The Definitive Guide for Brewing Loose Adornleaf Tea

Adornleaf Tea Co. is all about organic handmade herbal tea, and for many tea enthusiasts, loose tea is the top-tier tea product for brewing. Loose teas are distinguishable because they are tea blends that are sold without individual tea bags or sachets. When you buy loose tea, you’re getting loose dried herbs, fruits, spices, and whatever else your tea contains in a container that allows you to control the brewing process.

There are many benefits to drinking loose tea.

  • Loose herbal tea can offer enhanced or stronger flavors since the herbs your tea contains have more room to open up in the hot water during your brew time.

  • Loose tea gives the tea lover more control, allowing them to customize the brew amounts and brewing methods.

  • Loose tea is often of higher quality than many bagged teas since its less likely that the herbal ingredients have been altered or processed, allowing for multiple brews and larger batches.

  • Besides these benefits, a wellness routine that includes loose tea can be very calming for tea lovers who enjoy soothing rituals involving preparing their favorite things.

Loose Tea v. Bagged Tea

Here at ATC, we don’t knock bagged tea – all ATC organic handmade herbal bagged teas are made with compostable bags and have the same healing benefits, just a bit less flexibility in the brew process. You can read more here about ATC’s bagged tea. Choosing bagged or loose tea is all about your own personal tastes, needs, and routine, and for me and many others, a good tea collection isn’t complete without both!

So here is the definitive step-by-step guide to a cup of brewing loose Adornleaf tea.

  1. Place your desired amount of loose tea in your favorite infuser. You can adjust the brewing amounts to your personal tastes, but keep in mind that the common standard is about 1 tablespoon of loose tea per 8 oz. of water.

  2. Pour 8 oz. of hot water over the tea and ensure that your infuser is properly submerged.

  3. Allow your herbal tea to steep for at least 3 minutes or until you reach your desired strength.

  4. Remove your infuser, sweeten to your liking, and enjoy!

I normally brew all my teas for at least 7 minutes – I don’t mind a stronger tea and I like to ensure I’m getting every drop of herbal goodness out of the leaves. If you’d prefer to get a bit more technical based on the type of tea you’re brewing, here are the recommendations for each type of tea.

Herbal teas (non-caffeinated) – 1 tbsp. per 8 oz. of water; 5-10 minutes

Green, Black, & White teas (caffeinated) – 1 tsp - 1 tbsp. per 8 oz. of water; 3-5 minutes

For even more info on brewing each type of tea and even making your own herbal decoctions, read more here from Mountain Rose Herbs.

I am so grateful for all of the support of ATC’s generous tea lovers, and one of my goals is to help more people incoroporate the wonders of herbal tea into their daily lives. Loose tea is beautiful, unique, and a cornerstone of ATC’s offerings, and I would love to see it become more accessible for more people. If there are other topics that you think deserve their own definitive guides, shout them out!

Until next time, tea lovers!

See ya later,

Rachel

A few notes

·        There are many different types and styles of infusers. ATC can get you started with a simple 2-inch mesh tea ball strainer – check it out here.

·        You may notice that some ATC teas advise to use 1 tbsp. in your cups rather than 1 tsp – this is recommended by me since this is often how I enjoy many of ATC’s non- caffeinated loose teas.

·        Think of these instructions as a starting point – adjust the brewing amount, time, and sweetener according to your personal tastes.

·        Don’t forget that high quality loose tea can be brewed multiple times! Add more hot water and infuse if you’d like a consecutive cup. Herbs you’d like to re-brew later should be stored in the fridge until you’re ready for them.

 

Rachel B