How to Steep Tea and Herbal Tea like an Expert 

In case you didn’t already know, we are big fans of tea here at Zarlux. Tea holds a special place in the hearts of Iranians, especially a well-brewed cup of black tea infused with the sweet aromas of saffron or cardamom. So today, we’re going to teach you the art of how to steep tea.

One of the appealing aspects of tea is that it can be served hot or cold, to relax or wake up, in the winter or summer, to cool down or to help you feel warm. But the quality and flavor of the tea will all depend on one thing; how it’s made.

Of course, each type of tea has its own specifications. However, before diving into the details, we’ll go through the basics of brewing tea and general tips for brewing the perfect cup each time.

How to Steep Tea

In its simplest form, the perfect cup of tea boils down to (pun intended!) just two ingredients: tea leaves (loose or teabag) and water. The process of brewing tea is called ‘steeping’.

Here’s is the Zarlux Saffron approved, step-by-step process for how to steep tea:

Step 1: Use fresh and preferably filtered water

Re-using previously boiled water is a major NO in Persian households. Pour fresh tap water or filtered water into a tea kettle, let it boil, and use this freshly boiled water to steep your tea.

Pro Tip: It’s important to remember that the water quality of your region will affect the final flavor of your tea. If your water is hard or has very high mineral content, we recommend using filtered or bottled water.

Step 2: Pouring

Whether you’re using tea bags or loose leaf tea, remember to pour the water over the tea, not the other way around (just as you would pour milk over your cereal!).

Step 3: Steeping

After pouring the boiling water over your tea in a teapot or teacup, you will allow your tea to steep. The most important note here is to keep your cup or teapot covered during the whole steeping process. You can do this by placing a kitchen towel over your teapot and away from the stove, or placing a small ceramic plate over your cup. This will trap the warmth of the water and allow the tea to fully infuse and steep to perfection. The time required for steeping will depend on the type of tea you’re using. We’ll cover that below.

If you’re using tea bags, do not squeeze the tea bags after steeping. Instead, you can try to reuse the tea bag in a separate cup.

For loose leaf tea, remove the tea leaves ones the tea has steeped to avoid over-steeping. Loose tea leaves are best used in a teapot by placing them in an infuser or by putting them in the teapot and straining after the steeping process.

How to Steep Different Types of Tea

Each type of tea has a unique specification for water temperature and steeping time. These specs depend on the caffeine content, the delicacy of the tea leaves, and other ingredients used in the tea mix. Whether you’re using loose leaf tea or tea bags will also determine the steeping time. 

As a general rule of thumb, black, oolong, and herbal teas can be steeped in boiled water without the risk of burning the tea leaves or over-steeping. Some teas such as white tea and green are more delicate and require water just below boiling temperature. For the right temperature, you can either pour the water from the kettle right before boiling point or allow the water to cool after boiling for about 5 minutes before pouring over the tea. You can find detailed brewing instructions for each of the Zarlux tea and herbal teas in the Zarlux products page.

If you enjoy your tea milk, lemon, honey, sugar, or any other extras, we would recommend adding them after the tea has fully steeped.

The Art of Steeping Tea

Brewing the perfect cup of tea is an important process and skill, often considered to be an art by many cultures and individuals. With so many benefits provided by tea, it’s important to make sure to follow the appropriate brewing instructions to reap all the benefits the tea has to offer. But most importantly, make sure to brew your tea based on how strong you like the flavor and how much you want to drink.

Now that you’ve brewed a soothing cup of tea, it’s time to relax and enjoy the tea with good friends or a good book.