Graduating from good old Lipton tea bags can be confusing. Just wandering through the tea aisle at the grocery store can be daunting. If you’ve overwhelmed about where to start here’s a guide on how to make tea from scratch that you can follow to baby step your way into the wide world of tea.

How to Make a Cup of Tea Step by Step

Making the perfect cup of tea is simple. So let’s start at the very beginning.

There are only three things you need to worry about: tea, temperature and time:

1. Choose and measure your loose tea

2. Heat fresh filtered water to the correct temperature

3. Steep for the right amount of time

Then you can simply sit back and enjoy your well-brewed cup of tea!

What is Tea?

While most people think that tea is any kind of leaf in a tea bag that’s steeped in hot water, there are some differences.

Black Tea, White Tea, Green Tea

The only “true teas” are teas made from the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant, which is an evergreen shrub native to China and India. Black tea, green tea, and white tea are all made from the Camellia Sinensis plant, so they are all true teas. The processing of the tea leaves is what makes them taste and look differently and creates the different colors and shapes.

Herbal Teas and Red Teas

Herbal teas and red teas are not really teas at all.  They are technically classified as tisanes.

Tisanes — beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. 

So tea is a tisane, but a tisane is not necessarily a tea. Unless of course that tisane blended with the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant. 

Basic Types of Tea

If you’re just starting out making your own tea, there are a few basic kinds of tea to start with:

Black Tea

Black tea is one of the most popular teas.It also goes through the most processing. The processing turns the tea leaves into a robust, strong tasting tea. It’s usually dark brown or black when brewed. And it also has the most caffeine with 60-90 mg of caffeine in every 8 ounces. Popular varieties of black tea that are easy to find are:

• Darjeeling – full-bodied and strong

• Puerh – earthy and smooth

• Ceylon – strong and bold

• English Breakfast – robust enough to go well with milk and sugar

• Earl Grey – flavored with bergamot for a citrusy taste

Green Tea

Green tea is processed less than black tea. It’s full of antioxidants and is usually a pale green color.The flavor of green tea can vary like a fine wine, based on where it was grown and the soil and climate. Green tea is a great tea for beginners but does become bitter if brewed for too long.

White Tea

White tea is the least processed of the four main tea types. It’s considered healthier because of its minimal processing. It’s described as having a delicate, sweet flavor without the astringent taste of other teas.

Popular types of white tea are:

• Silver Needle – delicate sweet flavor

• White Peony – darker and more robust than Silver Needle

Oolong Tea

This tea is a traditional Chinese tea. It’s neither black tea nor green tea but somewhere in the middle. The way it’s processed can make it lean more toward black tea, or more toward green tea characteristics. Because of the complexity in the production and brewing methods, it’s hard to describe the “average” oolong tea. It’s one of the most expensive and highest quality teas in the world.

Herbal Teas (Tisanes)

Since herbal teas are made from virtually anything other than the leaves of the Camellia Senensis plant, the possibilities are nearly endless.

Here are a few popular herbal tea choices:

• Chamomile tea – calming effects

• Peppermint tea – good for digestive issues

• Rooibos tea – may improve bone health

• Echinacea tea – great for colds and flu

Why Do I Care What Kind of Tea I Have?

Choosing your tea is the foundation of how to make tea properly. Because once you choose your tea, everything else falls in place. To get the perfect cup of tea, the type of tea dictates the optimum steep time and best water temperature to use.

So, go ahead and pick one and we’ll move onto the next step in the process of making tea.

How to Make Tea With Tea Leaves

If you want to learn how to make tea without tea bags, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is. Tea sold on its own without a tea bag is known as loose leaf tea. Loose leaf tea is of higher quality than tea in tea bags, and it’s always going to taste better too.

So go for the loose leaf! You’ll be glad you did.

Step 1: Measure Your Loose Tea

Measuring Loose Tea:

Use one heaping teaspoon for every 8 ounces of water. So for an average mug, use about 1 heaping teaspoon of loose tea.

Step 2: Figure out Your Brewing Vessel

You just need to decide if you’ll brew your tea in your mug and strain it out, or you’ll try a tea infuser, or use a teapot. I have so many gadgets now, I have a special part of my pantry dedicated to tea storage!

Step 3: Heat Your Water to the Right Temperature

When it comes to water temperature you want to choose the best temp for your tea type.

Generally speaking, black and herbal teas need hotter water to bring out the depth of flavor, while more delicate green and white teas need slightly less hot water.

While there is still some debate on this issue, here are some guidelines:

• Black Tea Temperature: 195° to 205° F (right around boiling)

• Green Tea Temperature: 170° to 180° F (well below boiling)

• White Tea Temperature: 170° to 180° F (well below boiling)

• Oolong Tea Temperature: 185° to 195° F (just below boiling)

• Herbal Tea Temperature: 208° to 212° F (right around boiling)

Going to become a tea connoisseur? You may want to invest in a kettle with a thermometer so you’ll always have perfectly heated water.

Heat fresh, filtered water to the correct temperature and get ready for the next step: steeping.

Step 4: Steep for the Correct Amount of Time for Your Tea

So now you’ve got your loose tea measured and your water hot, here comes the fun part: brewing your tea.

Brewing loose tea takes a bit longer than brewing with a tea bag. Here are some guidelines based on the type of tea:

• Black tea steeping time: 4-5 minutes

• Green tea steeping time: 3-4 minutes

• White tea steeping time: 3-4 minutes

• Oolong tea steeping time: 3 minutes

• Herbal tea steeping time: 4-5 minutes

It may seem silly but do set a timer. I always set a timer on my phone… You’ve gone to all this trouble, so don’t drop out now.

Tips for Tea Steeping Success

• When heating water, the microwave will do in a pinch, but it is not recommended for optimal tea steeping results. A proper tea kettle is recommended.

• Be sure to pour the hot water over the tea leaves, rather than adding the leaves to a cup or pot that already has hot water in it.

• Ensure the tea infuser is fully submerged beneath the water while steeping and it is large enough to allow the leaves to properly expand and open, releasing their full flavor.

• Remove the infuser or tea bag as soon as steeping is finished, in order to prevent over-steeping and bitterness.

• If using tea bags, do not squeeze them during the steeping process, as this can also lead to bitterness.

• Before steeping, you may wish to preheat your teapot and also your cup. This step helps to prevent your teapot from cracking due to the sudden change in temperature and keeps your cold cup from dropping the temperature of your poured tea too quickly. Simply pour some of the heated water into the empty teapot and/or cup and swirl it around, allowing it to warm the pot. Then, discard the water.

Remember – as you gain experience with steeping tea, you may learn that you have unique preferences regarding the quantity of tea leaves, water temperature, steeping times, and even steeping tools.

Summary: It’s as simple as the 3 Ts!

• Choose your loose tea

• Heat your water to the right temperature

• Steep for the correct amount of time

Then drink up! It’s tea time somewhere!

Still have questions on tea brewing? Let us know in the comments below and we will be happy to get back to you!