How to Brew Loose-Leaf Herbal Tea

Why whole leaf is not the same as the dust in a bag

A tea bag holds fannings and dust — the smallest fragments, with the greatest surface area. They release everything they have in a rush, which is why a bag is brisk in a minute and bitter by three.

Whole leaves, seeds, barks and blossoms release slowly. Their aromatic oils sit inside intact plant material, and hot water has to coax them out. That means a longer steep, a fuller measure, and space in the cup for the leaves to open.

• ·Quantity — one tablespoon (roughly 3g) per serving; two for a small pot.
• ·Water — freshly drawn and just off the boil, around 95–100°C for herbal botanicals.
• ·Time — five to seven minutes, rather than the ninety seconds a bag asks for.
• ·Room — an infuser basket or open pot, never a tight ball. Leaves need to unfurl.

The method

Nothing here is complicated. The care is in the pauses.

• ·Warm the cup or pot with a little hot water, then pour it away. A warm vessel holds the temperature steady through the steep.
• ·Measure one tablespoon of loose leaf per serving into a wide infuser basket, a teapot, or straight into the cup.
• ·Pour water just off the boil over the leaves, wetting all of them at once.
• ·Cover the cup or pot. Covering keeps the aromatic oils in the water rather than letting them drift off in the steam.
• ·Steep five to seven minutes. Longer for roots, barks and seeds; nearer five for flowers and soft leaves.
• ·Lift out the basket, or pour through a fine strainer. Leaving the leaves sitting in the cup will turn it tannic.

A second steep

Whole leaves are rarely finished after one pour. Most Orivaine blends will give a gentler, rounder second cup — steep the same leaves again for eight to ten minutes, a little longer than the first.

Use the leaves the same day and keep them out of standing water between steeps. The second cup is quieter and often the more contemplative of the two.

Making it a ritual

The steep is the part of the day that cannot be rushed. Five minutes is five minutes, whatever else is waiting. We think that is the point of it.

Keep the pouch sealed, cool and away from light between brews, and the botanicals will hold their aroma for months.