How to brew loose leaf tea: amount, temperature, time, family by family
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To brew loose leaf tea, three settings are all you need: the amount of leaves, the water temperature and the time. For our teas, allow about 3 g for a 250 ml cup; for rooibos and herbal infusions, 4 to 5 g. Pour the water at 70 to 80 °C for a green tea, and at 100 °C for everything else. And the time ranges from 2 minutes for a green tea to 12 minutes for a fruit infusion.
These figures are not interchangeable from one family to another. Here is which ones to use, and why.
The three settings, and what they change
The amount sets the strength of the cup. Too few leaves, and the cup stays pale however long you wait. Weigh it, at least the first few times: a spoonful of Gunpowder rolled into tight pellets and a spoonful of an infusion full of petals and pieces of fruit do not weigh the same at all.
The temperature decides what passes into the water. Water that is too hot on a green tea extracts too many tannins and makes the cup bitter. Water that is too cool on a rooibos or dried fruit draws little out of it.
The time sets the balance. For a tea, going over time quickly makes the cup harsh. For an herbal infusion, it is the other way round: dried fruit and flowers release their aromas slowly, and too short a steep gives a flat drink.
The table below sets out, family by family, the settings given on the product pages of our teas and infusions, for a 250 ml cup.
| Family | Example | Amount | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green tea | Nuit de Marrakesh | about 3 g (12 to 15 g per litre) | 70 to 80 °C | 2 to 3 min |
| Black tea | Âme de Sri Lanka | about 3 g (12 to 15 g per litre) | 100 °C | 3 to 5 min |
| Pu erh | Pu Erh d'origine | about 3 g (12 g per litre) | 100 °C | 4 to 5 min |
| Rooibos | Nainfusion | 4 to 5 g (15 to 20 g per litre) | 100 °C | 7 to 10 min |
| Fruit infusion | Chant des Sirènes | 4 to 5 g (15 to 20 g per litre) | 100 °C | 10 to 12 min |
Green tea: the water must not boil
This is the least forgiving family. Our Nuit de Marrakesh green tea, a Chinese Gunpowder with whole peppermint, steeps at 70 to 80 °C, for 2 to 3 minutes. Above 80 °C, green tea releases too many tannins and turns bitter.
Without a temperature-controlled kettle, bring the water to the boil and then let it cool for a few minutes before pouring. If the cup seems too strong, shorten the time first: 2 minutes rather than 3.
Gunpowder has one particular feature: its leaves are rolled into small pellets that unfurl in the water. They need room. A tea ball filled to the brim stops them from opening.
Black tea: boiling water, time watched
Black tea takes water at 100 °C, and in fact that is what it needs. Our Âme de Sri Lanka black tea, a spiced Ceylon OP, steeps for 3 to 5 minutes.
That range is your margin for adjustment: 3 minutes for a smoother cup, 5 minutes for a stronger one. Its Ceylon base and its spices take a dash of milk well, if you like.
Remove the leaves at the end of the time, or use a filter you can lift out. A black tea that keeps steeping in the teapot while you drink the first cup will be harsh by the second.
Pu erh: rinse, then steep again
Pu Erh d'origine is a post-fermented, unflavoured tea. It is prepared like a black tea, at 100 °C, with 12 g per litre (about 3 g per cup) and 4 to 5 minutes of steeping.
Two steps are specific to it. First, the rinse: pour hot water over the leaves, throw it away after 10 seconds, then steep as usual. The cup will be cleaner, and the damp-earth note less pronounced if it surprises you at first.
Then, do not throw the leaves away after the first cup. Pu erh takes 3 to 4 successive infusions, lengthening the time slightly each round. Many enthusiasts prefer the second to the first.
Rooibos and herbal infusions: more leaves, more time
Here the scale changes. Rooibos and fruit infusions take 4 to 5 g per cup, steep at 100 °C, and need time.
Rooibos Nainfusion, with cocoa, caramel and lime, steeps for 7 to 10 minutes. Rooibos is not a tea but a South African shrub, and it stays only slightly bitter even after a long steep. This blend contains milk (cream and butter in the caramel): allergen: milk.
The Chant des Sirènes infusion, apple, hibiscus, rosehip, strawberry, rose and vanilla, goes up to 10 to 12 minutes. That is long, but it is necessary: the pieces of dried fruit give up their aromas slowly. And unlike tea, it does not turn bitter if you leave it longer.
These two blends contain no tea, and their product pages state that they contain no theine (caffeine).
The water, the vessel, storage
Hard water affects how the cup looks. The thin film that sometimes forms on the surface of a black tea is made of tea compounds bound to the calcium in the water. A study published in 2023 showed that it gets stronger the harder the water, and that the acid in lemon almost entirely stops it from forming. If your tap water is very hard, softer water will limit this film.
The vessel should leave the leaves some room. A teapot with a large filter, or loose leaves strained through a sieve afterwards, works better than a small, full tea ball.
Storage: in a tightly closed tin, away from light, heat, moisture and strong smells. Tea easily picks up nearby smells, spices included.
To go further, our whole selection is in the loose teas and infusions collection, and rooibos has its own shelf, rooibos and honeybush.
Frequently asked questions
Can you steep the leaves again?
Yes for teas, with a slightly longer time each round. Pu erh takes 3 to 4 infusions, and a green tea such as Mojito can be steeped a second time.
How do you manage without a thermometer?
For black tea, pu erh, rooibos and herbal infusions, the question does not arise: boiling water. For green tea, let the water stand off the heat for a few minutes after boiling before pouring.
Can you cold brew?
Yes. For a green tea, allow 6 to 8 hours in the fridge: the cup will be smoother and less bitter than when brewed hot. For a fruit infusion, the same amount as for hot brewing and a night in the fridge.
Why is my tea bitter?
Almost always for one of these three reasons: water too hot for a green tea, too long a steep, or leaves left in the teapot after brewing. Change one thing at a time to find out which.