Making traditional matcha green tea is fun and easy. We are big fans of matcha, the premium Japanese powdered green tea that inspired the Japanese tea ceremony and provides the main ingredient in a variety of tea treats, including green tea lattes, smoothies and ice cream. Rich in antioxidants and nutrients, its complex and addictive flavor may quickly become a favorite of yours too. It also contains an amino acid, L-theanine, that is know to promote calm and a relaxed mind.

By using a tea bowl (“chawan”), bamboo tea scoop (“chashaku”) and bamboo whisk (“chasen”), you will be whipping up bowls of froty matcha in no time. Find your inner tea master and check out our video for more details.

Making tea cocktails always provide an opportunity to explore the delicious flavors and nuances of tea blends and infusions. Pilar Gutierrez of Mighty Leaf recently spend some time with the master mixologist at Ozumo Restaurant in San Francisco whipping up some tea cocktails. Ozumo has developed and offers at their restaurant cocktails made with Mighty Leaf that include the Yuzu Mitsu with Organic Sencha Green Tea, the Twist Ginger with Ginger Twist and the Bourbon Nectar with Organic African Nectar.

You can find details on the recipes below.  They are all easy and convenient to make.  Enjoy!

Yuzu Mitsu

Ingredients
2 oz Mighty Leaf Organic Sencha Green Tea
1.5 oz. Ketel One Vodka
.5 oz. Green Tea Liqueur
Dash of Yuzu juice

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients and ice in a mixing tin and shake to combine. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon.

Twisted Ginger

Ingredients:
2 oz. Mighty Leaf Ginger Twist Tea
1.5 oz. Sky Ginger Vodka
.25 oz. Simple Syrup
Juice of 1/2 Lemon

Preparation:
Fill a bucket glass with ice and build drink over it. Stir all ingredients lightly to combine and garnish with a slice of lemon and two small straws.

Bourbon Nectar

Ingredients:
2 oz. Mighty Leaf Organic African Nectar Tea
1.5 oz. Bulliet Bourbon
.25 oz. Simple Syrup
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing tin and shake to combine. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a twist of lemon.

Iced tea is a classic summer-time ritual and distinctive American beverage. Legend has it that Richard Blechynden, an English entrepreneur and merchant, started serving iced tea on a hot day at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. Although many quality ready-to-drink iced teas are commercially available today, brewing iced tea at home is an easy and convenient way to enjoy the fresh and pure goodness of whole leaf tea. 

Mighty Leaf offers three ways to brew iced tea. 

TEA POUCHES: Making the perfect glass or pitcher of iced tea with our artisan tea pouches is easy by the glass or pitcher.

By the Glass

All you need to get started are glasses, hot water, ice and one Tea Pouch per 14 oz. glass. 

1. Pour 6 oz. of boiling water over your Tea Pouch.™
2. Steep to the desired time on the tag.
3. Remove pouch. Fill the glass with 8 oz. of ice and enjoy.

By the Pitcher

1. Pour 4 cups of boiling water over 5 tea pouches
2. Steep to the desired time on tags.
3. Remove tea pouches and add 4 cups of ice and enjoy.
4. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours

You can check out our selection of tea pouches that are perfect hot or iced.

ONE GALLON BREWS:  If you guzzle ice tea all day long, then gallon-sized brews might fit the bill.

1. Heat water to a rolling boil or to 205 degrees.
2. Add 1 filter bag to a 1-gallon pitcher or container.
3. Fill pitcher halfway with boiling water.
4. Infuse for desired time as indicated on package.
5. Take out filter bag with ladle and discard.
6. Add enough ice so that the level of the liquid rises to the top of pitcher.
7. Cool in refrigerator.

You can find a variety of gallon-sized iced teas in tins and refills here that include Calypso Mango, Organic Pure Black, Ginger Peach and more.

LOOSE TEA

Single Serving: For a single-serving use one rounded teaspoon of loose tea per 6 ounces of water and after brewing pour over ice in a 12 oz glass.

Large Serving

1. For a larger serving, prepare a iced tea concentrate by bringing one quart of cold water to a rolling boil in a tea kettle.
2. Remove from heat and add 8-10 teaspoons per quart of brewed tea.
3. Steep 3 – 5 minutes or to desired strength.
4. To serve immediately, pour over ice in a tall glass, or add another quart of cold water to the concentrate and chill in refrigerator.

Any of our loose teas are great on ice. Shop here for a selection of artisan crafted loose teas – try blending different kinds of loose together for unique iced tea pairings.

Pouring tea is one of my favorite parts of the tea ritual. The weight of the teapot in hand, the steady stream of clear water and the soft sound of water hitting cup ground me in the moment. The art of tea pouring reaches new heights as shown in this video of a tea master pouring in a tea house in Chengdu, China. So watch closely, then get your own long spouted teapot and practice your pour. Your friends and tea drinking peers will certainly be dazzled.

