New to loose leaf? You're in the right place.

Loose leaf is easier than it looks. No special skills, no fancy gear. If you can boil water, you can make a great cup.

What you need

Your tea, hot water, and a way to hold the leaves while they steep. A tea ball, a mesh nest that sits on your mug, or a teapot with a built-in strainer all work. Whole loose leaves carry more flavor than the broken bits in most tea bags, so give them room to swell and float. A tiny tea infuser won't let the water fully infuse (we only sell appropriately sized infusers).

The one rule

Use 1 teaspoon of loose leaf for every cup, about 8 ounces of water. Bigger mug? Add a teaspoon for each extra cup of water. Want it stronger? Add a little more leaf, not more time, since long steeping is what brings out bitterness.

Match your tea to the water

How to sweeten

Taste your tea before adding anything. It might not need it, and you can always add more, but you can't take it out. When you do want it sweeter, honey, sugar, and maple all work. Sugar dissolves fine in hot or iced, and our rock sugar adds a little sweetness without changing the flavor.

Get a second cup

Sometimes, good loose leaf has more than one cup in it. After your first steep, add fresh hot water to the same leaves and brew again. The second cup comes out a little softer and just as nice.

Quick fixes

Too weak: add more leaf next time. Too bitter: shorten the steep, or use cooler water for greens and whites. Cools off fast: warm your mug first, then brew.

Almost every tea comes from one plant, camellia sinensis. The leaves are oxidized for different lengths of time, and that turns the same leaf into black, green, white, or oolong. The longer it oxidizes, the darker and bolder it gets. Herbal teas are the exception, with no tea leaf at all.

Black tea

Oxidized the longest, so it is the boldest and has the most caffeine. Robust and a little spicy, lovely with milk and honey, a natural morning cup. Try House Blend or Heritage Blend Scottish Breakfast. Shop black

Chai

Black tea blended with warming spices like cardamom, ginger, and clove. Cozy on its own, even better as a latte. Try Full Moon Chai or Portland Rose City Chai. Shop chai

Green tea

Lightly processed, so it stays light and fresh with a clean finish and less caffeine than black. Use cooler water, since boiling water can scorch the leaves and turn them bitter. A touch of honey can lessen any grassy taste. Try Candied Orange Green or Citrus Mint Green. Shop green

White tea

The least processed and most delicate. White tea is named for the soft white hairs on the young buds it is picked from. Barely sweet, very low in caffeine. Try Afternoon High Tea Peach Pear White or Lavender Daydream White. Shop white

Oolong tea

Between black and green, often smooth and creamy. Oolong rewards a second steep, so don't toss the leaves after one cup. Try Peaches n' Cream Oolong. Shop oolong

Puerh tea

Deep and earthy, rich and smooth, lovely with a splash of cream. Try Caramel Brittle Puerh. Shop puerh

Herbal tea

No caffeine and no tea leaf. Herbals come in a few families: fruit, bush (like rooibos and honeybush), flower, leaf, and spice. We love honeybush, but they're all lovely in their own way. Try Vanilla Sugar Cookie or the Self Care Blend. Shop herbal

Once you have a hot cup down, the fun starts. The same loose leaf makes smooth iced tea and creamy lattes at home.

Iced tea, the cold brew way

Cold brewing is the easiest way to make iced tea, and it comes out smoother and less bitter than hot tea over ice.

1. Use 1.5 teaspoons of leaf per 8 ounces of cold water. Add the leaves to a jar or pitcher.
2. Cover and refrigerate. Overnight gives the best flavor. In a hurry, 4 to 6 hours will do.
3. Strain and pour over ice. Or leave the leaves in and brew a second batch.

Shop iced tea blends

Tea lattes at home

A tea latte is a strong cup of tea with warm, frothy milk (or just milk when iced). No espresso machine needed.

1. Brew strong. Use double the leaf and half the water, so the milk doesn't wash out the flavor.
2. Warm your milk, but don't burn it. Pull it off the heat as the first tiny bubbles form. Dairy or oat both froth nicely.
3. Stir a little cinnamon or nutmeg into the milk before you froth it, then pour over your tea and sweeten to taste.

Blends made for this: chai, Earl Grey (hello, London Fog), Vanilla Latte Cardamom Creme, and Vanilla Creme Herbal.