Brewing a Cup of Tea

Everyone’s got a different way of making a cup of tea. We’ve spent over 130 years honing our technique for the perfect brew: here’s a few of our not-so-secret tips, from water temperature to infusion time.

1. Use Fresh Water

Always use water freshly drawn from the tap or a filter jug: the higher levels of oxygen in fresh water give your cup of tea a cleaner, brighter taste.

2. Watch the Temperature

Black, puerh and most oolong teas can be brewed with freshly boiled water, but for less processed teas like green, white or yellow tea use water closer to 80°C. Just leave the kettle lid up for 3–5 minutes after boiling, then pour and infuse

3. Remember to Spoon

Loose leaf can seem fiddly, but the truth is it’s as easy as teabags. Just remember: use one teaspoon (around 2g) per cup of tea, or two per cup if you’re brewing white tea, yellow tea or a fruit and herbal infusion.

How Long Should I Brew?

Each of our teas tells you how many minutes to brew, but it all depends on your taste. As a general rule, more robust teas reach the best strength between 3–5 minutes’ infusing, while delicate teas like Darjeelings, white and green teas should only be infused for around 2–3 minutes.