Brewing tea pouches or tea bags has gone high-tech with our new Tea Top Brew Mug.  You no longer have to drink over-brewed tea. Featuring the patented Tea Top lid, this brew mug is a “traveling teapot” perfect for enjoying whole leaf tea pouches.  The brewing system is simple: Fold the tea tag in half and thread through the underside of the slit on the lid. Once the brew time indicated on the tea tag is reached, just pull up on the string. This squeezes the oils of the tea pouch into the infused beverage below and pulls the spent tea pouch up to rest in a domed area. You never have to drink over-infused tea again. The body is crafted of double-walled stainless steel keeping your tea hot, while staying cool to the touch.

Check out our customer reviews of the product on our website.

Traditional methods and new technologies alike provide unique ways for tea fans to determine the correct temperature when boiling water for tea. From the shape and size of bubbles to electric tea kettles with built-in precision gauges, we will explore the nuances of measuring water temperature.   This includes a cooling your water down technique for green tea, thermometers, electric tea kettles, hot water dispensers and the traditional Chinese method of examining water bubble size.  Let’s get ready to boil!

Modern Methods:

Cooling Your Water Down: For many simply bringing water to a boil is the easiest  and most practical way to brew water for black, oolong or pu-erh teas. Opinions on whether to bring your water to a full or rolling boil  (212 °F) do vary.  Many recommend  a lower temperature of around 205°F because  at 212 °F water becomes stale and deoxygenated.  The more oxygen water has, the more taste and smoothness you will find.  If you think about, it’s recommended  that when you taste wine, you swish the liquid around in your mouth like mouthwash.  This adds oxygen to the wine and helps bring out its full flavor.  Professional tea tasters slurp their tea to do the same.

Regardless of your approach to the boiling issue, the question then is what to do about getting the water temperature right for green teas.  One method is to bring water to a boil and then wait 2 minutes or so for the water to cool to around 180°-190°F.   This certainly isn’t perfect since the time it takes for water to cool to this temperature can vary depending upon how much water is used to begin with, the room’s temperature and the brewing device size. 

Thermometers: A cooking thermometer provides a useful and precise way to measure your water temperature.  As the water boils, you insert the thermometer into the tea kettle and take it off the stove when the correct temperature is reached.  If you don’t have a tea kettle, note that a pot from the kitchen works just fine for boiling water.

Electric Tea Kettles: A variety of eletric tea kettles are produced that allow you to choose the relevant temperature setting for your desired tea.   One fine example made of stainless steel is the Breville Variable Temperature kettle.  It provides you with 5 pre-set brewing temperatures for Green, White Tea, Oolong, Black and French Press for coffee.  Cuisinart offers a tea kettle, the PerfecTemp Tea Kettle that that sits right on the stove and has a built-in thermometer. Other companies like Bodum and C,apresso make electric water kettles without temperature settings.  While convenient for boiling water at your desk for example, they are lacking the precision of the preset water temperatures.

Hot Water Dispensers with Temperature Settings: Hot water dispensers are available that allow you program in preset water temperatures for a variety of teas.  Zoojirushi of Japan makes many different types of these dispensers including the Zojirushi Hybrid Water Boiler and Warmer in Stainless Steel.  These dispensers are handy in that you can keep larger quantity of water hot for periods of time at your desired temperature.   There is nothing like having hot water on demand for tea.  We use Zojirushi machines at Mighty Leaf when we cup teas for tastings.

Traditional Chinese Method: The Chinese traditionally distinguish five stages of how water can come to boil for tea. James Norwood Pratt in his ‘The  New Tea Lover’s Treasury” says: “The Chinese distinguish five stages of tea water as the boiling point is approached: “shrimp eyes,” the first tiny bubbles that start to appear on the surface of the kettle water, “crab eyes,” the secondary, larger bubbles, then “fish eyes,” followed by “rope of pearls,” and finally “raging torrent.”  If you have a glass tea kettle you can watch the bubbles through the glass and if a standard kettle, take a peek by opening the lid.    The kind of bubbles correspond with the following types of teas and their appropriate brewing temperature:

Shrimp Eyes: Tiny bubbles the size of a pin head that resemble shrimp eyes begin to rise to the surface and pop.  A slow and gentle vapor of steam will show.  At 155°-174°F  this temperature is ideal for delicate green teas.

Crab Eyes: Water that gets hotter will then produce larger growing bubbles about the size of crab eyes.  Vertical streams of steam rise up during this stage.  At around 175°F this temperature is perfect for brewing white, delicate green and greener oolong teas.

Fish Eyes: Bubbles resembling fish eyes (about the size of an average pearl) rise to the top of the kettle as the water heats up.  More steam is present moving in thick columns than in the Crab Eyes stage and the kettle will make louder noises.  At 175°-180°F this temperature is ideal for green tea or white teas.  However, remember that if your green tea tastes bitter, the water is too hot.

