How to make tea with a French press
The ritual of brewing tea is part of its “medicine.”
You measure the herbs, add the boiling water, steep, pour the cup, inhale its goodness and wait for it to cool… before even taking the first sip. You can feel the liquid’s gentle warmth and energy. The ritual and sensory experience encourages you to slow down, promotes a restorative sense of calm and inner awareness that’s uniquely, fundamentally tea.
The ritual of brewing a cup of loose-leaf tea is more profound than just popping an herbal supplement in pill form. Here’s how to brew yourself the perfect cup with a French press:
Pick your brewing method
There’s no single right way to brew tea. You can use a tea ball or strainer. But our favorite method is with a French press. Yes, the French press is usually something used for brewing coffee. But it’s also perfectly suited to brewing loose leaf tea.
Because the French press holds about 2 to 2.5 cups of liquid, you get more brewed tea from your herbs than if you steep a single cup of tea. And you get the additional benefit of watching the herbs as they’re steeping (which is lovely in and of itself), and the clear glass allows you to watch the color of the brew darken as the leaves and herbs convey more of their essence to the liquid, so you know when the brew is perfectly steeped to your liking.
1. Boil the water
For herbal blends, the perfect temperature to steep is just shy of boiling, at about 185 degrees.
2. Add dried herbs to the bottom of the French press
You can use about the same amount of dry herbs to brew a French press as you do to steep a single cup. So the French press is more economical. Your dried tea will last longer.
3. Pour the heated water over the herbs and steep
Allow about 5-8 minutes for herbal blends. Black or green tea should steep about 2-5 minutes. Take a few moments to appreciate the kaleidoscope of color that comes as the herbs swirl in water, and enjoy watching the liquid darken with the plants’ essence as the tea steeps. Breathe in the scent of the herbs.
4. Press down the top … and pour
Depressing the top pushes the herbs to the bottom, leaving just the finished brewed tea above. Pour the tea into your favorite mug or cup and enjoy its warmth and wholesomeness. One of the beautiful things about using tea as medicine is that you can brew and enjoy a second or third cup. Your body absorbs just what it needs.
We invite you to experience the power of nature’s green energy for yourself, with herbal blends that are worthy of becoming your daily ritual. Visit www.roottonicandtea.com.