Loose leaf tea – Healthy Humanity

There is a time in every tea lover’s life, when no matter how much they like tea, they just feel too lazy to spend time on proper brewing and want that cup of tea right now. Sure, there are teabag options out there, thousands and thousands of them, but if you have strongly decided to use only loose leaf, that option is out of the question. So what can you do to satisfy your craving when you’re in a rush or just in a too-lazy-to-brew mood?

Here are the best options for black, green and oolong teas.

Sun Brewing

Sun brewing is perfect for black teas and hot sunny days. All you need is a glass teapot and loose tea of your choice. Darjeeling, and premium Ceylon black tea will give amazingly delicious results. Put around one big spoon* of leaves into a glass teapot or a jar, add one liter of water and let is brew in sun for 3-4 hours. Temperature above 30 degrees are not only good for tanning, but for getting just the right amount of tannins out of the leaves. You can drink it warm or add ice. *Remember, large whole leaf tea leaves take up more space than broken tea leaves. So you will need more spoonfuls of large whole leaf tea than you would broken leaf tea.

Fridge Brewing

Fridge brewing is another great way to prepare tea in summer. Fridge brewing is similar to sun brewing, but instead of placing your teapot outside, you place it in the fridge for 4-5 hours. You can leave it overnight if you wish and drink fresh cold tea for your morning workout. Best choices for fridge brewing are green teas – both unflavored and flavored, preferably the ones like Kyoto Cherry or Sencha or organic Ceylon green tea. Use fresh spring water or tap water if it’s safe and good to drink.

Cup Brewing

Cup brewing is the easiest way to brew tea with hot water for all those who like semiball-rolled style oolong teas. Place 3-4 grams of leaves into your favorite cup (200-400 ml), add hot water (around 85-95 degrees would be perfect). You don’t need to strain the leaves, they will unfurl slowly and stay in the cup. Add more hot water for a second brew. Oolong teas are an excellent choice for this type of brewing and just-want-to-relax-with-a-cup-of-hot-tea mood.

Glass Brewing

Very similar to cup brewing, except it is used for mostly green Chinese teas. Why? Because you can easily enjoy the beauty of unfurling leaves. Most well-loved choices are jasmine teas and pan-fired light green teas. Warm the glass first, add freshly boiled water and then add 1-3 grams of leaves. Be careful about the temperature, 80 degrees top. Just pour more water over the same leaves if you want another cup. This is the perfect way of brewing when you are in a too-tired-to-brew mood and want an instant energy from green tea.

Pretty Brewing

Pretty brewing is our name for brewing flowering tea. Flowering teas are meant to be brewed in a glass cup as they unfurl to form beautiful shapes made of leaves and flowers. These artisan teas were hand-crafted with special attention placed on every single leaf. Use one flower ball on 150-200 ml of water, 90 degrees Celsius and let it steep for at least 3-5 minutes. Perfect for feeling-low-and-need-beauty-in-life mood.

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Darjeeling
Oolong tea
Kyoto Cherry

Sencha
organic Ceylon green tea
Jasmine Green Tea

A few years ago the most powerful of all dark teas embarked on a journey to western hearts. This tea king of health already has a long tradition of undertaking long and exquisite journeys. It managed to be much appreciated and loved by many for countless reasons. From its character to health benefits, this tea is the most unique of all Chinese teas.

With distinct flavor, rich history, and unbeatable health benefits, Pu’erh deserves a throne in the tea kingdom. While every single tea has a special purpose, pu’erh benefits could be seen immediately after drinking. We know that you keep reading about all those tea benefits almost on a daily basis, but the truth is, tea really is good for you. While there still might be a need for extensive research on different tea types and their benefits, if you start incorporating tea into your daily life, you will be surprised by the outcome.

What is Pu’erh

Pu’erh is a special tea type from Chinese province Yunnan. It belongs to a category of dark fermented teas. Pu’erh can be found in both loose leaf form and compressed into different shapes – from bricks to cakes. Pu’erh is made from sun-dried leaves, piled on the ground and left to ferment with the help of special bacteria. Pu’erh can be raw or ripe, with the first one being very astringent if prepared inappropriately. Ripe pu’erh, on the other hand is mellow and perfect for all tea beginners. Both have many benefits, but need to be drunk differently.

A key to healthy weight loss

While you may have heard about tea being able to melt fat, the truth is somewhere in between. You still need to take care of your diet, exercise often and drink tea on a daily basis. Pu’erh is completely different when it comes to seeing and feeling its benefits. The key feature of pu’erh is the ability to speed up metabolism and lower bad cholesterol. If your stomach hurts after eating too much, pu’erh will prove more than valuable. Drinking a cup of ripe pu’erh after a heavy meal could remove that heavy feeling in your stomach right away. Never add additional sugar, honey or any other sweetener into pu’erh. Pu’erh should be drank without milk. If you want to see the effects on your body, replace all sugared drinks with pure tea. Raw pu’erh can cause a feeling similar to drunkenness or stomach pain if drank in excessive amounts, therefore we recommend starting with ripe type.

Recommended usage

Pu’erh is the type of tea that is extremely easy to brew, almost impossible to ruin and that can be re-steeped numerous times – much more than green or black tea. Always use freshly boiled water, 3-5 grams of tea leaves and 150-200 ml of water. You can brew it for several minutes or follow the traditional style of multiple brewing starting from 20 seconds. Increase time by 15-20 seconds for each additional cup. Drink it while hot, and preferably after the meal.

Flavor and tea

More important than just counting the benefits, is to truly enjoy your tea. Pu’erh taste might be difficult to handle for most tea beginners. Berry Berry Pu’erh is a delicious pu’erh and berry blend with Nova Scotia berries for a perfectly balanced flavor that will be loved by both fruit tea and pu’erh tea lovers. While most Chinese teas are usually drunk unblended, pu’erh is commonly an exception. It can be mixed with all sorts of different flowers and flavors to create unique combinations. Pu’erh is not bitter, but it does have a peculiar brick-like earthy rich flavor that might require some time for you to adjust.

If you still didn’t have a chance to taste ripe pu’erh, give it a try. It could become your new favorite after-meal tea.

Tag: Loose leaf tea

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The tea king of health