water, 6 to 8 minutes, the longer the better.
- Rooibos and house blends: full boiling water, 6 minutes.
Measure with your hand, not a scale
One rounded teaspoon per cup, plus one more for the pot. That is the whole rule. Herbal infusions and fluffy flower blends take up more room, so be a little generous with those. If it comes out too strong, add hot water to the cup rather than making a weaker pot next time.
Use the timer on your phone
Every good cup I have ever made involved a timer, and every bad one involved me thinking I would remember. Steeping tea does not get stronger past a point, it gets bitter, because tannins keep coming out long after the flavor has finished.
The best gift you can give a cup of tea is your full attention for four minutes.
Brew it a second time
Good whole leaf tea has more than one cup in it. Green teas and oolongs in particular open up on the second and third infusion, often tasting sweeter than the first. Do not throw the leaves out after one round. Just add a little time on each pass.
That is genuinely all of it. Water temperature, a rough measure, a timer, and a willingness to try the leaves twice. Everything else you read about tea is decoration on top of those four things.
