How Long To Steep Tea : Tips For Different Teas

How Long To Steep Tea : Tips For Different Teas

Cassy Vantriet
6 minute read

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The first thing I think about when I wake up is my morning cup of tea, it helps me to start my day from a place of nourishment and calmness. Making a cup of tea takes 12-minutes on average from prepping the tea, boiling the water and steeping. Making a cup of tea is not meant to be rushed, it is meant to be cherished; each step is crucial in creating the perfect cup of tea.

 

Twelve minutes! This may shock you as these days we want everything on-the-go and as fast as possible. As we believe a cup of tea should be those moments out of your day you get to be present and check-in with yourself. Besides that there are a few others things to keep in mind while steeping tea.

 

Loose Leaf Tea vs. Pre-Bagged Tea

I’m breaking down everything you need to know about how long to steep tea, including; why steep time is so important, how long to steep each tea variety, the benefits of steeping loose-leaf tea instead of pre-bagged tea and how to properly steep your favourite blend.

 

When it comes to making the perfect cup of loose-leaf tea, how long you steep your tea for will determine the quality of taste and the level of therapeutic benefits you’ve extracted from the herbs. Have you ever tasted a cup of tea that was overly pungent, sour, maybe a little chalky and astringent in your mouth, most likely turning you off from tea all together? Majority of the time it isn’t because of the type of tea its because it wasn’t made right. How long to steep tea is quite similar to baking something in the oven- you can either undercook, overcook or cook it just right. 

 

Tea undergoes a hot water extraction process, depending on the variety the temperature of the water and how long it steeps for varies. Similar to cooking its possible to burn or under steep the leaves, which will significantly alter the taste and decrease the extracted benefits. Always note the preparation instructions on your tea bag, this will maximize the tea’s flavour and therapeutic benefits. If you are a regular tea sipper and want to experience the endless natural benefits that tea has to offer I’ve got you covered with an easy to follow guide to steeping your favourite loose-leaf tea below. 

 

Before we begin steeping lets discuss loose-leaf tea vs bagged tea, do these guidelines apply to bagged tea too? The simple answer, yes, however bagged tea comes with restrictions and harmful ingredients that will make you reach for loose-leaf tea the next time you are online shopping.

 

Majority of bagged teas found in the grocery store are powdered, which is the left over dust that is collected from processing loose-leaf tea, essentially the unusable crumbs sadly left behind. If you sip bagged loose-leaf tea, the bag restricts the hot water extraction as the tea leaves have minimal room to grow and expand, which reduces the level of benefits extracted from each leaf. 

 

Microplastics

Have I got you rethinking what’s inside your tea cupboard yet, if not, here's a few shockers that will get you questioning what kind of tea to sip on. A lot of tea bags on the market contain micro plastics as a property to construct the tea bag, which gets absorbed into your cup and then consumed. Lastly, non-organic tea contains pesticides to preserve the crops and help with processing -- to avoid the water-soluble pesticides soaking into your cup always seek organic tea.

 

I think we can agree that the only way to go is organic loose-leaf tea. 

 

How Long To Steep Tea | Woash Wellness

 

How Long To Steep Tea 

Alright, here we go, the how-to guide to making the perfect cup of tea. By using this guide to steep your favourite variety of tea you will be maximizing the therapeutic benefits and perfecting the taste in each cup.


How Long To Steep Tea - Steep Time Chart For Each Tea - Woash Wellness


Now that you know how long to steep tea and each variety’s temperature, take a look at how the founder of WOASH steeps her favourite 3pm cup of loose-leaf tea, THINK

 

Why 3pm? If you also suffer from that mid-day crash post lunch, this blend was designed specifically for you! THINK, is an organic blend of a creamy smooth Milk Oolong (non dairy), delicate floral rosehip, beneficial gingko and calming lemongrass to power you through the crash, keep those creative juices flowing and relieving those morning stresses. 

 

How to make the perfect cup of loose-leaf tea:

  1. Heat water to the specified temperature (see chart above)
  2. Scoop two teaspoons of loose-leaf tea into tea strainer
  3. Pour hot water over loose-leaf tea leaves
  4. Cover and steep tea for specified time (see chart above)
  5. Remove tea strainer
  6. Sip and enjoy the natural herbal benefits of any of WOASH’s therapeutic tea blends

 

Another key step to note is to always cover your tea, this will ensure all of the natural benefits stay inside your cup and not escape through the steam during the hot water extraction process. 

 

Simple as that, allowing yourself to take those few moments to make a cup of tea has more benefits than just what is inside the cup. It allows you to connect to your body becoming intuitive about what your body needs at that moment and choosing a tea based on your unique needs, it gets your body moving and allows your mind to be present. The foundation of tea was built to be medicinal and ceremonial, allowing ourselves a few moments a day will benefit our overall health. 

 

I believe there is something uniquely special about sipping a cup of loose-leaf tea, the inner nourishment it provides and those few moments of ‘me time’ it carves out to make the perfect cup. To maximize the benefits from your daily ritual follow the easy steps above to ensure each cup is packed with the intended therapeutic benefits. 

 

As a WOASH sipper we encourage you to savour the preparation, steep and sipping time for a few quiet and nourishing moments to yourself, what better way to do that with our best selling blend, Me Time -- a peppery tulsi blended with subtle florals to calm the nervous system, relieve stress and ease the mind, the perfect cup to wind down after a long day. 

 

I hope the next time you go to make your favourite cup of tea you will take it a little slower. 

 

Here are some other ways to make tea:

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