Herbs 101
How To Infuse Loose Leaf Tea & Herbal Blends
Dec
For Beginners & Experienced Alike
Step 1: Heat Water
Many people can get with confused with the process of making loose leaf tea. Below are a few questions we often get asked.
- Do you put the herbs into a tea pot and boil?
- What is the difference between a tea kettle and teapot?
- How hot does the water need to be?
- How can I heat water while traveling?
Do not worry if you find yourself asking these basic questions. Many of us have used tea bags and some of us have never even made tea. There is no judgement here.
So here is what you need to know about heating up water for your tea. When you make loose leaf tea, you will want to begin by boiling water in a tea kettle on the stove, in a regular cooking pot, with electric tea kettles, or if desperate can you can use the microwave. Depending on your method this may take a few minutes. No herbs should be boiled with the water especially if you are making an infusion.
There is also a difference between a tea kettle and a teapot, so we believe this is where a lot of the confusion lies.
**Infusion Vs. Decoction**
There are certain circumstances where you would boil the herbs. This is called a decoction. Usually people only make decoctions with roots, barks, and seeds. This concentrates the benefits and brings out the minerals & nutrients. If you have blend that combines both roots and leaves/flowers/berries we recommend an infusion as some herbs can get quite bitter.**
Let’s Talk About the Difference Between Tea Kettles & Tea Pots.
Tea kettles that are stainless steel or cast iron painted with ceramic are made to sit on the stove. Some come with insulated handles or whistles to let you know when the water has started to boil. These are the tea kettles you will want to use to heat water for loose leaf tea. They look a little like this:
Tea pots on the other hand are used for Step 3 of the process. Or steeping. They usually are small, made with glass, ceramic porcelain, or clay. Some of them will come with built in strainers as well. Others will not. Along with strainers, tea pots are used for creating more servings of tea. Here is what they look like.
Step 2: Prepare Your Herbs
This is a simple step. Make sure you have your strainer of choice ready to go. Depending on how many people you are serving or how much tea you would like remember the ratio: 1 teaspoon herb to 8 oz. water. Remember a standard mug of water is about 8oz. Although some mugs can be as much as 12-16oz.
Carefully place the herbs into the strainer as you wait for your water to boil.
A pro tip is to take some of the boiling water or very hot tap water and run it over the tea pot or mug right before filling up with hot water…Just make sure your strainer with herbs is not inside!
Here are a few visuals to help you.
Step 3: Steeping Your Tea & More Importantly…Enjoying It!
This step takes a bit of experimenting. Over time you will learn how to steep your tea based on personal preference. We have created the graphic below to help give you a starting point. You’ll master it in no time.
Remember to deeply breathe in the aroma of the tea before consuming. This will help calm the nervous system and should help to relieve the stressful part of your day. Being a mindful tea drinker enhances the benefits of what tea is all about. Cheers to you and your health!
