ORGANIC LOOSE LEAF TEA – INTRO
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Do you like peppermint tea? What about spearmint tea? Maybe you partake in hibiscus tea before bed? These are all different kinds of organic loose leaf tea! I wouldn’t be surprised to hear you absolutely adore one of these herbal teas! They are very likable and the continue to BOOM in popularity over the last several months!
Today, we’re not discussing just one particular herbal tea, but all different kinds of organic loose leaf tea! We discuss all sorts of difference aspects of organic loose leaf tea and why you should really consider getting into the “loose leaf” habit – if you haven’t already! I’m excited about this article, are you? Let’s venture into the wild world of loose leaf teas, together!
Organic Loose Leaf Tea – General Overview
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We’re going to learn some interesting things about organic loose leaf tea today. Let’s call that section learning the basics. We discuss what it is, where it comes from, some popular ways to consume it, what cultures drink it most frequently, and so on!
Next up, I’m going to show some of my favorite ways of making organic loose leaf tea.
After that, I’m sure you’ll be ready to find some organic loose leaf tea so you can try it out for yourself. However, you should learn about the important features to note before making a “loose leaf” purchase. I’ll teach you that too. If you use the “important features” as a guiding light, you’ll always be able to separate the best from the rest with ease!
Finally, we’ll look out some of my favorite organic loose leaf tea products. Don’t worry, I’ll choose only the ones that I have personally used. By no means are these the ONLY outstanding “loose leaf” teas on the marker, but they are ones that satisfy HTH criteria and we feel comfortable suggesting them to the HTH readership!
Now that we know what we’re getting ourselves into, let’s move into the basics. After all, that’s the most important step of the learning process!
Organic Loose Leaf Tea – Learning the Basics
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The “loose leaf” herbal teas, like vanilla pear and flower jasmine, are quite common. These types of “loose leaf” tea have been around for quite a while. There is a good chance you have seen them for sale at your local grocer or advertised at the local coffee shop.
Before we go any further, let’s take some time to look out why loose leaf tea products are fantastic. First, as a general rule of thumb, loose leaf teas typically turn out to be more flavorful than tea bags! If you are after flavor – then you need to stick with brewing loose leaf!
Loose leaf teas are also very versatile. You can use them for many purposes aside from brewing your favorite herbal tea. For instance, many HTH readers report using them as a deodorizer, sprinkling the loose leaf in those areas of the house that could use a little “help” in the smell department!
Organic loose leaf tea is organic in every sense of the word. This means they hardly come with any additives, most of the time none whatsoever! Caffeine, gluten, and the rest are simply not in the equation in most of the loose leaf styles! Although some types of loose leaf tea might contain caffeine, these are somewhat few and far between (an example is green tea).
These organic leaves are mostly cultivated in organic farms. While technically organic farms can be found anywhere on the glove, they are mostly located in some areas of Africa, the Middle East and the Pacific Northwest of the United States (like Oregon and Washington).
If you’re buying organic loose leaf tea products, you probably already know that they come in a TON of different flavors. You could get a vanilla flavor, hibiscus flavor, spearmint flavor, and so on!
Incredible right? I am certainly beginning to develop a craving and I bet you are too! I know you’re itching to know the best loose leaf you can get your hands on – and why wouldn’t you be. We’ll get to that eventually – no need to worry! But first, we need to talk about one of my absolute favorite recipes for brewing tea using the organic loose leaf tea as a base!
Organic Loose Leaf Tea Recipe – A Simple Recipe
I want to be clear. The recipe below is formed on the basis that you’ll be brewing your herbal tea from “loose leaf”, and not from some other means (like tea bags, for instance). Don’t worry – we keep this recipe very, very easy to follow. There are no difficult listings of ingredients or confusingly written instructions for you to decipher!
Also, this section will be divided into two parts. The first part deals with the ingredients that you’re going to need. The second part deals with the instructions for the recipe. Easy enough, right?
Hoping you understand what we are doing here, let’s begin!
Simple Listing of Ingredients
- Loose Leaves (Any flavor you want to use – the more you use, the greater flavor you’ll achieve)
- Water (2-6 cups depending on the servings)
- Sweeteners (we like to use sustainably sourced honey)
Easy to Follow Instructions
Step One – Preparation
The preparation stage revolves around getting the leaves ready. So if you are buying organic loose leaf tea from a manufacturer, then you might skip this step.
