How to make tea with tea leaves?

hatful

Hi,

I just got a present of tea leaves but I'm not sure how to make a cuppa with them. I have a tea strainer. Directions please?

rockbeer

Have you got a teapot? You need one of those before you start.

1. Boil water.
2. Warm the pot with a little of your boiled water.
3. Put tea leaves in pot - how many depends on loads of variables like the size of pot, strength of tea and personal taste, but for starters you can reckon on about 1 teaspoon per cup of water.
4. Pour freshly boiled water into pot. If the water isn't at or very near boiling point it won't work. No doubt someone will post the precise temperature to seventeen decimal places that the water should be at for the best results, but to be honest it doesn't make much difference once it's close to 100 degrees C.
5. Wait 4 minutes. Stir once. Pour tea into cup through strainer.
6. Add milk & sugar to taste.

Good luck. It's not that hard.

Khannie

Tea leaves are a quantum leap beyond tea bags IMO.

noby

You could get very anal about it, but rockbeer sums it up nicely.

Gran Hermano

Rockbeer has given you the main details, have a read here if you need more:
http://www.solarisbotanicals.com/perfect.php

JIZZLORD

just get a wee french press, like so:


it's for coffee, but it'll make a nice clean cup of tea

rockbeer

Ah no, a french press'll never keep it hot enough, and it'll get all tannin-stained and ruin the coffee. A good heavy ceramic teapot is what you want.

They call me four-cups

JIZZLORD

i find my french press does the job when i want one cup of tea. if i'm feeling fqancy and letting others have tea with me i whip out the proper pot. but for a starter more than likely just making 1 cup the french press will be grand

Lidl sells tea bag filters, and you can also get a little cage thingy that you stir like a spoon.

spurious

If you put the milk into the cup first, the tea leaves aren't such a problem.

Gran Hermano

If you're making tea from loose tea frequently I'd recommend one of these:

http://coffeecavern.goodbarry.com/_product_15987/Tea_Brewer

rockbeer

Plastic!

I could never do it, it would be like using a rubber espresso machine!

I can't help it, I'm just a traditional kind of guy who loves my old fashioned ceramic teapot.

Gran Hermano

rockbeer wrote: »

Plastic!

I could never do it, it would be like using a rubber espresso machine!

I can't help it, I'm just a traditional kind of guy who loves my old fashioned ceramic teapot.

Take it you haven't tried the Aeropress for coffee yet then !

Give either a try, I reckon you'll be pleasantly surprised.

noby

spurious wrote: »

If you put the milk into the cup first, the tea leaves aren't such a problem.

How so?

Anyway, leaves in the end of the cup aren't really a problem are they?
Or, if they are I just use a tea strainer.

Nevyn

Tea pot and strainer or if you want something for smaller ammounts get a
tea ball/ tea infuser.

http://shopstashtea.com/700082.html



Or you can try the asain method and use a tea infuser mug.