Is there a traditional way of preparing tea with loose-leaf and no tea bags?

Question

I've heard of an infuser but I have no idea what it does. Is that what holds the loose-leaf tea leaves? I don't like making waste and constantly throwing out used tea bags after I've done steeping them. Is there a more traditional way, like maybe how the Chinese or Japanese do it?

Thanks for any feedback!

Answer 1

yes, you can use a tea strainer

here is a link to a picture of one, i have one & use it all the time.

http://pro.corbis.com/search/Enlargement...

Answer 2

aa i've seen one in my aunt's house... it's like a metal thinger with holes in it, and there's a stick attached to it. you put the tea leaves in the little compartment with the holes and steep the tea.

Answer 3

The following is a general guideline to prepare tea. The method of preparing tea will vary according to the specific tea and one's taste.

1. Boil Fresh Water

Fill a kettle with fresh cold water and bring the water to a boil.

2. Heat up the Tea Set

Pour the boiling water into the teapot and let it stand for 15 seconds. Pour the water from the teapot into each of teacup. Pour away any remaining water into a water bowl.

3. Place Appropriate Amount of Tea in Tea Pot

Put approximately 2 grams of tea per person into the teapot. The amount of tea can be adjusted according to the tea and one's preference.

4. Pour Water into the Tea Pot

Pour the appropriate temperature water into the teapot. Use boiling water (212°F) for black teas, water at 185° - 195°F for oolongs, and water at 170° - 180°F for white and green teas.

5. Steep the Tea

The length of time one needs to steep a tea depends on the type of tea, how many times the tea has been steeped, and one's personal preference. Generally, let the tea steep for 1Â? to 2 minutes the first time, then slowly increase the length of time the tea is allowed to steep. The time can be more slowly increased for black and oolong teas, and more quickly lengthened for white and green teas. Black and oolong teas may be steeped many times, but white and green teas are usually steeped 3 to 4 times.

6. Pour the Tea into the Teacups or into a Warmed Pot

Pour the steeped tea directly into the teacups. Or pour the steep tea into another warmed pot or bowl separating the tea leaves from the water, then pour the tea into the teacups. It is important to pour tea into another bowl after the appropriate time of steeping to avoid a bitter taste from developing.

Before steeping an aromatic pot of delicious tea, there are a few things to consider. . .

Quality of Tea Leaves

It is important to buy and store properly high-grade tealeaves. In purchasing tea, buy in small amounts often. Tea should be stored in airtight container away from light, strong odors, moisture, and heat. Green tea may be tightly sealed and stored in the refrigerator. While most teas are best when fresh, some teas, like the Pu-erh Tea, gets better with age.

Answer 4

Infusers are good. It works like a tea bag in the sense that it holds the leaves inside. It is usually made out of some type of mesh metal and is usually a ball that you pop into the pot. When done reuse the leaves and dump out old leaves and wash for future use

Answer 5

the traditional way is allowing the leaves to unfurl to their full size.  whenever you use an infuser like a tea ball, the leaves can't expand to their full capacity.    I believe that the chinese and Japanese steep their tea leaves in a tea pot and use a strainer to filter the leaves out.  they'll also usually use a cooler water and that way the leaves can stay in the teapot without making the tea bitter.  They also get multiple steepings from loose leaf tea.