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Longer Guide to Brewing Loose Leaf Tea

You're brewing loose leaf tea, and would like some guidance? No worries, We've got you covered.

If you've only made tea form a teabag (aka tea dust) until now, I understand loose leaves can be a little intimidating. 

But we all learn, so today I'm guiding you through every tea type's requirements, so you can brew any tea you like.

To make a cup of loose leaf tea, you will need:

• Hot water, preferably heated with a kettle. The exact temperature will be discussed later
• Empty teacup or mug, use that to measure out the water
• Loose tea leaves
• Some sort of strainer or paper filter to strain/filter the tea
• A timer of any sort

Heat the water to the specified temperature. My easy cheat is "right before boiling".

Using water too hot can result in bitter tea, and over extraction. Using water too cold can result in a very weak tea unless you do a proper cold brew which I will share as well. 

Measure out how much tea you want to use for a cup (depending on the cup size). Add it either to the hot water and strain later, or the tea ball or filter and dunk it into the water.

Let the tea leaves steep for as long as necessary, then strain or remove the tea leaves.

You're done !

How much loose leaf tea to add for one cup of tea

When using loose leaf, the rule of thumb is that you should use 2 heaping teaspoons of leaves for every 8-10 oz/236 ml of water used.

But some teas will need a little more adjusting to fit your taste

This means that one green tea blend might require 2 teaspoons of tea, but another might need 2 and a half, or something just under two.

In short, be prepared to test things out and see where you're comfortable with the flavor.

How long to steep loose leaf tea

As for the steeping time, each tea will have its own requirement. So, we have:

• White tea - start with 1 minute, and keep tasting every half minute. Don't go too far over 5 minutes.
• Green tea - 2 minutes, max 3. Anything more and it turns bitter.
• Black tea - 3-5 minutes. Keep tasting after 3 minutes for bitterness.
• Oolong tea - 3-5 minutes. Keep tasting after 3 minutes for bitterness.
• Pu'erh tea - 3-5 minutes. Keep tasting after 3 minutes for bitterness.
• Herbal tea - 5 minutes. Does not really get bitter, but should not be oversteeped.

Most tea's at La Rue 1680 are Black blends, herbal or green blends. See product page for exact tea.

Metal vs paper filters when brewing tea

Finally, let's get to how you'll be filtering your tea.

No matter what kind of tea you use, you are going to need to filter it in some way so you don't ingest the leaves themselves. Tea leaves are indeed safe but I promise you will have a more enjoyable experience by straining but who would really want to do that ?

You've got metal tea balls and variations on that system (like clamps), you've got empty teabags that can be filled with the tea you like, you've got strainers that you can pour the tea through, and you've also got some teapots that have a metal filter installed on the spout.

The easiest is a metal strainer or tea ball like this one 

Final thoughts

Brewing your first loose leaf tea can be intimidating, but so rewarding.

If your first cup of tea doesn't go quite as planned, don't worry. Learn from it, and try to figure out where you went wrong, Water too hot, or maybe you used too much tea ? Try things out and see how you can adjust the method to your liking.

April is Stress Awareness Month – a time to acknowledge and take action against the harmful effects of stress. Stress can have a negative impact on our physical and mental health, but there are ways to manage it effectively. By identifying the sources of stress in our lives and incorporating stress management techniques into our daily routines, we can improve our resilience to stress and promote our overall well-being. As part of this effort...

Hey La Rue'rs!!!! I wanted to take a moment to share with you exactly how the releases, called "drops", here at La Rue 1680 works. If the player below doesn't play automatically simply hit the play button. 

These days, many don't take the time to set a table anymore. I do like holding on to some of those traditions many find "old". Join me as I prepare for a private little lunch for 2 at my home. 

 

Yep! It is as good as it sounds!!!! The La Rue 1680 Iced Chocolate Vanilla Latte is easy to make and only requires a handful of ingredients. 

But how did I come up with this recipe? I am a fan of coffee drinks but they aren't always the best for you. So I decided to try my fan at a tea version for the after noon pick me up that was just as pretty and tasty as the better known coffee versions. 

