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    "id": 1079405,
    "title": "Loose Leaf Starter Kit: A Strainer and Three Familiar Blends",
    "slug": "loose-leaf-starter-kit",
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    "url": "https://teas.co.uk/wiki/loose-leaf-starter-kit/",
    "modified": "2026-11-14T01:08:43+00:00",
    "excerpt": "What you need to start with loose leaf tea: one strainer, something to brew in, and loose versions of blends you already drink. With the makers' own quantities and timings.",
    "content_text": "Loose leaf starter kit, in short: One strainer, any pot or jug, and the loose version of a tea you already like. Start with a familiar breakfast blend so the only new thing is the method.\nTo start with loose leaf tea you need three things: something to brew in, something to catch the leaf, and a tea you already know. You do not need scales, a thermometer or a new teapot. The simplest kit is a strainer and the loose version of the blend that is already in your cupboard as bags.\nLast reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in November 2026.\nWhat goes in the kit\n\nA strainer: the Tunta Bamboo Tea Strainer, woven by hand in Thailand.\nA familiar strong blend: Yorkshire Tea Original Loose Leaf Tea, 250g.\nA second familiar blend: PG Tips Original Loose Leaf Tea, 250g.\nA smaller box to try: Twinings English Breakfast Loose Tea, 125g.\n\nYou do not need all three teas. Pick the one whose bags you already drink, so you can taste what the change of method does. If you want a wider comparison first, see best loose leaf tea UK.\n\nThe strainer\nA strainer sits over the cup and catches the leaf as you pour. That lets the tea brew loose in the pot with room to move, which is the point of going loose in the first place. Yorkshire Tea makes the same case for the teapot: it gives the leaves lots of room to brew, and you strain as you pour.\nOne caution from the same guide. Yorkshire Tea says its leaf is small, so the holes in whatever you strain with need to be fine or some leaf will get through. If a few specks reach the cup, let it stand a moment and they sink.\nAn infuser, where the leaf sits inside a basket or ball in the cup, is the other route. We set out the difference in tea strainer vs infuser, and there is a page on the Tunta bamboo strainers themselves. Both of ours are on the teaware shelf.\nThree familiar blends\nYorkshire Tea Original Loose Leaf. The maker's guide gives one teaspoon of tea per person, plus one extra for the pot when you are making several cups, and 4 to 5 minutes of brewing. It suggests a splash of semi-skimmed or whole milk. More in our Yorkshire Tea loose leaf guide.\nPG Tips Original Loose Leaf. The loose version of the PG Tips blend, in the same 250g size. Follow the quantities on the pack. Background is in PG Tips loose leaf.\nTwinings English Breakfast Loose Tea. Twinings lists it as 100% black tea and gives one teaspoon per cup, brewed for two to three minutes, with a splash of milk. At 125g it is the smallest of the three, which suits a first try.\nYour first pot\n\nFill the kettle with fresh water and boil it once. Yorkshire Tea's advice is to run the tap briefly first and not to reboil.\nSpoon the tea into a pot or a heatproof jug, using the quantity for your blend in the table below.\nPour on the boiling water and leave it for the time given.\nRest the strainer on the cup and pour through it.\nAdd milk if you take it.\n\nThat is the whole method. Our longer walk-through is how to start drinking loose leaf tea.\nQuantities and times at a glance\n\nBlendPackLeafBrewing timeWhose guidance\nYorkshire Tea Original Loose Leaf Tea250g1 teaspoon per person, plus 1 for the pot4 to 5 minutesYorkshire Tea\nTwinings English Breakfast Loose Tea125g1 teaspoon per cup2 to 3 minutesTwinings\nPG Tips Original Loose Leaf Tea250gSee the packSee the packThe pack\n\nAfter the first box\nOnce the method is routine, change one thing at a time. A second breakfast blend, a flavoured black tea or a green tea each use the same strainer. Twinings gives the same teaspoon per cup and two to three minutes for its loose Earl Grey.\nKeep opened leaf in a closed tin or jar, away from light and strong smells. Our guide on how to store loose leaf tea has more, and is loose leaf cheaper than tea bags does the sums on cost per cup. Everything loose we stock is on the loose leaf shelf.\n\nCommon questions\nDo I need a teapot for loose leaf tea?\nNo. Any heatproof jug or a second mug will do, as long as you pour through a strainer. A pot is simply the tidiest way to brew for more than one person.\nIs loose leaf stronger than tea bags?\nStrength depends on how much leaf you use and how long you leave it, not on whether it is loose. We compare the two in loose leaf vs tea bags.\nWhich loose tea should a beginner start with?\nThe loose version of the bags you already drink. You know how it should taste, so you can judge the method.\n\nReference noted\nQuantities and timings were checked on 13 November 2026 against Yorkshire Tea's guide to making loose leaf tea and the Twinings listings for English Breakfast 125g Loose Tea and Earl Grey 125g Loose Tea.\nMore from the tea wiki\n\nOne Cup Tea Brewing: Loose Leaf Without a Pot\nTwinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey: Brewing Earl Grey in a Pot\nTwinings English Breakfast Loose Tea: Leaf Versus Bag\nBest loose leaf tea UK\nLoose Leaf vs Tea Bags\nIs Loose Leaf Cheaper Than Tea Bags? The Maths\nYorkshire Tea Loose Leaf: Dose, Pot and Strainer\nTea Strainer vs Infuser: Give the Leaf Room\nHow to Store Loose Leaf Tea\nThe whole Tea Wiki, A to Z",
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