The Tea recipe
for your table
Weigh out two grams of loose tea, about one level teaspoon, and put it loose in the cup or in a roomy infuser. The more space the leaves have to open up, the more flavor you get from them; a tightly packed infuser holds half of it back.
Bring the water to a boil, then let it cool to the temperature for your type: about 80 degrees for green and white tea, 90 degrees for oolong, and 95 to 100 degrees for black tea and pu erh. Without a thermometer, remove the kettle from the heat and wait two to three minutes.
Pour the water over the leaves and set a timer. Green tea steeps for two to three minutes, white tea for three to four, oolong for three to four, black tea for three to five, and herbal tea can steep for seven to ten minutes. If you steep black or green tea longer, you mainly get more bitterness, not more flavor.
Remove the leaves or infuser as soon as the time is up; otherwise the tea will continue steeping in the cup. Stir in honey if you like, and add milk only to black tea and only after removing the leaves. A slice of lemon goes with black tea, not tea with milk.
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The story
All real tea comes from the same plant, Camellia sinensis, a shrub mainly harvested in China, India, Sri Lanka, Japan and Kenya. The difference between white, green, oolong, black and pu erh tea lies in what happens to the leaves after picking: how long they are left to wither, whether they are allowed to oxidise and whether they then mature further. Green tea is heated early so oxidation stops, while black tea is allowed to fully darken, with oolong falling somewhere in between. Herbal tea does not belong in that list, because mint, chamomile and rooibos come from entirely different plants and contain no caffeine.
The right glass
Tea asks two things of a glass: it must be able to withstand hot water, and you must be able to hold it. A double-walled tea glass solves both, because the inner wall retains the heat while the outside stays cool enough to pick up, and the clear glass lets you see the colour of green or herbal tea. If you want more capacity, for black tea or tea with milk, choose a larger mug with a handle of around 32 centilitres. More insulating models can be found among the double-walled glasses.
Luigi Bormioli Thermic Glass Tea Glass 22 cl (2 pieces)
Bormioli Rocco Icon Mug Tea Glass 32 cl (6 pieces)
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The right tools
For a cup of loose-leaf tea, use a fine strainer beside the glass to hold back the leaves, and a long bar spoon to stir in honey. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 47,85.
Which splash belongs in your tea?
Tea is perfectly good without it, but in winter people often add a splash: rum in black tea, whisky with honey and lemon in a hot toddy, or a liqueur after dinner. On each drinks page, you'll find the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it goes with and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Brew the same tea twice as strong, let it cool and pour it over ice, and you have iced tea. With milk, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom, black tea becomes a chai latte, and with tapioca pearls at the bottom, a bubble tea. Green tea doesn't have to come from leaves: ground green tea makes a matcha latte. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Place the pot on the table with the infuser already removed, so the last cup is just as good as the first. Serve milk and honey separately, because not everyone likes the same things in their tea. Rinse the glasses with hot water first, so your tea doesn't cool down in the very first minute.
Good to know
The six types of tea
White, green, oolong, black, and pu erh all come from Camellia sinensis; the difference lies in what happens to the leaves after picking. White tea is only withered and dried, green tea is heated quickly so it does not oxidize, oolong is partially oxidized, black tea fully oxidized, and pu erh continues to mature afterward. Herbal tea is always counted along with them, but strictly speaking it is not tea: mint, chamomile, rooibos, and fruit blends come from other plants and contain no caffeine. That is why it is technically called an infusion or a tisane.
Temperature and steeping time by type
White tea: water at 75 to 85 degrees, three to four minutes. Green tea: 70 to 80 degrees, two to three minutes. Oolong: 85 to 95 degrees, three to four minutes. Black tea: 95 to 100 degrees, three to five minutes. Pu erh: 95 to 100 degrees, three to five minutes. Herbal and fruit tea: boiling water, seven to ten minutes. For all types, use approximately two grams of leaves per twenty centiliters of water. Water that is too hot makes green and white tea bitter; water that is too lukewarm makes black tea taste bland.
Loose leaves or a tea bag
A tea bag usually contains broken leaves and dust, which quickly release a lot of flavor and then quickly become bitter. Loose leaves are larger, open up completely in the water, and release their flavor more slowly, so you can really taste the difference between the second and fourth minutes. A tea bag is convenient and cheaper per cup; loose leaves offer more control and can often be steeped two or three times with green tea and oolong. If you use loose leaves, use a spacious infuser or let the leaves float freely in the pot and strain when pouring.
Water and hardness
Tea consists of more than ninety-nine percent water, so the tap water makes a big difference. In hard water with a lot of limescale, black tea develops a flat, dusty edge and a thin film appears on the surface after a few minutes; in soft water, it tastes clearer. Use fresh tap water and boil it once, because water that has been sitting for a long time or has been boiled twice contains less oxygen and tastes dull. A filter jug helps if you live in an area with hard water.
Storing tea
Tea deteriorates due to air, light, heat, and moisture, and it absorbs foreign odors. Therefore, store it in a sealed, opaque container in a dry place, and not next to coffee or spices. Green and white teas are the most sensitive and are at their best within six months to a year; black tea keeps longer, while pu erh is specifically made to age for years. It does not need to be refrigerated, because moisture condenses as soon as you take the container out.
Which glass or cup is right for which tea
Green, white and herbal teas show off their color, so they look best in clear glass; a double-walled tea glass keeps them warm without making the outside hot. You usually drink black tea and tea with milk in a larger size, and then a mug with a handle is more comfortable: more capacity, a sturdy grip, and you can hang the tag from a tea bag over the handle. For oolong and pu erh, a small size of fourteen to twenty-two centiliters works best, because you steep them multiple times.
Frequently asked questions
How much tea do you use per cup?
Allow roughly two grams of loose-leaf tea per twenty centiliters of water, which amounts to one level teaspoon for fine leaves and one heaped teaspoon for coarse leaves. For a one-liter pot, that comes to about ten grams. With large, airy leaves such as white tea, you can use a little more, because the same amount takes up much more volume.
How hot should the water be for tea?
That depends on the type: black tea and pu erh need water at 95 to 100 degrees, oolong at 85 to 95, white tea at 75 to 85 and green tea at 70 to 80 degrees. Without a thermometer, remove the kettle from the heat and wait two to three minutes; by then, boiling water will have cooled to around eighty degrees.
How long should tea steep?
Steep green tea for two to three minutes, white tea for three to four, oolong for three to four, and black tea and pu erh for three to five minutes. Herbal and fruit teas can steep for seven to ten minutes, because they contain nothing that turns bitter. Remove the leaves afterwards, otherwise the tea will continue steeping in the cup.
Is herbal tea also tea?
Strictly speaking, no. Real tea comes from Camellia sinensis; mint, chamomile, rooibos, fresh ginger and fruit blends come from other plants and are therefore technically an infusion or a tisane. In practice, you prepare them almost the same way, with two differences: herbal tea can be made with boiling water and steeped for much longer, and it contains no caffeine.
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