Have you ever wanted to experience a premium cup of tea, but just don't know how? So many people say that they just don't like tea, but once they make the switch to a brewing loose leaf tea they realize it's not that hard and it tastes fantastic!!

I've been brewing loose leaf tea for myself every day for about 15 years and I have made a simple guide to help make your tea experience simple and delicious!

What you'll need:

Your favorite cozy mug.
One teaspoon of your favorite loose leaf tea per 8oz of water. So basically if you are using a 16oz travel mug, then you will need 2 teaspoons of loose leaf tea. Of course, Cozy Leaf tea is always recommended
Tea strainer, tea ball, tea filter, or just a plain ol' fine mesh strainer. There are plenty of fancy gadgets on the market these days for brewing loose leaf tea, find what works best for you and it is well worth the investment. Click Here to see my favorite infuser.
Hot water (boiling for blacks and herbals, steaming for greens and oolongs). Whether you have a fancy stove top kettle, an electric kettle, or even just a saucepan to heat the water on the stove, it doesn't matter as long as you bring it to the proper temperature.
A cozy spot to enjoy your brew! This is the most important thing right? Because everyone needs a quiet spot to savor your premium sips of tea!

Glance over the BREW GUIDE in the picture above because it will make tea brewing SUPER simple!

Now that you have your supplies all set, you are ready to get going on brewing loose leaf tea! Here are the basic steps I have mapped out for you to enjoy this premium tea experience you keep hearing people talk about!

Steps:

Heat your water. Check the back of your Cozy Leaf bag for the instructions of what temperature water to use for that particular tea, or follow my BREW GUIDE that I provided in the picture above. Basically, you can use boiling temp water for black teas and herbal teas, but you want to use steaming water (around 160-180 max) for green, white and oolong teas. The lower temperature of water is necessary for these more delicate tea leaves because they will get bitter if they are brewed in too hot of water. Have you ever tried a cup of green tea and thought "Why does anyone like drinking this?", well that is probably partially due to it being brewed with boiling water. It can definitely alter the flavor profile of a tea! So stick with the correct temperature and you will thank me later!
Place tea leaves in your infuser. Follow the BREW GUIDE for the amount of tea leaves to use. The standard recommendation would be to use 1 teaspoon per 8oz of water. This way you can adjust it fairly easily for brewing large quantities! Make a whole 24 ounce tea pot to enjoy with friends and all you need to do is use 4 teaspoons. It's that easy... and imagine how impressed your friends will be!
Pour your hot water over the tea leaves and let it steep. Follow the BREW GUIDE for the amount of time to let the tea leaves set in the water. Basically, for green, black, white, and oolongs you need to be careful to not over-steep and let it go too long or it will get bitter. But with herbals, the sky is the limit! You can let herbal tea blends go as long as you want and they do not get bitter. The flavor profile will change the longer the herbal teas brew, but ultimately it is better to let herbals brew longer because it extracts more of the medicinal properties out of the herbs and into the water.
Remove the infuser. This step is definitely the easiest!
Enjoy the premium flavor! Nope, this step is the easiest! All you have left to do is to sit back, relax, and enjoy your delicious cup of tea!! But the fun doesn't stop there because with high grade loose leaf teas you can double and even triple brew. WHAT!?! Oh ya! Meaning, start back with step 2 using the same tea leaves! I remember when I first discovered that high grade loose leaf teas can be double or triple brewed! I felt like I won the lottery!

So there you have it, a simple step by step guide to brewing loose leaf tea.

Now the adventure begins with narrowing down your favorites! And as always, you can shop my tea blends of DELICIOUS wellness right here online! Or you can join the Cozy Leaf Subscription Box Family and receive 2 teas delivered to your door every single month! This is a great option to get some variety in your kitchen without the hassle of running to the store or regularly ordering online. This is also perfect for offices or for a unique gift to send a loved one!

Happy Tea Time,

Abby (Cozy Leaf founder & owner)