How to Brew the Perfect Cup of Tea

We believe that to brew well is to be well. While it’s easy to brew tea, there is an art to it. In the language of herbalism, all of our tea blends are infusions or tisanes, which are hot water extractions of herbs. When brewing correctly, you’re getting a complete and balanced extraction full of plant power. Here’s our simple and effective method for brewing well. 

First, check the back of your Traditional Medicinals tea box and read the instructions to see if there are any unique suggestions, such as adding milk or sugar. Each of our teas will also have a suggested steeping time, which depends greatly on the herbs inside. These practices often improve the taste of the tea and effectiveness of the herbs.

Boil water, and pour into your tea cup with the tea bag placed inside.

Cover your tea cup, and allow the herbs to steep. After a few minutes, it’s not just water that is acting on the herbs. The water itself changes as the herbs infuse into it. Depending on what compounds are first released, the water can become a mild acid or base, which in turn affects the release of other compounds in the herbs.

The act of covering your tea insures warmth, a full extraction and that the essential oils of the herbs (which are very beneficial) stay in your cup. This is why the recommended steeping times on our tea boxes range from 5-15 minutes for full potency.

During your wait you might enjoy taking a moment to stretch, meditate or check in with your body’s needs. Tea time is an opportunity to take a break and enjoy self-care. Once your tea is done steeping, you can squeeze out your tea bag to get every little bit of plant power and flavor into your cup; we like to use tongs for this.

Now it’s time to enjoy your tea and a well-deserved plant moment.