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.
White teas: 165 °F (74 °C) or once the water becomes hot to the touch Green teas: 170 to 185 °F (77 to 85 °C) or just when steam begins to come out of the spout Black teas: 205 °F (96 °C) or after cooling boiling water for 1 minute
The wooden skewer will prevent the water from superheating which could cause an explosion.
If you’re in a hurry you can skip this step, but your tea will be hotter and taste better if you preheat the vessel.
If you like your tea stronger, feel free to use more leaves.
If you’re making loose leaf tea in a cup, consider putting the tea into a mesh tea ball or place a strainer into the cup before you add the tea and water. Then you can lift up the strainer or ball to remove the tea leaves. Consider measuring the water the first few times you use the teapot. Then you can begin to eyeball how much water to use once you’re comfortable with the teapot.
1 to 3 minutes for green tea 2 to 5 minutes for white tea 2 to 3 minutes for oolong tea 4 minutes for black tea 3 to 6 minutes for herbal tea
Compost your tea bags or leaves once you’ve finished making tea.
Lower-quality teas that are often sold in tea bags might benefit from additional sweetener or milk.
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.
Masala chai is typically sweetened with granulated or brown sugar. Honey is a great choice to sweeten green or white teas.
For a festive way to flavor bold teas, add a short cinnamon stick directly to the teacup.
You can make iced tea out of any type of tea. Try making iced sweet tea with black tea or an iced herbal hibiscus tea.
Look for flavored black teas, such as Earl Grey, Lady Grey, or masala chai to include a floral, citrus, or spicy taste.
If you’re interested in green tea, learn how to make matcha. Matcha is stone-ground green tea that’s traditionally used in Japanese tea ceremonies.
Because it’s so minimally processed, you can usually only buy white tea as loose leaf instead of in bags.
Rooibos is another popular herbal tea that’s often blended with dried fruit or vanilla. To make chamomile tea, use fresh, washed chamomile leaves, chopped up. Use 1 equal tablespoon of chopped chamomile leaves for 1 8-ounce cup of tea. Add to hot water then steep, covered, for about 5-10 minutes. If left longer, it becomes medicinal but also tastes stronger. Strain and serve.
For high-quality tea bags, choose pyramid style bags that 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.
