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Loose-leaf tea might seem intimidating at first, but it’s actually not as daunting as it might seem. While the process will take more time than preparing regular oolong, white, black, and green teas, the wait will be worth it.
In most cases, herbal teas are brewed anywhere from 15 minutes to four hours. In fact, the longer you wait, the more you can draw out the exceptional properties of the herbs into the water.
The good news is that there are only three basic steps, so let’s get to it!
Add Loose Leaf Tea to Your Jar
As a rule of thumb, it’s best to follow a ratio of 8 ounces of water to one teaspoon of loose tea leaves. However, this is not a fixed amount. In fact, there is nothing to stop you from adding more herbal tea if you want a more robust flavor.
In this case, you don’t have to worry because adding more tea leaves doesn’t mean it will become bitter, unlike with green or black tea.
However, it would be best to use heavy-duty glass that won’t break when filled with boiling water. In this case, a mason jar can do the trick, but you can use something else that fits the bill.
Pour Boiling Water Into the Jar
Once the loose leaf tea is sitting at the bottom of your jar, you can then fill it with boiling water and put the lid on top. In general, it is better to wait longer so that the herbs can infuse as well as possible.
Of course, it still depends on how much time you have, but you can draw out most of the tea’s properties and nutrients if you wait for four hours.
Strain and Serve
When the herbal infusion is ready, it’s time to grab your strainer. Then, all you have to do is pour the infusion through it.
In this case, any strainer can do the trick, as long as it can separate solids and liquids. After this step, you’re all set! In fact, the only thing left to do is enjoy your delicious herbal infusion.
Reuse the Tea Leaves
Of course, this part is optional, but it’s possible to reuse the same tea leaves. So, avoid throwing them out right away after you filter out the herbal infusion!
In fact, reusing your tea leaves can be a good idea if you don’t want to spend more money on tea. So, you can set aside the used tea leaves and just repeat the first three steps to make more herbal infusions.
Conclusion
How simple is that? If you have never tried loose leaf tea in the past, hopefully, this guide has changed your mind. Of course, it takes a bit more effort than using ready-made tea bags.
Still, the benefits loose leaf tea offers are undeniably worthwhile. In fact, you might even find it hard to return to tea bags once you get used to this process!