New to loose-leaf tea?
Start Here: The Beginner’s Guide to Loose-Leaf Tea
You don’t need a tea set to start. Brew your first cup tonight with things already in your kitchen, then follow the steps below to get consistently good brews — buying gear only when it actually helps.
Your first cup, with what you already own
Minimum equipment: loose-leaf tea, a kettle or saucepan, a mug, a teaspoon, and a small kitchen sieve (or a second mug). That’s it.
- Boil water in any kettle or saucepan. For green tea, let it rest 2–3 minutes off the boil.
- Put about 1 heaped teaspoon (roughly 2–3 g) of loose leaf straight into a mug.
- Pour in about 8 oz (240 ml) of water and set a timer — around 3 minutes for black tea, 2 for green.
- Pour the tea through a small kitchen sieve into a second mug, or let the leaves settle and sip carefully.
- Taste. Too weak? Use a little more leaf next time. Bitter? Use cooler water or a shorter steep.
Then build good habits, step by step
- Learn your tea-to-water ratioToo much leaf or too little water is the most common beginner mistake. Get the simple ratios that work for every tea.Read the ratios guide
- Use the right water temperatureEach tea has a temperature sweet spot. You can get close with an ordinary kettle by letting boiled water rest.Open the temperature guide
- Fix bitter tea for goodBitter tea usually means water that’s too hot or a steep that’s too long. Diagnose your cup and fix it in one brew.Fix bitter tea
- Try a small samplerA few small amounts of different teas show you what you enjoy before you commit to a large pouch.See beginner samplers
- Add a basket infuserA roomy basket that sits in your mug gives leaves space to open and lifts out cleanly — the one piece of gear worth buying first.Compare infusers
- Find beginner-friendly tea brandsSkip the overwhelm — these brands are known for quality leaves, honest pricing, and teas that are hard to brew badly.See recommended brands
Optional upgrades — only when you’re ready
None of these are needed to make good tea. Once you’re brewing regularly, a temperature-controlled kettle is the most useful upgrade for green, white and oolong teas.