Now I have my herbs 🌿, what do I do with them?
Now that you have your herbs 🌱 it’s time to brew or infuse them. Brewing loose leaf herbs may seem like a bit of a challenge but you’ll be surprised to learn just how simple infusing your herbs 🌿 can be. Below I’ve listed some steps to get your loose leaf tea brewing:
Step 1: Select your infuser and place your herbs 🌿 inside
There are many types of infusers from tea balls to strainers to kettles. And there are many styles of infusers from heart shaped designs to glass kettles with built-in infusers. You can also choose to steep your herbs 🌿 in homemade tea bags. Whichever way you go, most infusers are inexpensive which gives you the opportunity to shop around a bit for the one you like. My personal favorite is the glass kettle infuser because I like to brew more than one cup of herbs 🌿 at a time. The kettle infuser allows me to prepare 4 tablespoons (4 cups) of my favorite tea ☕️ . The tea ball infusers tend to only fit 1 tablespoon of herbs 🌿 inside its ball. **A Very Important Note: using larger infusers will require the herbs 🌿 to steep longer. For example, using the tea ball infuser for a single cup of tea may only need 5-8 minutes of steeping time. While a larger infuser like the kettle will require 15 minutes to an hour of steeping time to get the full benefit of your herb(s) 🌿☕️
Step 2: Heat water to a boil
You generally want to boil about 1-2 oz more than you plan on using as the water may evaporate while heating. I generally boil 10-12 oz of water for about 9-11 oz of tea. The stronger or more bitter herb 🌿, the more water you’ll want to use.
Step 3: Pour hot water over your herbs 🌿 making sure they are submerged in the water.
Try covering your herbs 🌿 as they steep.
Covering your herbs 🌿 with a kettle top, napkin or towel will help trap the beneficial essential oils those herbs can produce. The essential oils from herbs 🌿 provide countless nutrients and health benefits.
Step 4: Steep herbs 🌿 for 15 minutes to an hour
1-2 tablespoons usually takes about 5-10 minutes of steep time. The more herbs 🌿you mix the longer you may need to steep your herbs 🌿. You may also need to press some of the thicker herbs 🌿 *simply by pressing the tea bag with you finger tips or using your finger to press the herbs inside the tea ball infuser. This ensures you get all the benefits from your herbs 🌿
Step 5: Enjoy 🌿☕️🌱💫❤️🤗