Hot Tea Brewing Instructions:
Bring spring or filtered drinking water to 212°F in a kettle. Add 1 tsp of tea leafs to a cup. Always pour boiling water over tea leafs and let steep 4 minutes.
Any of these variables can be changed to suit your particular palate, so experiment! Many teas can be steeped multiple times (especially green, white, and oolong). When steeping a tea multiple times increase the length of steep time slightly with each successive infusion.
Iced Tea Brewing Instructions:
1) Hot water method: For 1 gallon of iced tea, bring half a gallon of filtered water to boil in a pot. Turn off heat, and add 3 tablespoons (1 oz of tea), let steep for 4 minutes. Strain the tea into the other half gallon of cool water and refrigerate. If you want to serve immediately, you can pour the concentrate over ice to cool and dilute, then pour over ice again.
2) Sun tea: use a glass container and add 1 tsp of loose tea of each cup of water directly into the jug. Then set in the sun for a few hours, tasting occasionally to get the desired strength.
3) Cold brew: The slow cold-water-steeping method extracts natural sweetness and flavor from the tea leaf. It lessens the bitterness and tangy-ness produced by tannic acid so your tea tastes smooth and mild. Add 1 tsp of tea per cup of cold water and put in the refrigerator. When the water is chilled, your tea will be ready!
Other Brewing Suggestions
Make a "London Fog" without a milk steamer:
1) Use 1.5 teaspoons of Cream Earl Grey and steep for 5 minutes.
2) While the tea is steeping take heavy cream, add in some vanilla extract, sugar, and a touch of boiling water. Shake the cream vigorously (to simulate the steaming process)
3). When the tea is ready, pour the cream mixture in. You even get a nice layer of froth on top!