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The 101 On Loose Leaf Tea.
The best tea doesn't have to be complicated. In fact, we've made it simple, mess-free, and – dare we say – stylish. Learn why you'll love loose leaf and how to perfect your technique below.
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The Top 3: Your Must-Knows For a Great Cup
Start with about 1 tbsp. of loose leaf tea per cup. If you're making a latte or adding ice, double that.
Wait a minute or two before you pour your water. This is especially important for green teas – wait until steam stops rising for these.
There are two likely reasons: you steeped too long, or your water was too hot (you burned the tea leaves). Check out our Cheat Sheet > for optimal steeping times.
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What Is Loose Leaf Tea?
Tea comes from the camellia sinensis plant. Grown mostly in Asia and Africa, this plant is cultivated, oxidized, and then infused in hot water to create tea.
Tea leaves are processed differently to produce varying flavours, aromas, and strengths. For example, black tea is wilted and fully oxidized (exposed to the air to dry and darken), while green tea is unwilted and unoxidized.
You typically purchase teas in two forms: loose leaf or tea bags. Loose leaf embodies the whole leaf and full flavour from the plant, making it the highest-quality experience.
In North America, we also call herbs, spices, and fruits that we infuse in hot water "tea." These infusions have their own unique benefits and flavour profiles.
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Why Loose Leaf Tea?
Our average 100g - 3.5oz pouch makes 25-30 cups, working out to about 19 cents per gram. That's a better value than comparable-quality tea bags in the grocery store. Plus, loose leaf tea can often be resteeped, which equals even more savings.
The highest-quality teas don’t get ground up into tea bag cuts. You get the best quality from the full leaf. As it expands in the hot water, the fullest flavour comes through.
Loose leaf tea means you’re not throwing away tea bags after every cup, so you can steep guilt-free. Our tea pouches are 100% plant-based and home compostable.
The simple art of making a cup of loose leaf tea is unmatched. Watch the leaves expand in the water as the colours and intoxicating fragrances come to life in real time.
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What Are the Benefits of Loose Leaf Tea?
Green, black, and oolong teas are packed with antioxidants. Antioxidants help prevent cell damage and neutralize harmful free radicals.
Think of tea as a cousin to coffee. Tea releases caffeine into the bloodstream differently, giving you sustained energy without the shakes.
Since the energy in tea releases over a longer period of time, it creates a calm, focused state.
Chamomile, rooibos, and other herbal teas are natural sleep aids used to promote relaxation and improve sleep quality.
Herbal infusions promote healthy digestion and work to naturally combat stomach pains and bloating.
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What Are The Different Tea Types?
A smooth boost of energy to start your day. This strong, bold, and rich tea type is often enjoyed in the mornings and has a dark colour profile ranging from brown to red.
A rich source of energy and antioxidants, green tea has a grassy or vegetal flavour profile and is green to yellow in colour. It’s one of the most consumed tea types, and has been vastly studied for its notable health benefits.
This traditional Chinese tea is a daily delicacy. Used for mental alertness, oolong tea can be sweet and fruity with honey aromas, or woody and thick with roasted aromas. Because of the unique rolling technique used, this tea type can be re-steeped several times.
Herbal teas are caffeine-free infusions made up of different herbs, fruits, and spices that help you rest, digest, and unwind.
For the coffee lovers: mate tea features a South American herb that has a rich coffee-like taste. It allows for a sustained energy boost without the jitters.
Low-caffeine and floral, white tea is the most delicate of the tea types because it’s minimally processed. The flavour profile of white tea is “lighter” than green tea.
Pretty straightforward – this is any tea type served over ice. Often enjoyed in the summers, steeping your own iced tea is a refreshing, guilt-free option without the calories or sugar of bottled versions.
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What Do I Need to Make Loose Leaf Tea?
It's not complicated, we promise. All you need to make loose leaf tea is a device of your choice that will hold the leaves in hot water while they expand and steep, then strain or remove the leaves so that you can enjoy your fresh tea.
A strainer or infuser holds your leaves in hot water while they steep, and is then removed. The Firebelly Tea Strainer comes with a resting cup for mess-free steeping, and is made of laser-perforated mesh to filter out tiny particles.
You can also steep loose leaf tea in a teapot, if it has a built-in strainer. With the Firebelly Teapot, we leveled things up with a modern design and built-in features for simple, mess-free steeping and pouring.
It's pretty tricky and messy to steep loose leaf tea in most travel mugs, so we made our own. The Firebelly Stop-Infusion Travel Mug allows you to add your tea leaves and hot water to the mug and stop the infusion anytime, anywhere by pressing down an inside chamber.
A pitcher with infuser built-in is another great way to steep loose leaf tea. We made this glass pitcher with iced tea in mind. Steep, chill, serve, and store in your fridge, all in one stylish accessory.
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How Do I Make Loose Leaf Tea?
The ritual of steeping loose leaf tea is fairly simple, but there are some subtleties that will help you get the perfect cup. Watch the video to get a full rundown, or swipe right for a written step-by-step.
Add tea leaves to your Tea Strainer. We recommend about 1 tbsp. For iced tea or lattes, use 2 tbsp.
Bring water to a boil in a kettle, then let it cool slightly – you don’t want to use scalding hot water. For green tea, including matcha, wait until there’s no steam rising from your kettle or your tea will come out bitter. Pour the water over your leaves.
Follow the steeping time on your packaging, or use our Steeping Tips for precise steeping instructions by tea.
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How Do I Get Started?
Your choice of 3 morning (caffeine) or evening (caffeine-free) teas and black or white Tea Strainer. Our strainer works with any mug you have at home.
Our perfectly designed Tea Strainer helps you master our loose leaf teas and fits perfectly in our Teacup when steeping. Plus, you get our 3 essential teas for the day.
Our premium ceremonial-grade matcha, bundled with a powerful whisk and elevated Matcha Bowl to froth the perfect cup, splash-free.
Look forward to your daily tea ritual with our small teapot that’s big on style, a matching teacup, and our 3 essential teas of the day.
Our Stop-Infusion Travel Mug steeps perfect tea on-the-go, and keeps it hot or cold for hours. Comes with your choice of variety pack, each containing 3 amazing teas to try.
Time To Find Your Tea
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Loose Leaf Herbal Teas
Real flavour you can taste. Non-caffeinated infusions help you unwind with the...
