I recently listened to an audiobook titled "The Tea Ladies" by Amanda Hampson. This mystery novel takes place in Sydney, Australia in the 1960's. "Tea ladies Hazel, Betty and Irene become accidental sleuths, stumbling into a world of ruthless crooks and racketeers in search of a young woman believed to be in danger." Liking tea and a good mystery, I thought this would be a fun listen - which it was.   What I didn't expect was to pick up a bit of cultural history. I expected the main characters to either own or work at a tea shop. Come to find out, each of the women worked as “tea ladies” for different businesses! The main character, Hazel, works in a garment factory. She has a tea cart, or trolley, which she rolls around bringing tea, coffee, and biscuits to all the employees, from those in the factory to those in the office. Occasionally she also bakes cakes for special meetings and such. ( Be still my beating heart!)   According to Wikipedia, a tea lady provides drinks in an office, factory, hospital, or other place of work. The practice began as an experiment to boost workplace efficiency and morale during WWII. It was so successful it became commonplace. The Tea Lady was an important part of office culture in the early 20th century in the United Kingdom and Australia.   Unfortunately, the practice died out in the 1970's due to the introduction of vending machines. The role of a tea attendant, beverage maker, or office kitchen worker still exists within Britain's National Health Service. The role has changed, adapting with the time to employee men as well as women, and from what I can tell is mostly used at hospitals and in government.   Author Amanda Hampson sums up the transformation of the tradition, "The tea lady is fondly remembered as more than someone who made tea. She was a beloved figure, a source of comfort. Today, we may not have tea ladies in our offices, but their legacy lives on in the tradition of the tea break."   Your "Tea Lady" Samantha

Did you know tea leaves can be re-steeped? Yes! Many loose leaf teas can be re-steeped. Or in layman's terms re-used . Making a second, or even third, cup from a serving of tea leaves is a way to both gain greater value from your loose leaf tea and explore the nuance of the tea itself. In this instance when I'm discussing re-steeping, I'm talking about western style brewing , not traditional or gong fu style brewing (which is a story for a different day). Western style brewing is what most people are familiar with and think of when preparing tea - a mug and infuser basket or a teapot (see our blog How to Brew the Perfect Cup of Tea ). In the world of tea, western style brewing is defined as being a higher water to tea leaf ratio with a relatively long infusion time.   Here's a step-by-step guide to re-steeping Use a mug / infuser basket that is appropriately sized for 1 serving of tea. (You're already planning to make subsequent cups!) Start at the lower end of the steeping recommendations. For example, if the package recommends a steeping time of 2-3 minutes and a water temperature of 170-175F, do the first steep for 2 minutes at 170F. After making your first cup, leave the infused/wet tea leaves in the infuser basket, and set them aside for your next use. Do be sure to drain it well or shake out excess water from the basket but there's no need to dry the leaves or put them in the refrigerator. Re-steep the same tea leaves within 24 hours. On the second infusion increase the steep time by 30 seconds to 1 minute. (From the above example I would do the re-steep for 3 minutes at 170F). Note your thoughts on the second infusion to make any necessary adjustments in the future. Continue to increase the steep time for each infusion. You can also increase water temperatures. (From the earlier package example, for the 3rd infusion I'd try 3.5 minutes at 175F).   What teas can be re-steeped? The best candidates for re-steeping are pure Green, White, Yellow, Oolong, and Dark teas. Some black teas can be re-steeped, but due to their already higher level of oxidation the leaves generally don't hold up well to multiple long infusions.   What about tea blends? Can blended teas be re-steeped? Some blended and flavored teas can be re-steeped. If the tea blend gets most of its flavor from inclusion ingredients rather than natural or artificial flavoring, it will hold up better to a second infusion. If the flavor of the blend is heavily reliant on artificial or natural flavoring the second infusion will not give quite as flavorful a cup as the flavor will be coming from the tea leaves and other inclusions. If you're curious how a blended tea will taste when re-steeped give it a try, you may be pleasantly surprised even if it's not as flavorful as the first cup.   How many times can I re-use the same tea leaves? As many times as you'd like! Though 2-3 infusions is most common. Re-steeping is about experimenting with water temperatures and steep times, noticing how different leaves respond, and learning what you like. Worst case scenario the brewed cup is not palatable, and you discard it.   What if I want a lot of tea all at once? Can I combine infusions? Yes! You can absolutely combine multiple infusions into a larger vessel like a teapot or travel mug. This is a terrific way to get the most value from your loose leaf.  I would suggest though that before doing this you try the infusions to be sure they are to your liking. Pro Tip : I like to take a large "to go" mug of tea when I leave the house. My favorite mug holds 16-20oz. To fill it I brew 1 serving of tea in a small single serving teapot, pour it into the mug, then re-steep the same leaves adding that infusion to the mug as well. The whole process takes 8-10 minutes depending upon what tea I'm working with.   Happy STEAPing, Samantha

