So, you want to try loose leaf tea but don’t want to buy a special teapot as you're not sure you will like it.
Don’t worry, we have you covered. You do not need to have a special teapot to enjoy loose leaf tea. In fact, we are going to give you 6 different options for making loose leaf tea without an infusion teapot and we can almost guarantee you will have at least one of them kicking about in the kitchen.
French Press
Yes, you can make loose leaf tea in a coffee press. In fact, you do it exactly the same way you would make coffee in a French press.
Add the leaves into the press, pour in the hot water and leave it to steep until it is at your desired strength. Then push the press down but do not take it to the bottom, you only need to take the leaves an inch or so below the water level before you start pouring your tea into your mug.
Don’t forget either, most loose leaves can be steeped more than once so don’t be shy about adding some more water into the French press once you have used the first batch.
Coffee Filters
Do you know how to make coffee with a coffee filter? You pretty much just do the same thing with the tea leaves.
Rinse the filter with hot water to remove any potential odd tastes and then add your chosen loose leaf tea, pour over hot water and if possible, allow the filter and leaves to sit in the hot water to steep.
Once you're ready remove the filter and leaves then dispose of them.
Small Sieve
This has to be one of the most common items on the list and you're almost certain to have one kicking about somewhere. We find that it is easier with a small sieve, but you can use any size.
Without trying to sound like I am teaching you to suck eggs, you simply add the loose leaf tea of your choice to the sieve and pour your hot water through the leaves and into the cup. If you can, you want the leaves to sit in the water, so they have time to steep.
If you're using a larger sieve, try adding your leaves to a pan with your water and bring it to a boil. You can then either “fish” the leaves out with the sieve or you can pour the tea through the sieve into a mug.
Normal Teapot & a Fork
This is nothing short of a faff, but it works. You do however need some form of a standard teapot.
Throw the loose leaf tea into the pot and add your boiling water, leave it to steep until you get the desired strength, then it's onto the painful part. You need to cover the hole on the inside of the teapot that goes into the spout with a fork and pour. This can not only be awkward to handle the pot and fork at the same time but can also be hit and miss for catching all the leaves.
Please be sure to take care if trying this, you can end up spilling boiling tea. It's a pain to do but it works! That’s the only reason it is on the list.
Tinfoil
If you don't have this in your kitchen then I am out of words for you, but you can pick it up at most shops for very little and you will no doubt need it for something else in the near future.
Take a section around 6 inches wide and the full length of the role. Fold it in half on the long edge and add your tea leaves into the centre. Lift the four corners up to each other and then twist to make a ball of leaves. It should look similar to a lollipop in a wrapper.
Once you have a ball, take a needle/pin and poke some holes into the ball so the water can enter and soak the leaves. Leave this in your cup of hot water to steep for as long as you like and then remove it when you're ready to drink.
Swing Top Mason Jar
Again, this one is a little tricky and you can end up spilling your wonderful tea all over your worktop. That said, it works and it's pretty easy to do.
You're going to need an oven glove or tea towel., Add the loose leaf tea of your choice, then fill with hot water. Once you have left it to steep close the lid but only loosely, you want to be able to pour out the tea while catching the leaves.
This is where you make a mess all over the worktop that you will need to clean however on the plus side, you get to enjoy a wonderful cup of tea to make yourself feel better.
Again, use caution when using this method, you can easily have boiled water running down the side of the jar and all over your hands.
Our Choice
We have given you 6 options here; these options give you a general idea when it comes to how you can brew up some loose leaf tea without the use of an infuser. We are certain that you will be able to find other interesting and likely easier ways to brew up with the “stuff” you have kicking around in the kitchen. If you come up with any other ideas, please make sure to leave them in the comments below to help those that might be reading now or in the future.
Now, if you ask us, we think the best way is by far the tinfoil method above to get you started. It's cheap, can be used for so many other things in the kitchen, is super simple and is low in clean up afterward. Don’t let the lack of an infuser prevent you from giving loose leaf tea a try, it really is worth it!