However, if you are cutting these leaves yourself, you might want to listen up a bit. Cutting these leaves down to size is crucial for several reasons.
This helps to increase the strength of your tea. That’s not all. You’ll also get a more robust aroma as cutting the leaves allows the scent to escape. You can obtain the same result by using a pestle and mortar, though you would be “grinding” rather than cutting. I can almost smell the aroma of a delicious cup of hibiscus tea right now!
Step Two – Heat
Now, put on your stove and boil some water. Be careful when you are dealing with boiling water – you’ll want to be sure to wear your protective clothing and gear! Once it’s boiled, reduce the heat level and add your loose leaves to the water.
Step Three – Simmer
Allow it to simmer for several minutes. Cover the pot to allow the tea to steep, while ensuring that the flavor stays “locked in”. Here’s another trick. Steeping time generally varies. It all depends on how strong you want the flavor.
Recommended steeping time, in general, should last between 3-10 minutes. You can always steep for a bit longer, but you should know that steeping time has diminishing returns – meaning that you are ultimately going to start deriving less and less flavor as your tea is steeped for longer and longer. You probably never need to steep longer than 15 minutes, for instance.
Step Four – Separation
Once the water has absorbed the leaves, separate the leaves from the liquid using an infusion or strainer. This is an important step because you’ll want to ensure that no remnants of the leaves remain in your beverage.
We suggest that you take the extra and soon-to-be-discarded leaves and place them to compost in your garden. This gives the leaves a “second life” of sorts and you can then harvest the plants they have helped to feed!
Step Five – Addition of Sweeteners
This is the best time to add your sweeteners, if any. Sugar, lemon, and lime might be considered great options here. Specifically, sustainably sourced honey is often times one of the tastiest additions! It is “sweet” enough to add a little pop, but not too sweet as to mask the flavor of the underlying herbal loose leaf.
Once you do this, your herbal tea should be ready! We like to add slices of orange or lemon as garnish (specifically in the summertime). In the winter, a sprig of peppermint is a nice and festive touch!
Don’t you just love a nicely made tea? I know I do!! Unfortunately, I can’t dwell too much on this. We still have some things to discuss. Let’s talk about getting the best organic loose leaf tea next. After all, if you want the best result, you need to use the best ingredients!!
Side Note: If you liked this recipe, you might also like to learn how to make dandelion root tea or a pure leaf hibiscus tea!
Organic Loose Leaf Tea – Important Features
So you know that you want to work with loose leaf and you know that you want to create a resulting herbal tea that you can be proud of (and that tastes pretty darn good too). So where to begin? When shopping for loose leaf, you’ll want to ultimately select one that has each of the following important features. Only then are you likely to be most satisfied with your result!
Variety
You aren’t going for just one flavor! You’re going for organic loose leaves and you’re looking to possibly blend them and expand your horizons! So there should be a variety. I recommend that you only go for products that give you that extra bit of flavor – you’ll see what I mean below.
For example, a product that has the hibiscus flavor, or vanilla flavor (you can tell I really like that flavor – especially around the holidays), and perhaps peppermint flavor is a good option. A nice blend of flavors and plenty of room for creativity and experimentation!
Regulatory Bodies
You cannot discuss features without talking about the regulatory bodies that regulate or opine upon herbal products.
These bodies, in general, give you the assurance that the product is safe to use. Bodies such as the USDA organic are frequently involved in this process. Just look for their label – its pretty recognizable!
The good part is that most loose leaf herbal teas will usually have this certification written boldly on their packaging. Kosher is yet another verification that should put your mind to rest. It is particularly important for those herbal tea enthusiasts with dietary restrictions!
So keep an eye out for these indications of approval and you’ll be well on your way!
Price
It’s only natural for these type of products to be a little bit on the expensive side – in terms of herbal tea, at least. After all, they are a combination of various flavors!
While this is true, this does not mean that you should accept just about any price thrown at you. It’s important to strike a balance. You need to remember that you DO NOT need to take out a second mortgage to get yourself a high quality loose leaf. If it seems to be priced too high, it probably is, and you’ll be better off looking for an alternative!
