Tea Brewing Tips for Loose Teas
Use about 1 teaspoon of loose tea for every 6 ounces of water. Use fresh, clean, cold water; and heat the water a bit differently for each type of tea:
Black – Bring the water to a rolling boil, but don’t over-boil since it depletes the oxygen and results in a flat-tasting tea. Steep 3-5 minutes.
Oolong – Stop just short of a rolling boil. Steep 3-7 minutes.
Green & White – These delicate teas require less heat. Bring water to a pre-boil, or just when air bubbles start to form. Steep 1-3 minutes for green tea and 1-8 minutes for white, depending on the specific tea you are brewing.
Herbal – With so many different herbs that can be sued for herbal tea blends, there is no way to give any temperature or steeping guidelines with any accuracy. Most herbs can be brewed in boiling water for about 5 minutes. You might need a bit of trial and error to get the perfect cup.
Next, using hot water, preheat the teapot (or tea cup for a single serving), then discard.
Pour heated water over tea leaves to steep. Tea may be placed in the pot loose, or in an infuser, such as a tea ball.
Depending on your steeping method, remove the infuser or use a strainer for the loose leaves. Finally, enjoy your delicious “cuppa”!
Photo by Anita Austvika on Unsplash
Black Tea
The most popular type of tea, black is more heavily processed and fully oxidized, but still packs a huge punch with antioxidants and high caffeine levels.
Ceylon (Orange Pekoe) – blend of Ceylon teas with a smooth and satisfying flavor.
Cream Irish Breakfast* – Cream Irish Tea with creamy caramel highlights.
Darjeeling – considered the champagne of teas, has a slight muscat flavor.
Earl Grey with Cream – blend of Chinese, Ceylon, Yunnan and flavorings.
Earl Grey (regular or decaf) – blend of four teas fused with oil of bergamont.
Earl Grey with Lavender – oil of bergamont and lavender flowers.
English Breakfast (regular or decaf) – a strong and simple blend.
Irish Breakfast – a strong tea with a distinctive amber brew and malty flavor.
Lady Grey – a lightly scented tea with oil of bergamont and other citrus flavors.
Oolong – delicate Oriental tea with a distinctive aroma and exquisite flavor.
Typhoo – England’s everyday tea with a stronger flavor.
Yorkshire Gold (House Tea) – quality tea blended in the Yorkshire Dales.
Black Flavored Teas
Amaretto **, Apricot (regular or decaf), Black Current, Blood Orange, Bon-Bon, Butter Truffle **, Café Latte **, Cinnamon Plum, Cinn/Or/Spice (regular or decaf), Ginger Peach (regular or decaf), Licorice *, Mandarin-Chai-Anise *, Mango Vanilla, Maple Taffy, Monks Blend, Pomegranate-Cranberry, Raspberry, Rose, Russian, Strawberry
* Organic Teas ** Contains nuts
Green Teas
Green tea is simply black teas, but less processed; retaining more of its nutrients. It’s not oxidized and has a very fresh, herbal taste.
Gojiberry – gojiberries, lemon grass, pomegranate seeds and sunflower seeds.
Honey Ginger – exotic aroma and flavor of sweet honeyed ginger.
Japanese Cherry Blossom – sencha base with sour cherry pieces and a cherry flavor.
Jasmine – delicately flavored with jasmine petals.
Jasmine Almond Orange – an organic, first grade tea with pure orange oil and peel.
Panfired – light and golden with a refreshing mellow white.
Pinhead Gunpowder – hand-rolled pellet-shaped tea.
Sencha – an organic, golden green-colored liquor with a pleasantly sharp taste.
Sencha/Lemon – lemon peel, lemon grass and lemon flavoring.
Strawberry Lychee – freeze-dried strawberries, jasmine, rose petals and lychee fruit.
Sun, Moon & Stars – jasmine, oolong, and gunpowder green teas.
Tea Garden – an organic blend of cinnamon, chamomile, raspberry, heather flowers and cassia oil.
Tea On The Beach – acerola cherries matched with sour cherries and sweet pineapple.
White Teas
These leaves have even less processing than green leaves, which means they have less caffeine; with a very mild and somewhat grassy flavor.
White Peony – a wonderfully light organic blend with chocolate undertones.
Herbal Tea
Herbal Teas are a smoothing, caffeine-free infusion of herbs and spices.
Almond Fruit Blend – nuts and caramelized almonds mixed with baked apples.
Chamomile – an organic, herbal infusion of dried chamomile flowers.
Cherry-Kiwi-Coconut – a combo of dried fruits into a special blend.
Hibiscus – an organic blend of rose hips, lemon grass, orange peel, spearmint, lavender, stevia and rose petals.
Lemon Ginger – a blend of ginger root and lemon.
Mango Yoghurt – striking combo of dried fruits and yoghurt granules.
Miami Ice – exotic, sparkling peach flavor.
Old Love – pleasantly fruity, fruits and berries create this special blend.
Orange/Grapefruit – a tasty marrying of citrus flavors for an uplifting taste.
Peaceful – sensual aromas lift the mood and soothe the body, mind and soul in this organic blend.
Pear Cinnamon – a combo of dried pear, apple and coconut pieces, with cinnamon.
Peppermint – an organic blend that includes peppermint leaves.
Strawberry Rose – a blend of strawberry and rose petals.
Summer Solstice – blend of assorted fruit pieces, hibiscus and blackberry leaves, and chamomile.
Rooibos Tea
Research shows that the anti-properties of Rooibos may surpass those of green teas by more than 50%, making it irresistible for people of all ages.
Blueberry – blueberry and elderberry with hibiscus petals.
Bourbon St. Vanilla – fruity, with sweet vanilla notes.
Caramel Toffee – a hint of almond with pieces of caramel and almond brittle.
Ginger Pepper Orange – almond and pistachio pieces with orange peel and pink peppercorns.
Lemon – lemon grass and natural lemon flavorings.
Mango Strawberry – an organic blend of sun ripened mango, sweet strawberry and lemon grass.
Peanut Kisses – crunchy peanuts with a bed of chocolate and caramel – this does contain nuts.
Pina Colada – fruity, fresh pineapple with creamy, sweet coconut.
Polar Fire – marzipan and creamy fresh orange create a lively, tangy aroma.
Pumpkin Cream – pumpkin with a hint of cream, honeydew melon cubes and apple pieces.
Roasted Almond – flavored with planed and crushed almonds.
Rooibos – a rich and full-bodied caffeine-free, organic red tea, full of vitamins and antioxidants.
Spiced Chai – an organic blend of cinnamon, cloves and natural spice oils.
Sweet Sin – our top seller, flavored with dried raspberries, vanilla pieces and rose petals.
Tiramisu/Marscarpone – light Irish coffee with a hint of sweet caramel pieces.