 

I decided to use cold brew La Rue 1680 India Street Vanilla Chai because cold brewing leaves no chance of the bitter taste that sometimes can happen when we burn the tea leaves. Yes, when you taste that bitter flavoring, it is burnt. So when I wake in the morning, if I know I am going to want this later in the afternoon, I cold brew the La Rue 1680 India Street Vanilla Chai and let it steep a couple of hours. By the time lunch comes, the tea is ready.  

It is important to ensure that you're using a loose leaf Chai as any other ground tea lacks the flavor necessary for this drink. I often hear "tea taste like water". I often want to reply "It is because you're purchasing inferior tea"

I also prepared a keto friendly version for myself. If you would like full sugar, simply grab the full sugar versions of the products listed

Ingredients: 

• La Rue 1680 India Street Vanilla Chai 1 1/2 tbs
• Chocolate Syrup of your choosing
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup of milk of your choosing (I use homemade cashew milk but any milk or cream will do)
• Mocha syrup or sweetener. I love the mocha flavor sugar free flavor infusions and my favorite place to grab them is tj maxx or Home Goods. Im sure they're available at your favorite grocer. Add this to taste. I typically use 1 tbs but if its in the evening and I want it sweeter I go with 2. 
• Ice

How to make it: 

In a glass swirl chocolate syrup in circular motions so that it creates a pattern on the inside of the glass. 

Add ice. I personally prefer crushed ice in iced latte's. 

Add milk until glass is about 1/4 full. If you like more milk in your latte, feel free to add 1/2 full. 

Pour in 6-8oz of La Rue 1680 India Street Vanilla Chai

Top with Mocha Syrup and stir, trying not to disturb chocolate pattern on glass

Optional: You can also top with whipped cream for extra razzle dazzle. 

 

 

We are pleased to introduce The Wellness Collection. A collection of teas that heal mind, body and spirit using the holistic approach of healing from the inside out. We are kicking the collection off with 2 powerful teas. 

• Ginger Turmeric which have anti inflammatory benefits as well as auto immune, circulatory and much more. 
• Ayurvedic Blend which is the basis of the entire collection. Ayurvedic medicine is ancient medicine that heals through the balance of mind, body and spirit. It focuses on overall balance in the body and this powerful blend helps to do just that. 

Order your teas here

We are absolutely in obsessed with the new Netflix cult hit, Bridgerton. The entire energy just feels like... La Rue 1680!!!!! To celebrate we are making a series of drinks and we are starting here with the Bridgerton Pink Latte. It is simple, just a couple of ingredients and it tastes so good

You can drink this hot or cold though we showed it here iced which is my personal favorite when working during the day. 

 

 

The Bridgerton Pink Latte

1 heaping tbs of La Rue 1680 Casablanca Blend

Boiling water

Milk of your choice (We used macadamia nut milk but any milk is fine here)

Sweetener of your choice. (We used stevia but honey or even simply sugar will work)

While boiling 10 oz of water, mix milk (we used 1/4 cup but amount depends on your taste) and sweetener. 

Once boiling, pour water over Casablanca blend and let steep 5 mins. 

If serving hot, fill cup 3/4 full and continue filling with sweetened milk. Stir and enjoy 

If serving cold, allow to cool for 20-30 mins. Pour over ice filling glass 3/4 full. Top with sweetened milk mixture and stir.

Okay, okay, we know. Charcuterie is a meat tray. It is a classic at holiday parties often paired with cheese and sometimes crackers, fruit and jam. But, here at La Rue 1680, we like to play by the beat of our own drum so we decided to play off this classic with tea this holiday season.

If you are like so many other The Crown fans, you've been waiting on pins and needles for season 4 to be released on Netflix. It is our delight to say that not only has it been released but we have enjoyed every second of it. 

We won't give anything away but we love the show so much as fans that we decided to release our own "Crown Collection" TODAY!!!!!!

It is 2 gift sets named after The Crown and happenings in the show and a release of The Crown accessories. The most beautiful and royal tea pots, tea cups and more. 

I will add some images below and they're only available while supplies last 

Above is The Royal Court. Access to 4 of our most classic and beloved flavors

The Crown Collection Accessories