One way to do this is by comparing the prices of various products. This helps you get the complete picture as well as allows you to make a good purchase. If the prices are roughly the same, be sure to check quantities and expiration dates – a quick evaluation here will help separate two close competitors!
Believe me, there’s nothing better than knowing you got value for your money! I don’t like to spend it, but when I do, I rest a lot easier knowing that I have traded my dollars for something of suitable quality!
So those are the features worth looking at. Let’s now shift our focus to recommended products you should definitely try out. Remember, these are NOT the ONLY awesome loose leaf herbal teas on the market. However, they have been throughly researched and evaluated and I suspect you’ll be quite pleased when you try them out for yourself!
Organic Loose Leaf Tea – Buy the Best
Now, this particular loose leaf is such a joy! It comes with 9 different types of loose leaf! It’s incredible!! This is fantastic in terms of variety and you’ll be well on your way to determining which particular flavor of loose leaf is your favorite!
That’s not all. They are certified with the USDA organic. It comes from the very best organic farms around. It even gets better.
This product is wrapped in an eco-friendly box. This shows us that the manufacturer is very cautious of its impact upon the environment. When you see that quality, you can be sure that they put the same level of caution into cultivating and selling you their scrumptious loose leaf product!
My Experience
It’s really heavenly! There are just so many flavors to choose from. I especially liked the Jasmine Green Tea and the turmeric ginger tea. These are two particular types that I have consumer quite a bit less frequently than other herbal teas, so it was nice to bring them back into the rotation!
I think this product is an amazing choice. Not just for variety but also for the health or general well-being benefits. It provided a boost to my day. It was a much better start to the morning than an acidic coffee or a sugary Coca-Cola – much better for me too!
When taken in the evening, it helped me relax. You can already tell I love this tea. I’ve outlined some pros and cons that will help you make the best choice. Hopefully you don’t think “pro” and “con” lists are too corny!
Pros
- Great variety (expands your horizons)
- Great taste
- Eco-friendly box (better for you and the earth)
- Large quantity (no concerns about “running out” during a craving)
- USDA organic
Cons
- Not all the teas are caffeine-free (be sure to double check so that you don’t interfere with your sleep habits).
This particular loose leaf tea comes with at least eight different organic flavors. You can expect to get at least 15 pouches with three of each blend.
That’s an incredible offer if you ask me. Really nice both in terms of variety and quantity!
Another reason why this particular loose leaf earned high marks is because of the reputation of its manufacturers. They have been around for quite some time. This is, as a general rule, a good indication that they produce a safe and tasty product!
The packaging is beautiful and quite appealing too – but do you know the best part? It’s also quite affordable! This is a great example of a situation where the most highly priced loose leaf isn’t always the best! You DO NOT need to break the bank to get a delicious loose leaf style!
My Experience
I feel that these leaves are particularly rich. When brewing your tea, you can just feel the delicious aroma pouring in through your nostrils.
My favorite, at least at this time, is the vanilla pear flavor. Who wouldn’t love that? What a highly unique combination!
Now to the health part. It’s a great tea for improving your mood. There’s just no way you can stay grumpy after drinking this tea. That is why I tend to drink it in the mornings and over the lunch hour!
The best part is that it’s very easy to make this tea. The recipe listed above works perfectly here!
Here are some pros and cons you should expect from this product.
Pros
- USDA organic
- Affordable (save money where you can)
- Great taste
- Variety of flavors (great for discovering new favorites)!
Cons
- It might come with some level of caffeine, so you’ll want to be aware of that if you intend to drink this in the evenings!
Conclusion
Yay! You have made it to the end! Working with “loose leaf” is truly one of the most rewarding ways to make yourself a delicious cup of herbal teas! The versatility ensures that nothing goes to waste, and the ability to mix and match offers you a TON of room to exercise your creativity!
Comments
So what do you think? Did you know that working with loose leaf organic tea could be so fun? I’ll be honest, I did not know that it provided so much room for mixing and matching and working up my own creative concoctions! Have you tried working with loose leaf? What has your experience been like? Please share your thoughts and opinions with us by posting in the Comments board below! We read and reply to every comment and LOVE interacting with this herbal tea community!