How to make tea with tea leaves or tea bags

/Julie Brow-Polanco/

A step-by-step guide to brewing the perfect cup of tea

A well-made cup of hot tea is the perfect remedy to warm your heart and soul. And the best thing? It’s super easy to prepare a tasty cup of tea any time of the day. All you need is some hot water, a tea bag or tea leaves, and a couple of minutes to spare. We’re here to walk you through how to brew the most delectable cup of tea from start to finish. We’ll also tell you all about the different types of teas to choose from, so keep reading!

Things You Should Know

Fill a kettle at least halfway up with water and heat it up until it begins to boil.

Steep your tea bag or tea leaves in the hot water for 1 to 7 minutes depending on what tea you’re brewing.

Strain out the tea leaves or remove the tea bag and add any sweeteners like honey, milk, or sugar.

Part 1 Heating the Water

1/ Put fresh water into a kettle. If you’re just making a cup of tea, pour about 1.5 times as much water as you need to fill the cup. For example, if your cup holds 8 oz (236 ml), boil 12 oz (354 ml) of water. This will allow for some of the water to evaporate. If you’re making a pot of tea, fill the kettle at least halfway up with water. For the best-tasting tea, use filtered water that hasn’t been boiled before.

Use a stovetop kettle that will whistle when the water boils or turn on an electric tea kettle that will turn off automatically once the water boils so that you don’t constantly have to watch it.

Variation: If you don’t have a kettle, pour the water into a saucepan. Heat the water over high heat until it’s as hot as you need.

2/ Heat the water in your kettle until it comes to a boil. If you have a tea kettle, set it to boil or place a saucepan of water over the stove to heat up. Some teas do steep better at specific temperatures, so If you want to be precise, monitor the temperature of your water using a thermometer. Heat the water according to these types:[1]

White teas: 200 °F (93 °C)

Green teas: 175 to 200 °F (79 to 93 °C)

Black teas: 212 °F (100 °C)

Oolong teas: 200 °F (93 °C)

Herbal teas: 212 °F (100 °C)

3/ Microwave the water if you don’t have a kettle or stove. Fill a microwave-safe mug about ¾ of the way full with water. Then, place a wooden skewer or popsicle stick into it. This helps prevent the water from overheating and potentially boiling over. Microwave the water for 1 minute or until the water begins to bubble.[2]

– The only downside of using a microwave is that the water may not come out evenly heated all the way through. The water at the top usually heats up faster than the water at the bottom.[3]

– Give the water a good stir before using it to make sure the heat distributes evenly.

4/ Pour a little water into the teapot or cup to preheat it. If you pour hot water into a cold teapot or cup, the water temperature could drop rather dramatically, causing your tea not to steep properly. To preheat your vessel, fill the teapot or cup about ¼ to ½ of the way full with some of your hot water. Let it sit for about 30 seconds, then pour it out. After you’ve done this, you’re ready to start steeping your tea.[4]

– If you’re in a hurry, feel free to skip this step. However, your tea will be hotter and likely taste better if you preheat the vessel.

Part 2 Steeping

1/ Place loose tea leaves or a tea bag into the teapot or cup. If you’re using tea bags, add 1 bag into the teapot for each cup of tea you want to make. Or, put 1 bag into each individual cup. For loose-leaf tea, use about 1 tablespoon (2 g) of loose leaves for each cup of tea you want to make.[5]

– If you’re making loose-leaf tea in a cup, put the leaves into a mesh tea ball to keep the leaves from getting into your tea.

– Or, place a strainer into the cup before you pour in the tea so that you can catch the leaves.

– If you like tea that has a stronger taste, feel free to add more leaves or an extra tea bag.

2/ Pour the hot water over the tea bags or leaves. Carefully pour the water into your kettle or cup. If you plan on adding milk later, fill your cup only about ¾ of the way full. If you’re making loose-leaf tea in a teapot, pour about 3⁄4 cup (180 ml) of water for each serving of tea. For tea bags in a teapot, pour around 1 cup (240 ml) of water for each tea bag.

3/ Steep the tea according to the type of tea. If you use loose leaves, you’ll see them unroll and expand as they steep. If you use tea bags, you’ll see the water begin to change color (unless you’re brewing white tea). Use the guide below to find out how long to steep your tea.[6]

– White tea: 2-3 minutes for loose-leaf tea, 30-60 seconds for tea bags

– Green tea: 3-4 minutes for loose-leaf tea, 1-3 minutes for tea bags

– Black tea: 3-5 minutes for both loose-leaf tea and tea bags

– Oolong tea: 5-7 minutes for loose-leaf tea, 3-5 minutes for tea bags

– Herbal teas: Since each herbal tea blend is different, consult the tea package to see how long to steep your tea leaves or tea bags.

Did You Know? The longer you steep your tea, the stronger the flavor will be. Use a spoon to taste the tea so you don’t over-steep it, which could cause the tea to taste bitter.

4/ Strain the tea leaves or remove the tea bags. If you used tea bags, lift them up and let excess tea drip back into the cup or teapot. If you brewed loose-leaf tea, remove the tea ball or place a strainer over a cup and pour the tea through it. If you plan on reusing the tea leaves or tea bag for a second batch, use them right away since mold and other bacteria can form on tea bags and leaves that are left out at room temperature.[7]

– The longer you steeped your leaves or tea bag in the first batch, the weaker the flavor will be in your second batch.

