Boiling and Brewing

... for tea! Every type of tea leaf has an ideal temperature and time. The following list is meant to be a general ballpark idea, not an exact science. 

BLACK TEA - boiling point, let steep 3-5 minutes 

GREEN TEA - under boiling point, let steep 2-4 minutes 

WHITE TEA - under boiling point, let steep 3 minutes 

OOLONG TEA - boiling point, let steep 3-4 minutes

CHAI - boiling point, let steep 5 minutes

HERBAL TEA - boiling point, let steep 5-7 minutes 

ROOIBOS TEA - boiling point, let steep 5-7 minutes

HIBISCUS TEA - boiling point, let steep 5-7 minutes 

CHAMOMILE TEA - boiling point, let steep 5-7 minutes 

DARJEELING TEA - boiling point, let steep 3-5 minutes

FOR REFERENCE, BOILING WATER IS USUALLY ABOUT 200 DEGREES - GREEN AND WHITE TEA TASTE BETTER AT A LOWER TEMPERATURE, ABOUT 175 DEGREES. 

NOTES ON MAKING TEA 

HOT BREW - we recommend using about 1 tbsp of our tea per 8 oz. of water.  It's a common misconception that letting tea/herbs steep longer results in stronger tea. so we recommend using more tea if you are looking for more flavor. 

COLD BREW - We prefer to make our tea hot and let it cool down naturally for an iced tea mixture. We brew it the same way as explained above, but we double the amount of tea/herbs per ounce of water. 

OUR METHOD- Calculate the amount of iced tea you want to end up with and figure 1 1/2  tbsp per ounce. Bring water to a boil, add tea, and turn off. Let steep for 20-30 minutes and remove tea bag. If you are adding sweetener, do so now while it's still warm. We have found that light brown sugar is a crowd pleaser and not overly sweet. We use it sparingly. Place your warm brewed tea in the fridge overnight. 

FUN TIP- take some extra tea and freeze in ice cube trays. The next day, when your iced tea is ready, drop a few cubes in and it won't water down your iced tea at all! Extra fun tip, tuck a few fresh mint leaves in those iced tea cubes before freezing. 

CHAI - How to make a Chai latte at home without a frothing machine- you have choices! You can whisk milk in a saucepan while it's heating on the stove... you can place milk in a mason jar and shake it vigorously and then heat it up, (works especially well with whole milk and any nut milk) or froth milk with an immersion blender before heating it up (this works well for non-dairy milks as well as whole or nut based milks). Combine your hot brewed tea with your frothed milk, add sugar to taste.