Fancy a steaming cup of tea? This is how tea is made: with loose leaves or tea bags! Plus recipes for ice cream, chai and more.
Fancy a nice cup of steaming, brewed tea? If you’re not a tea connoisseur, getting started can seem daunting. Each type of tea has a different water temperature and brewing time. What’s the best way to make a mug at home? Here is how to make tea: an introduction to making a cup of tea at home. Plus, we have recipes for every other type of tea you need: masala chai, ginger tea, matcha (Japanese green tea), iced tea, cold brew tea, and homemade herbal teas! Ready to start?
Just want to brew a cup of tea at home? Here are the materials you will need:
- tea of any kind: Use green tea, black tea, oolong tea or herbal tea: loose or in a sachet. Each type of tea has a different brewing time.
- Tea infuser or french press: For loose tea you will need a tea infuser to hold the tea leaves together. You can also use a French Press as an infusion: go to French Press Tea.
- Kettle (optional): To easily measure the water temperature, use a kettle. It automatically displays the temperature on its screen. It is also ideal for pouring over coffee or french press.
Tea steeping temperatures and times
Did you know that each type of tea requires a slightly different water temperature and steeping time? We love a sip of flavorful tea, so we’ve included how much tea we enjoy below. After trying this recipe, feel free to adjust the amounts and timing to your liking. Buying loose tea is best as the taste is better than tea bags. But you can use both in this recipe!
If you are purchasing tea in a package, we recommend checking the tea packaging for the specific steeping temperature and time. Here are the base temperatures and steeping times for each type of tea:
| kind of tea | water temperature | soaking time |
| Green tea | 180F | 2 minutes |
| Oolong tea | 180F | 2 minutes |
| Black tea | 210° F | 4 minutes |
| herbal tea | 210° F | 5 to 10 minutes |
How to make tea: basic steps
Do you have your tea and gear handy? Here’s what to do to brew a great cup of tea:
- heat water: Using a kettle, heat 1 cup of water to the temperature for your tea type above.
- Put the tea leaves in the tea strainer: Add 1 ½ teaspoons (2 grams) of tea leaves to the infuser (or French press). Skip this step if using a tea bag.
- Put in water and pour: Set a timer and wait for the time indicated in the table above. Then remove the tea and enjoy (or dip the French Press and pour into a mug).
Other types of tea
Would you like a different type of tea? There are so many other ways to try. Here are some of the best ways to brew tea:
The description
Fancy a steaming cup of tea? This is how tea is made: with loose leaves or tea bags! Or opt for the following specific teas:
- 1½ teaspoons loose tea (2 grams) or 1 tea bag*
- 1 cup the water
- Using an electric kettle, heat the water to 180 degrees Fahrenheit for green tea or oolong tea, or 210 degrees Fahrenheit for black tea or herbal tea.
- Pour the water into a teacup. Put the tea in a tea infuser and then pour it into the water (or add the tea bag). Leave for 2 minutes green tea or oolong tea4 minutes for black teaand 5 to 10 minutes for herbal tea.
Remarks
*You can add about ½ teaspoon more or less for the next cup, depending on your taste.
