How to brew loose leaf tea without a coffee maker?!
Answers: I bought looseleaf oolong tea from the asian market and realized.. I don't know how to brew looseleaf tea.
take a coffee filter if you have one and put the loose leaves in it making a sort of envelope....and steep
or you can buy one of those tea things, but I have no idea what the name is, it just filters the leaves for you..shaped like a ball - looks like a mini cheese grater
Well, they sell teapots where the spout has many small holes out of which the water pours...this keeps the leaves from coming out.
I assume you don't have this, so the easiest way will be to wrap the tea in cheesecloth or clean thin cloth of some kind. I've done this with some cotton from my wife's sewing. Wrap a couple teaspoons per cup of tea you want to have, tie it off with a string or something similar and bring some water to a boil in a pan or kettle. Put the homemade bag in for 5 minutes or so and you'll be all set.
Good luck!
do you have any cheesecloth you can make a packet of tea with cheesecloth and tie with string...
or brew loose leaves in the water in a pot on stove, then strain with a strainer (this is old fashioned, my Mom use to make tea this way....years ago. It works)
They sell tea steeping balls where you can place loose leaf tea inside and steep for a perfect cup of tea.
I would say to boil it in a pot of water and then strain it. Thats what I would do if I didnt have a maker.
Looseleaf oolong tea is best brewed freely floating in the water. Because it's whole leaf, if you want the flavor to be extracted in an infusion, then you should not put it in a tea bag or use one of those tea ball thingys.
For a beginner, here are some basic, simple steps to preparing oolong tea.
The utensils you will need to enjoy oolong tea are:
- porcelain teapot (smaller is better, say a 2-cup pot)
- fine mesh tea strainer (available in many places)
- porcelain tea cup (with white glaze interior)
The best way to prepare oolong tea is to :
1. pre-heat a porcelain teapot with hot water.
2. place a measured amount of leaves into the teapot (according to taste).
3. pour boiling water onto the tea leaves.
4. steep for 2-4 minutes.
5. Holding metal tea strainer over cup, pour the tea into each cup.
Drinking:
1. Observe the color of the tea infusion. Oolong teas can be light-yellow in color to amber to red.
2. Smell the fragrance of the tea. Oolong teas are highly fragrant.
3. Sip the tea and relax.
Notes:
1. The amount of leaf to use depends on whether you want a weak or stronger brew. For properly enjoying the taste of the tea, you will want a stronger brew. But the amount of leaf to use should match the capacity of the teapot.
2. Looseleaf teas can be brewed multiple times by adding hot water and re-infusing. The same leaves can be infused for up to 3 times, sometimes more.
3. Water quality and water temperature are important. Off-tasting water will produce a tea with less than satisfactory results. And sometimes a water temp. that is too high will scald the tea leaves, producing a burnt taste.
4. After the tea has steeped for the correct time, be sure to pour out all the tea from the teapot. Either use a second teapot, or pour all the tea into tea cups. Do not let hot water sit on the leaves. Doing so will produce a bitter and astringent brew and subsequent steeps may be unenjoyable.