– Feel free to compost your tea bags or leaves once you’ve finished making tea.

Part 3 Serving

1/ Drink hot tea on its own to highlight its distinctive taste. If you’d really like to taste the tea itself, don’t add sugar, milk, or lemon. This is especially important if you’re drinking white, green, or herbal tea since milk can overwhelm the tea’s delicate flavor.

– Lower-quality teas that are often sold in tea bags might benefit from additional sweetener or milk.

2/ Add milk to black tea for a creamy taste. Traditionally, milk is only added to black teas, such as breakfast tea. Contrary to popular belief, there are no special rules about what order to add the milk and tea. Pour the tea first and then add the milk, or start with the milk and then pour in your tea. Be sure to give it all a good stir to make sure the flavors are evenly combined.[8]

– Although you may hear people ask if you take cream, avoid using heavy cream or half-and-half in your tea. The high-fat content will create a heavy taste that masks the flavor of the tea.

3/ Stir in honey or sugar to sweeten the tea. A spoonful of sugar can go a long way in taking your cup of tea from just alright to absolutely delicious. If you don’t like the taste of tea on its own, add a little granulated sugar, honey, or your favorite sweetener. For example, sweeten your tea with stevia, agave syrup, or a flavored syrup, such as vanilla syrup.

– Masala chai is typically sweetened with granulated or brown sugar.

– Honey is a great choice to sweeten green or white teas.

4/ Include lemon, ginger, or mint if you’d like to give the tea a bright flavor. Try squirting a bit of juice from a freshly sliced lemon into your tea or adding a few sprigs of fresh mint. If you’d like to add a slightly spicy flavor, add a thin slice of fresh ginger to the mix.[9]

– You can pair lemon with any type of tea, but it complements the flavors of black and green teas especially well.

– Mint also pairs well with black and green teas.

– For a festive way to flavor particularly strong teas, such as black tea, add a short cinnamon stick directly to the teacup.

Tip: Since citrus can cause milk to curdle, avoid adding lemon to tea if you’re also adding milk.

5/ Chill the tea to make iced tea. If it’s a hot summer day and you’d rather be drinking cold tea, put your tea in the refrigerator and leave it until it’s completely cold. Then, fill a glass with ice and pour in the cold tea. Voila! Now you have iced tea. Any type of tea will make a great iced tea. Try making iced sweet tea with black tea or an iced herbal hibiscus tea.[10]

– Making cold brew tea is also a pretty popular tea-making method. As the phrase “cold brew” implies, there’s no need to boil water in this method. Just select your tea, place it in a pitcher of cold water, and let it steep for a few minutes or overnight depending on the type of tea.

– If you plan on adding sugar to sweeten your iced tea, add it in while the tea is still hot so that it dissolves completely.

Part 4 Selecting a Tea

1/ Pick black tea for a bold beverage that stands up to milk or sweetener. For a smoky, black tea, look for Lapsang Souchong. If you want a strong, malty flavor, try Assam. If you plan on drinking tea with milk or sugar, consider using a breakfast or everyday blend.[11]

– Look for flavored black teas, such as Earl Grey, Lady Grey, or masala chai to include a floral, citrus, or spicy taste.

2/ Pick green tea for a light, earthy flavor. Green tea has less caffeine than black tea and has a more delicate flavor. Whether you’re drinking it hot or cold, the unique, earthy flavor of green tea will shine through. It’s also an extremely hydrating drink. If you prefer to drink tea without milk or sweetener, try green tea for its subtle flowery notes.[12]

– If you’re interested in green tea, learn how to make matcha. Matcha is a stone-ground green tea that’s traditionally used in Japanese tea ceremonies.

Tip: If you enjoy black and green teas, try oolong tea. This type of tea is oxidized like black tea, but not as processed so it keeps some of its grassy flavors.

3/ Select white tea for a mild flavor and minimal caffeine. White tea is the least oxidized and contains very little caffeine. Choose this tea if you like a smooth tea that’s easy to drink without adding sweeteners or flavors. Types of white teas include Moonlight White, Silver Needle White, and White Peony White.[13]

– Because it’s so minimally processed, you can usually only buy white tea in leaf form as opposed to in tea bags.

4/ Go for herbal tea if you want to avoid caffeine altogether. If you’re watching your caffeine or just want to try a more delicate-tasting tea, pick a few herbal blends to try. Classic peppermint tea is refreshing hot or cold, and chamomile tea is known for its soothing properties. Rooibos is another popular herbal tea that’s often blended with dried fruit or vanilla.[14]

5/ Choose between loose tea leaves or tea bags. If you’d like to use high-quality tea leaves that you can steep multiple times, use loose-leaf tea. These are uncut and dried when you buy them, although they’ll unwrap and expand as they steep. For a more convenient way to make tea, buy tea that’s been cut and portioned into bags. Unfortunately, these can usually only be steeped once.[15]

– For high-quality tea bags, choose bags that are shaped like pyramids. These allow the tea to expand as it steeps. If you can’t find these, look for round tea bags that are filled with finely-cut tea.

Did You Know? The most popular type of tea bag is square with a string and tag. Although these are easy to find, they’re usually filled with lower-quality shredded tea and powder.