How To Brew Loose Leaf Tea Without An Infuser: 4 Easy Ways

Tea is one of those soothing things, synonymous with relaxing on the couch with a book or your favorite series and sipping, with much satisfaction, on the hot brew. Teabags brought great convenience to making that cup, but there's a decidedly indulgent feeling around brewing a pot of loose leaf tea. Before teabags were developed, making tea with the dried and broken-up leaves (the process of breaking up the dried leaves is called rolling) was the norm. When tea arrived in what is now the U.S. in the mid-1600s, it was most often made by steeping a few teaspoons of the leaves in boiling water in a pot. This is very similar to the way that a pot of loose leaf tea is brewed today or, since the 19th century, using a tea infuser if you're making a single cup. Most people probably associate loose leaf tea with a teapot or infuser, but there are actually myriad ways that you can make yourself a cup or two without these good old faithfuls.

From using cheesecloth as a filter, to popping some leaves in a slotted spoon or fork and pouring boiling water over them, you'll find a number of very useful household items that can help you brew a delicious cup of tea, to enjoy with your family's favorite cookies or a scone (these lavender almond scones are very indulgent to nibble alongside your tea). Let's delve into four of the easiest ways to brew loose leaf tea without using a teapot.

Yup, the one that we all thought was only for coffee. Turns out you can brew a fine cup of loose leaf tea in your French press. But there are some caveats. Because there are crevices in a French press, particularly in the plunger mechanism, alkaloids in the coffee (chemical compounds that are found in your java such as caffeine and trigonelline) tend to lodge in those spaces. This is why, if you use your French press regularly for coffee, it may have a permanent coffee aroma that can also influence the flavor of your tea. So the best thing to do is either dedicate your French press to tea only, or, if you're going to use it for both beverages, disassemble the plunger parts and give them a good soak in hot, soapy water before rinsing thoroughly.

Here's how to prepare your loose leaf tea. Spoon in your tea leaves to taste — more if you like a strong cup and less if you prefer a more gentle flavor. Pour hot water over the leaves (it should be just under boiling otherwise it can burn your leaves) — for a standard strength tea you're looking at about 1 teaspoon of tea leaves to 8 ounces of water. Brewing times differ depending on the type of tea you're making and how strong you like your tea, but the average time is around three minutes. Then slowly depress the plunger to lock the leaves at the bottom, leaving you free-from-floaty-grit tea to enjoy.

A paper coffee filter is also a great way to brew a good cup of tea. You can also use a sheet of paper towel, but make sure it's the good quality stuff, otherwise the paper will flake into bits in the hot water as your tea is brewing, and you'll have a not-great-tasting cup of paper-flavored tea. First you'll need to rinse your coffee filter with hot water to clear it of any paper residue that could brew into your tea and affect the flavor. Then pop the filter directly into your cup — it will also fit into the cup more easily being slightly damp. Spoon your tea leaves into the filter, then pour your hot water over it. Let it steep for a couple of minutes, then gently lift the filter out of the cup. Your tea leaves will stay in the filter, so you'll have a clear cup of tea to enjoy afterward.

We do not recommend you reusing a paper coffee filter, as they are usually designed for single-use only. You can, however, reuse a mesh coffee filter, but you'll need to ensure it's as thoroughly cleaned as your French press plunger or dedicated to brewing tea. Also keep in mind that it may be a bit big for your average mug, so ensure you have cups that have a big enough diameter to be able to pop your mesh filter into it.

You can brew tea in pretty much any heat-resistant container, but be sure to use one that won't diffuse some of its own flavor into your tea like a plastic container. Plastic tends to be quite porous, so may absorb flavors and aromas from other foods that you've mixed or stored in the container. Plastic also contains its own chemicals, like Bisphenol A, also known as BPA, and antimony, which may be released as the hot water softens the plastic and allows chemicals to leach out.

You'll also want to stay away from thin, clear glass like drinking glasses. These are not made to withstand high temperatures and will shatter due to thermal shock, which happens when there's a sudden big change in temperature. Aluminum cups are also not recommended, as there can be a chemical reaction between the metal and the tannins in the tea. Some good choices are heat-proof glass, and ceramic and glazed containers — the glazing seals the surfaces of the container that will come into contact with your tea and hot water.

When brewing tea in a container, you'll more than likely transfer the leafless tea into a cup to drink from, which means you'll need to separate the tea liquid from the leaves. A tea strainer is ideal for this purpose, but if you do not have one of those, you can use a normal mesh strainer or even a colander. Just position it over your cup and slowly pour your tea through the strainer — too fast and a greater volume of liquid comes out and could spill onto your counter.

There are many teas that do well with the leaves (or tea mix) steeping directly in the hot water, and being drunk without the need for straining. Loose leaf teas with larger leaves are less likely to be slurped in when you're taking a delicate sip of tea. You can also enjoy herbal teas like sobacha, green tea, and kuromamecha brewed directly in your cup without straining. If you enjoy deeply aromatic teas, you can try some infusions — mixes of different fruits, nuts, herbs, and often flower buds. Or perhaps you're into teas that give a bit of a performance, like flower bud tea (also known as flower tea). You'll want a transparent heat-proof cup for this one, so you can enjoy the experience of watching the buds "bloom" as the hot water rehydrates and opens up the flower buds.

White teas are also good for in-cup brewing. Being more delicate than your robust black teas, they do need to be brewed in water at a lower temperature. These teas are made from a mix of the tea plant's youngest leaves and buds, which are picked by hand, dried out in direct sunlight, then packaged for sale. So it is considered one of the truest and most "raw" forms of tea due to the minimal processing. Look out for these delicate varietals: Yin Zhen Bai Hao (Silver Needle), Pai Mu Tan Pivoine Blanche, Bai Mu Dan (White Peony), Himalaya Shangri-La, and Shou Mei (Noble, Long Life Eyebrow).