It's 2020! January was a bust {as we all know} so I have jumped on the bandwagon of starting fresh this month and pretending it's just now the new year. Don't you feel the same way, though?! 😆 Anyway, this is my very first blog post of 2020 and I'm excited to share it with you.
I was asked by several of my Instagram followers to write a post about brewing loose leaf tea, and today, it is finally happening. So here are 4 different ways that you can easily brew your loose leaf!
1. Tea Bags or Tea Filters
First off, I personally do not recommend steeping your tea in regular tea bags, or buying tea that is already packaged in them.
While it is an easy way to brew your tea, especially if you'd like to brew a smaller quantity and have little to no loose leaf 'debris' in your cup after steeping, it actually isn't very healthy to do so, and here's why.
Many tea bags contain epichlorohydrin or dioxin {known carcinogens that have been proven to cause cancer and other disease, FYI} along with unwanted phthalates {chemicals used to soften plastics}. Speaking of plastic, there are also plastics such as PVC in tea bags, as well as food grade nylon. On top of that, tea bags are most of the time chlorine bleached, which...honestly, just google chlorine bleach for yourself and read about it.
Some of these chemicals also become active when exposed to hot water. YIKES! Yeah, I don't want that stuff in my body, that's for sure. Because of this, tea bags have almost always been a 'no-no' for me.
On the bright side, if you do your research {like me} you can find some GREAT tea bags that are all-natural, unbleached, chlorine and chemical-free, and in a nutshell, non-toxic and not harmful to you! Which is what I do for some of my larger tea catering events and occasionally when I'm on the go. I also provide these non-toxic tea bags in my tea boxes, in case I have folks who are not set up for loose leaf tea brewing and need an alternative.
So there's some hope for tea bags, you just have to find the right {and safe} ones.
2. A Stainless Steel Tea Infuser
These little infusers can be just great. They typically come in a ball form, but sometimes a spoon. You just open them up, place your loose leaf inside, close, and steep! I recommend using these only for small quantities, such as enough for one 6-8 oz cup. These infusers are not well-suited for brewing multiple cups or large pots of tea, because with loose leaf, you want the leaves to have enough room to move around as they steep, so that you achieve the maximum flavors and nutrients.
I also like using these infusers because they are stainless steel. Stainless steel is actually wonderful, did you know that? In addition to being chemical-free, high quality stainless steel tea infusers are rust, corrosion and also stain resistant. If designed well, they don’t give mold or bacteria a place to hide, either. And of course, these stainless steel infusers are BPA and non-toxic -- all in all, a much healthier choice over any sort of plastic infuser, which we should know by now is absolutely terrible for us and our environment.
3. A Tea Pot w. a Stainless Steel Mesh Infuser
This one is my fAvOrItE. I have several tea pots that have stainless steel mesh infusers, and I love them so much. When steeping your loose leaf, you can do one of two things depending on the type of tea you're steeping {eg: herbal, green, white, black...and so on} .
The first, is to place the tea inside the mesh infuser basket of the pot, then pour the appropriate temperature of water overtop to steep {this is usually okay for black and herbal teas}.
The second, is to pour the hot water in the tea pot first, then place the mesh infuser basket back into the pot {this is usually for white or green teas, which are typically more delicate}.
I also love these tea pots, because I usually drink a whole pot of tea at once, rather than a single cup. Haha. So if you're in need of a larger quantity of brewed loose leaf tea, I would highly recommend using one of these!
4. A French Press
Wait, are we talking about coffee now? Nope! Actually, a french press can totally be used for loose leaf tea. Most people do not do this, but it can work, and I do it sometimes! I only used a french press when I was younger, as it was my only option other than tea bags at the time.
As far as actually BREWING your tea...well, that's for another blog post for when I have more energy. 😉
I hope you enjoyed reading! Let me know if you have any other ways you like to steep your loose leaf tea in the comments below.
Tea ya later,