How to Brew Loose-Leaf Black Tea Recipe

The recipe

Exact quantities, then the method.

Brewing loose-leaf black tea is barely more work than a bag, and the cup is all the better for it. The simplest method needs no infuser at all: drop the leaves straight into the cup, pour over boiling water, give it four minutes, then decant the brew through a strainer into a second cup. That way the leaves are left behind and the tea cannot keep stewing past its best. A bamboo strainer like the Pattiya catches even the fine fragments and adds no taste of its own.

Source: teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the How to Brew Loose-Leaf Black Tea recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/black-tea/how-to-brew-loose-leaf-black-tea/

Drink it plain, or add a little sugar and a splash of milk to taste.

6 min Serves 1 Easy Black Tea Recipes

You'll need

1 heaped teaspoon of quality loose-leaf black tea (Assam, Ceylon or English Breakfast)
300ml freshly drawn water, brought to a true rolling boil
Optional: a small splash of cold whole milk, a teaspoon of soft light brown sugar

Equipment

1 Pattiya Bamboo Tea Strainer
2 warmed 300ml cups

Method

Rinse both cups with hot water to warm them, then empty them.
Put a heaped teaspoon of loose-leaf black tea into the first cup, no infuser needed.
Pour over freshly boiled water and cover with a saucer.
Steep for four minutes; whole loose leaves take a little longer than a bag to give their colour and body.
Set the bamboo strainer over the second cup and pour the brewed tea through it, leaving the leaves behind.
Tip the spent leaves into the compost.
Drink as is, or add a splash of cold milk and a little brown sugar.
Tip: rinse the bamboo strainer under cold water and air-dry it, never soak it; it darkens to a natural patina with use.

What you'll end up with: A clean, clear cup of loose-leaf black tea with no stray leaves, brewed and decanted the simple way.

Save / print

Keep going