How to Tea… A Pulp Guide for Tea-Drinkers

There’s not much that I love more than sipping on a hot drink in the late afternoon over some inspiring piece of literature, like my favorite blogs or current pile of magazines. When I’m not drinking unhealthy amounts of coffee, I’m usually indulging in a carefully prepared cup of hot tea.

Now, you may think tea is simple, right? Boil water… dunk tea bag… wait, then drink. Almost! But there’s actually a little more to it. So, today I’ve compiled a few guidelines and resources to get any tea-drinkers out there a strong start in the right direction. Once you have the basics, it’s really quite simple.

FIRST, heat your water in a kettle. (preferably cast iron)

SECOND, choose your tea. (there are endless varieties and something for everyone! loose-leaf tea is often the highest quality and can be purchased in bulk. it gives deliciously full flavor!)

THIRD, scoop the appropriate amount of leaves into a strainer and place in your cup. (the amount of leaves will depend on the amount of water you will be steeping your tea in. for a full instruction chart, visit HERE.)

THEN, remove your water from the heat BEFORE it boils. (if your water is too hot it can burn the tea leaves and damage the flavor.)

NEXT, pour your barely hot water over your tea strainer and let it steep for no more than 5 minutes. (some teas may take less time to steep. leaving your leaves in the water for too long can make them bitter in taste, so beware!)

FINALLY, add your choice of sweetener or creamer. (i prefer honey and love a cool glug of creamer as well.)

DON’T FORGET, to store your tea leaves in an air-tight container!

Tea Brewing Shopping List:

THE STORAGE CONTAINER

And that just about does it! You’re on your way to being a true tea-drinking aficionado. If you’re interested in taking your brewing skills to the next level, read up on more specifics from Teavana (my favorite tea company) HERE.

featured photo pinned from Sora Keem tumblr.