Everything about loose-leaf tea
Loose leaf tea offers an enormous variety of flavors, aromas, and preparation methods. From fresh green tea and delicate white tea to roasted oolong, robust black tea, and aged Pu-Erh: every type of tea has its own character.
But how much tea should you use per cup? What water temperature is suitable? Can you use the same tea leaves several times? And what is actually the difference between true tea and a herbal infusion? In this tea guide, we answer the most common questions about loose leaf tea and the proper preparation method.
LOOSE-LEAF TEA: WHAT EXACTLY IS IT?
By loose-leaf tea, we mean tea whose leaves are used freely rather than packaged in a traditional tea bag. This gives the tea leaves more room to unfurl and release their aromas while steeping.
True tea is made from a single plant: Camellia sinensis. The difference between green, white, oolong, and black tea is mainly determined by how the leaves are processed after harvesting.
What is the difference between tea and an infusion?
Green tea, white tea, oolong, black tea, and Pu-Erh all come from Camellia sinensis and naturally contain caffeine.
Herbal tea and fruit tea are also called tea in everyday language, but technically they are herbal or fruit infusions. They are made from ingredients such as herbs, flowers, fruit, spices, and roots and generally do not naturally contain caffeine, unless they include caffeinated ingredients such as maté.
What types of loose-leaf tea are there?
All true tea comes from the same tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Differences in origin, harvesting, and processing result in very different types of tea, each with its own flavor and character.
How much loose-leaf tea do you use per cup?
A good general guideline is approximately 2 to 3 grams of loose-leaf tea per 250 ml of water. That is about one heaped teaspoon, but the exact volume varies greatly depending on the size and shape of the tea leaves.
For example, large, airy leaves take up much more space than finely rolled tea. That is why weighing is more accurate than using a teaspoon.
Where possible, you will find specific brewing instructions for each Mingtea tea. Consider these a starting point: ultimately, you can adjust the amount to suit your personal taste.
What water temperature should you use for loose-leaf tea?
Not every tea should be brewed at the same temperature. Water that is too hot can make delicate green tea more bitter, while sturdier black teas and certain infusions need sufficiently hot water.
- Green tea: usually around 70–85 °C
- White tea: usually around 75–90 °C
- Oolong tea: usually around 85–95 °C
- Black tea: usually around 90–100 °C
- Pu-Erh tea: usually around 95–100 °C
- Herbal and fruit infusions: generally around 95–100 °C
These are general guidelines. The ideal temperature may vary depending on the specific tea, harvest, and personal preference.
How long should loose-leaf tea steep?
The steeping time also varies by type of tea. As a general guideline, you can think of around 2–3 minutes for many green teas, 3–5 minutes for white and black teas, and a few minutes for oolong. Herbal and fruit infusions can often be steeped for longer.
Incidentally, a longer steeping time does not automatically mean better tea. With some teas, it mainly releases more bitter or astringent compounds. So feel free to experiment with the quantity, temperature and steeping time until you find the flavor you like best.
Can you steep loose-leaf tea multiple times?
Yes. Many high-quality loose-leaf teas can be steeped several times. Oolong, Pu-Erh, white tea and various Chinese green teas are particularly well suited to this.
Each new infusion can bring out different aromas. Sometimes a tea even becomes smoother and more aromatic during the second or third infusion than during the first.
With successive infusions, you can gradually adjust the steeping time. Traditional Chinese brewing methods often use relatively large amounts of tea leaves with much shorter infusions.
Which filter do you use for loose-leaf tea?
A good tea infuser should primarily provide enough space for the leaves. Small, tightly packed infusers restrict the unfurling of large tea leaves.
A spacious metal infuser, filter basket or teapot with a built-in infuser is therefore particularly practical. For travelling or when you do not want to use a permanent infuser, paper tea filters are a simple solution.
Also take a look at our tea mugs and filters for different ways to easily prepare loose-leaf tea using relatively large quantities of tea leaves with much shorter infusions.
Does loose-leaf tea contain caffeine?
Yes. All true tea from Camellia sinensis naturally contains caffeine. However, the amount varies considerably and cannot be reliably determined based solely on the color of the tea.
The cultivar used, young buds or older leaves, the amount of tea, water temperature, and steeping time, among other factors, affect how much caffeine ultimately ends up in your cup.
Matcha generally contains relatively high levels of caffeine, because with matcha you consume the finely ground tea leaf itself rather than drinking only an infusion of it.
Herbal and fruit infusions are usually caffeine-free, unless they contain ingredients that provide caffeine themselves, such as maté.
What water do you use for tea?
Water makes up the largest part of your cup of tea and therefore has a surprisingly strong influence on the flavor.
Very hard water with a high mineral content can flatten the delicate aromas of tea. Preferably use fresh water with a neutral taste. If your tap water is very hard or heavily chlorinated, filtered water can make a noticeable difference.
It is also best to use fresh water each time rather than water that has already been boiled several times.
What are tea Flowers?
Tea flowers, also known as tea Flower, are handcrafted from tea leaves and flowers. The leaves are bound into a compact ball that slowly opens when placed in hot water.
A transparent glass teapot is ideal for this: you can watch the leaves unfold and the colorful flower gradually emerge.
In addition to the taste, this visual aspect is an important part of the tea experience. A tea flower is therefore also a popular choice as a special tea gift.
What is matcha?
Matcha is Japanese green tea ground into a very fine powder. Unlike traditional loose-leaf tea, the leaves are not removed after steeping: you drink the finely ground tea leaf as well.
Traditionally, matcha is whisked with hot water using a bamboo whisk, the chasen. Matcha has a distinctive green, umami-rich character and is also widely used in matcha lattes and culinary preparations.
For traditional preparation, our matcha accessories include chasen, chashaku and chawan, among others.
How do you store loose-leaf tea?
Loose leaf tea stays at its best when protected from light, moisture, heat, and strong odors. Therefore, store tea tightly sealed in a dry, dark place.
Tea easily absorbs other odors. It is therefore best not to leave it open next to coffee, spices, or strongly scented foods.
An airtight tea tin or tea box is particularly suitable for this purpose. Browse our tea boxes for various ways to store loose leaf tea neatly.
Discover which loose-leaf tea is right for you
There is no single type of tea that is best for everyone. One person may enjoy a fresh green tea, while another prefers a floral oolong, a robust black tea, or the deep flavours of Pu-Erh.
That is why tasting remains the best way to get to know tea. Experiment with different types, temperatures and steeping times to discover which flavours suit you best.
Because that is exactly where the joy of tea lies for us: there is always something new to discover.
