How to Make Tea

Craving a steaming brewed cup of tea? Here’s exactly how to make tea: using loose leaf or tea bags! Plus, recipes for iced, chai, and more.

Want a cup of beautiful, steaming brewed tea? If you’re not a tea connoisseur, getting started can feel daunting. Each type of tea has a different water temperature and brew time. What’s the best way to make a cup at home? Here’s how to make tea: a primer for making a cup of tea at home. Plus, we’ve got recipes for any other type of tea you’ll need: Masala Chai, Ginger Tea, Matcha (Japanese Green Tea), Iced Tea, Cold Brew Tea, and Homemade Herbal Teas! Ready to get started?

Ingredients and tools to make tea

Want to simply brew up a cup of tea at home? Here’s the equipment that you’ll need:

• Tea of any type: Use green tea, black tea, oolong tea, or herbal tea: either loose or in bags. Each type of tea has a different seep time.
• Tea infuser or French press: For loose tea, you’ll need a tea infuser to keep the tea leaves together. You can also use a French press as the infuser: go to French Press Tea.
• Electric kettle (optional): To easily measure temperature of water, use an electric kettle. It automatically shows the temperature on its display. It’s also great for making pour over coffee or French press coffee.

Temperatures and tea seep times

Did you know each type of tea requires a slightly different water temperature and seep time? We like a full-flavored sip of tea, so we’ve specified the amount of tea we enjoy below. After you try this recipe, you can adjust the amounts and timing to your taste. Buying loose leaf tea is preferable, since the flavor is better than bags. But you can use either one in this recipe!

If you buy tea in a package, we recommend consulting the tea packaging for specific temperature and steep times. Here are the basic temperatures and seep times for each type of tea:

Type of tea	Water temp	Seep time
Green tea	180°F	2 minutes
Oolong tea	180°F	2 minutes
Black tea	210°F	4 minutes
Herbal tea	210°F	5 to 10 minutes

How to make tea: basic steps

Got your tea and your equipment on hand? Here’s what to do to make a great cup of tea:

1. Heat the water: Heat 1 cup water using an electric kettle to the temperature corresponding to your tea type above.
2. Add tea leaves to the infuser: Add 1 ½ teaspoons (2 grams) tea leaves to the tea infuser (or French press). Skip this step if you’re using a tea bag.
3. Add to water and brew: Set a timer and wait for the time specified in the table above. Then remove the tea and enjoy (or plunge the French press and pour into a cup).

More types of tea

Want a different type of tea? There are so many other types to try. Here are some of the top ways to make tea:

• Chai: Brew a cup of Masala Chai: Indian milk tea with chai spices.
• Ginger: Make homemade Ginger Tea or or Lemon Ginger Tea using real ginger root.
• Matcha: Brew a cup of bright green Matcha (Japanese Green Tea).
• Iced: Try this classic Iced Tea, Iced Green Tea or Sweet Tea.
• Cold Brew: Make a pitcher of Cold Brew Tea.
• Herbal teas: Try homemade herbal teas like Mint Tea, Lemon Tea, Thyme Tea, Oregano Tea, Rosemary Tea, Sage Tea, and Lavender Tea.
• Tea lattes: Opt for tea lattes like Chai Latte, London Fog, and more.

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Masala Chai

02

Ginger Tea

03

How to Make Matcha (Japanese Green Tea)

04

Iced Tea Recipe

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