How To Make Tea - Brew The Perfect Cup Every Time!

I’ve been writing about tea for a few years now, yet I don’t have one of the most important posts on my blog – how to make tea! It seems so simple, yet there are a lot of factors go into making the perfect cup of tea.

So, whether you’re just starting out in the tea world (welcome by the way!) or you’re interested in getting a consistent cup every day – here are my top tips for how to make tea with loose leaves properly.

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

How To Make A Cup Of Tea – What You’ll Need

First, making the perfect cup of tea has a lot to do with having the proper equipment. There are a few things that are worth the investment…

Temperature Controlled Kettle

The first accessory you’ll need to brew tea properly is a temperature controlled kettle. A temperature controlled kettle will be able to heat up the water to a specific temperature. They either have predefined temperature settings or you can find one where you can manually put it in.

Brewing the water to a specific temperature is important because depending on the type of tea you’re brewing, the leaves require a different temperature. If the water is too hot, you risk burning the leaves which can result in bitter tea (this is often the reason why a lot of people dislike green tea!).

For every day tea brewing, I use the Cuisinart Temperature Controlled Kettle. I like how it can hold 1.7 L of water, if I’m making tea for a lot of people, and it’s reasonably priced. Alternatively, see my list of top temperature controlled kettles.

P.S. if you didn’t know, there are 6 different types of tea and they all use a different temperature of water. Read my post about each type of tea!

How To Make Tea With Loose Leaves – What You’ll Need

The best way to brew a good cup of tea is with loose tea leaves. Tea bags are great for convenience, but there is typically a lack of quality in the leaves. By using loose leaf tea, you not only have better quality tea but this leads to better flavour, and more control. You can control how much tea you want to brew every time, making a stronger or weaker cup based on your mood!

But if you do decide to invest in some quality loose leaf tea, you’ll need a few extra tea accessories for steeping. There are many steeping methods for loose leaf tea, but it’s all about finding which one works best for you.

A stainless steel tea strainer sit on your mug and lets is usually the largest area to add the most tea leaves. This is ideal if you like to brew a big strong cup of tea. It also allows the tea leaves the most room to expand. The downside, I find, is that you have to take the strainer out to drink your tea. I often make grandpa style tea (leaving the tea in the mug) so this strainer doesn’t work. I recommend buying one with a lid as well, so you can cover your tea while it steeps, and have a place for your strainer once it’s removed.

You can also find silicone tea steepers, which come in very fun shapes and sizes. I really like the silicone tea infuser that resembles an actual tea bag! I can leave them steeping as I drink my tea, and they are dishwasher safe! But you can also find some pretty unique silicone tea infuser designs, like this sloth that hangs on your mug, or the Loch Ness Monster that pokes his head out!

But sometimes, I also like using fillable disposable tea bags. Although they aren’t as eco friendly, they are very convenient to use. It’s perfect when I don’t feel like having extra things to wash, or I’m taking my tea to go, these come in handy! Plus, I can make a bunch of tea bags in advance for easy tea making.

How To Make Tea Without Tea Bag: A Step-By-Step Guide

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to make loose leaf tea to get the perfect cup of tea every time.

1. Brew Tea At The Recommended Temperature

Like I said, every tea has a different recommended temperature to brew the leaves. It should say on the packaging, but if it doesn’t the general rule of thumb is…

Tea Type	Temperature
Green Tea	175ºF
White Tea	185ºF
Oolong Tea	190ºF
Black Tea	210ºF
Herbal Tea	210ºF

Read more about the different types of teas.

If you don’t have a temperature controlled kettle, black tea easiest to brew once the water is boiling. Otherwise, you’ll want to wait a few minutes to let the water cool before steeping Oolong, White, and Green tea.

Based on my kettle, it took just under 5 minutes to cool to 190ºF, just under 7 minutes to get to 185ºF, and about 12 minutes to get to 175ºF. This was without opening the top, if you do, it will most likely cool off faster.

temperature-control-kettle-how-to-make-tea

2. Measure Your Tea

While the water is boiling, it’s a good time to prepare your tea by measuring the right amount of tea to brew. You’ll wan to follow the instructions based on the tea you’re making, and decide if you want it to have a stronger or weaker brew.

Keep in mind, most instructions are per cup of water, BUT most mugs are actually larger than a cup. A cup is about 250 ml or 8 oz. But mugs can range between 1.5 cups to 2 cups. So, you’ll often need to add more tea than what they say in the instructions!

So, you’ll first have to figure out how large your mug or teapot is and then how much tea you’ll need. Then add your desired amount of tea to your tea steeper of choice.

preparation-guide-how-to-make-a-cup-of-tea — *Loose leaf and tea bags come with preparation guides it’s important to follow them!*

3. Warm Up Your Mug!

Pre-warming your mug is the secret step to brewing a good cup of tea. Even I have trouble remembering this step, but it makes a big difference. While your water is boiling, fill your mug with hot water. It’s totally okay to use hot water from the tap, you’re going to be dumping it out. P.S. Make sure you’re tea isn’t already in your mug!

You don’t have to completely fill up the mug either, just enough water to swirl it around and warm up the mug. When the cup feels warm to your touch, pour the water out.

The point of this step is that when you add your tea, the water will stay warmer and will keep a better temperature to steep your tea in!

warming-up-your-teacup-how-to-brew-tea-properly — *Swish around hot water in a mug before adding tea!*

4. Brew Tea Leaves For The Recommended Time

Whether you’re brewing loose leaf tea or a tea bag, every tea will come with a recommended steeping time. It usually ranges between 3 to 5 minutes. This is where you’ll have to see what you like best. For stronger tea, steep for longer. Weaker tea, steep for shorter.

Perhaps the first time you make any tea, try brewing for the shortest amount of time. If you feel you need it to be stronger, add the tea back in. Next time you brew, you know you like it stronger, so leave it for an 30 seconds. Continue adding time until you find your desired steeping time.

To help you, you can also get a nifty tea timer. It has three sand timers in one for different amounts of time. But let’s be real, you can also put a timer on your phone.

You might also be interested in: expand your tea tasting palette with my tea tasting guide and journal! With example of flavours and aromas, and space for you to take notes on every tea you taste!

5. Cover Your Mug

If you like your tea hot, I recommend covering your mug for the 3-5 minutes while your tea is steeping. Just like how you warmed up your mug before steeping the leaves, you want to retain the optimal brewing temperature throughout. To do that, just cover your mug.

There are a few things you can use to cover your mug. Some mugs will come with lids that fit perfectly. If you’re brewing tea in a pot, it will also automatically come with a lid, but you can also add a tea cozy for extra warmth.

Otherwise, you can buy a separate silicone lid that fit most mugs. And if you’re using a tea bag, it will also hold your bag in place while it steeps.

tea-tasting-with-a-teapot-and-mug — *That’s why teapots have covers!*

6. Remove Tea, Let Cool Before Taking Your First Sip

If you’re brewing black tea, it’s most likely still very hot (especially if you covered it). I would wait a few more minutes with it uncovered otherwise (if you’re like me) you’ll burn your tongue. It’s not like coffee that you can drink right away after brewing.

6. Add Your Extras (Optional)

You can of course choose to drink your tea straight, but if you want to add anything extra to your like, like milk or sugar, this is the time to add them. Once your remove your tea, add in any additional ingredients to your tea.

This is when I like to add sugar, milk, honey, or lemon.

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