From time to time we receive an email that surprises us and thats just what happened this week when Beth wrote to ask us how to go about brewing a cup of tea. She was ready to ditch the tea bags and make the move to good quality loose tea but didn't know how.

This got us thinking abot just how many other people out there might be in a similar situation so rather than respond just to Beth we've put together this step by step guide.

First things first we need to choose the right tools for the job; you will need your favourite tea cup, an infuser (we've gone with the basic spring handle style) and a box of loose leaf tea (since it's lunch time I'm going to use Aniseed Intensity)

Now we are ready to begin:

The Perfectly Brewed Tea

  • Bring the water to boil then allow it to stand before pouring; just boilied water will burn the tea leaves and give your tea a slightly bitter taste. As a general rule 30 seconds for black tea, 1 minute for green or oolong tea and up to 2 minutes for white tea.

  • Place a heaped tea spoon of tea leaves into the infuser (check the back of the pack for exact measurements as these can vary depending on the type of tea), it's important that the leaves not take up more than half the space inside the infuser as they will need room to unfurl and expand

  • Depending on the tyle of infuser you are using place it in or on the cup and proceed to slowly pour the water in, it's important to pour through the tea as this intial infusion contributes largely to the final taste.

  • Now the hard part; the waiting.
    Black teas allow 4 minutes
    Oolong teas allow 3 minutes
    Green teas allow 3 minutes
    White teas allow 2 minutes
    Fruit infusions allow 8 minutes
    Herbal infusions allow 7 minutes
    Always check the back of the box as timings can vary between teas and adjust dependin on whether you like your tea weaker or stronger

  • Now remove the infuser from the water and you're done it's that easy

Well I hope that answered your question Beth and anyone else who wasn't sure.