Rope of Pearls: At 195°-205°F, a steady stream of large pearl size bubbles stream to the water’s surface.   This temperature is ideal for black, some oolong and pu-erh teas.

Raging Torrent: Water that sounds like a raging torrent with swirling and rolling bubbles is called ‘ruined water’.  At 212°F this is considered to be de-oxgyenated and flat or what is traditionally called ‘old man water’.   Please note though that 212°F or a full boil is recommended for herbal tisanes to bring out the herb’s full flavor. Exceptions to do exist though.

Remember, regardless of what method you choose, the key is that you enjoy the process and the flavor of your tea.   Let us know what your preferred method is or what your daily boiling ritual looks like? Happy boiling!

I’m always keeping my eye open for cool and unique teapot designs that take the art of brewing tea to another level. The elegance of the tea brewing process lends itself to new creative designs providing fertile ground for the intersection of design, art, culture and technology. One favorite design that I recently stumbled upon comes from Chicago-based design team Vessel Ideation.  They were among the winners chosen for this teapot and kettle combo called One in this year’s World Kitchen Tea-Off Competition.  World Kitchen chose 3 winners out of 237 entries and 25 honorees.

The One teapot can both boil water and serve as a a tabletop teapot.   After filling with water you place the teapot directly on the stove, and the devices thermochromic ink (a space invader, flower and other patterns exist) appears when the water begins to boil. 

I love the fact that blue flowers or space invaders can let you know when its ready to serve.  The teapot then attaches to a magnetic trivet so you can use tabletop.  You can see a video of how it works online.

Here is an interesting diagram of the insides of the One for all the techies out there.  What is the most unique teapot or tea kettle you have seen recently?

We often hear from customers who are first time tea drinkers that they are intimidated by the thought of preparing loose tea.  Making loose tea does not have to be challenging or time consuming.  With a wide variety of tea accessories now available you can enjoy loose tea whenever, whether a full pot or single-serving with minimal preparation and effort.

Single-Serve Tea Infuser:  I often make a single-serving of loose tea while at work.  It allows me to sample a wider variety of loose teas versus drinking only flavors available in tea pouch or tea bag form.  Using a tea infuser makes preparing a single-serving convenient and quick without having to prep a whole teapot.   I heat my water using an electric kettle, and add the appropriate amount of loose tea to the infuser resting in my cup.

Within minutes I am sipping on a freshly steeped cup of loose tea.   You can find infusers available in a variety of  styles and sizes,  including stainless steel infusers, mesh tea balls, tea infuser spoons, plastic infusers, tea wands and more.  Clean up only requires washing your infuser and cup.

Gaiwan or Handless Cup with Lid and Saucer:  The gaiwan or small handless cup with lid and saucer is a popular method in China and Taiwan for quick and simple  loose tea preparation.   Tea leaves are added to the cup followed by hot water.

After several minutes of steeping, while holding the saucer on the bottom, the liquid is poured into smaller tasting vessels as the lid is tilted back on the cup to strain out the tea leaves.  It’s reminiscent of straining the water out of pasta.  The saucer effectively insulates the bottom of the cup allowing you to handle while hot.  Alternatively, the tea can be drunk right out of the gaiwan by using the lid to hold back the leaves while sipping the steeped liquid.

Paper Filter Bags:  If you want to avoid dealing with a strainer or infuser all together, then you can utilize paper filter bags.  Unbleached and chlorine-free and  available in cup size or teapot sizes, the t-sac loose tea filter bag is a beautiful thing – it allows you to make your own teabag.   Add the appropriate amount of loose tea into the bag (depending on size and how strong you like your tea), place it in your cup, and add hot water.

Teapots:  After thousands of years, the traditional teapot still brews up a perfect cup. Here are some secrets for preparing the highest quality tea using a teapot.

Teapots for tea types:  We recommend that you dedicate one teapot for only one type of tea: one for black, green and herbals.  Pots can become seasoned by black teas and if you prepare other styles of tea, like green, in the same pot, it may affect the flavor.

Teapot serving size:  Other factors to consider when thinking about tea preparation is how many cups you will be serving. It is best to have both a small and large teapot – a small one for single cup and a larger one for multiple cup servings.

Teapots are made out of a variety of materials including cast-iron, clay, glass, porcelain, silver and earthenware.  Whether it is tea culture in China, Japan or other countries, each respective tradition involves preparing and drinking tea in distinctive way, including the kind of teapot used.  Enhance your loose tea drinking experience by building up a collection of teapots and use to compliment different settings or moods.

As you can see, many options exist for quick and easy loose tea brewing.  So, pick your tool, and start infusing.  Happy steeping!