One of the most frequent questions I get asked is about preparing loose leaf tea. I break down the 3 key steps in How to brew the perfect cup of tea  - portioning, water, and steep time. It seems that the step people struggle the most with is portioning. This makes sense when you consider that many people are introduced to tea through tea bags, and only later discover and start brewing loose leaf tea. For the most part, the tea industry is in agreement that the ideal ratio for western style tea brewing is 3 grams of loose leaf tea per every 8 ounces of water. This means that knowing the size of the vessel you are brewing in is paramount to getting the water to tea leaf ratio correct. Unless the capacity is clearly printed on the vessel itself it may be necessary to do a little measurement test. Fill your brewing vessel with water and transfer to a larger glass measuring cup. This will give you an idea of how many 8oz servings you are brewing and how many servings of tea leaves you will need. Easy peasy! As for the tea..... Different types of tea have different densities, making it impossible to standardize tea leaf measurements across different types of tea or even among different leaf styles of the same tea type. Three grams of tea can be anywhere from 1 teaspoon - 2 tablespoons depending upon the type of tea and style of leaf. So, short of weighing your tea leaves each time you'd like to make a cup, how do you know how much tea to use? First and foremost, there should be accurate measurements on your package of tea. Unless it is noted to uses a "heaping teaspoon" it should be assumed that the measurement should be a level teaspoon. A "heaping" or "rounded" teaspoon refers to a teaspoon that is not level but is filled above the rim to create a dome or "rounded" top. This is equivalent to approximately 1 1/2 teaspoons and sometimes easier than trying to measure out 1 and a half teaspoons. At S•TEA•P we are as accurate as possible with our suggested measurements. While still allowing for adjustment to personal taste. I'll leave you with a few other tips that may help you in learning to measure and visualize 3 grams. Smaller leaves will be more dense (i.e. heavier). Examples include CTC   and Rooibos. Larger leaves will be less dense (i.e. lighter). Examples include chamomile and some white teas such as Michigan Moonlight . Tea blends with flavoring and inclusions (i.e. lavender, hibiscus, etc.) tend to be heavier than pure leaf teas. Rolled or balled teas will be denser than non-rolled teas like those with wiry or twisted leaves. A way to achieve consistency in measurements is to use the same measuring device each time you make tea. The more tea you make, the better you will become at "eye balling" a serving of tea. Remember, 3 grams/8oz. isn't a hard and fast rule. It's a starting place. Tea should always be prepared to suit one's personal tastes.

These steeping recommendations are for western style brewing in a teapot or infuser mug. *For best results refer to the package brewing recommendations for each tea Downloadable version available HERE.

The key to cold brewing is the slow extraction of flavors, over an extended period of time in the refrigerator. This gentle steeping process results in a smoother brew with more flavor dimension, fewer tannins, and less caffeine than a traditional hot brew. For information on how and why cold brewing works, check out our Cold Brew Blog. Cold Brew Instructions 1.        Add the tea leaves & water to a jar or brewing pitcher that can be covered. We like to use Mason jars! 2.      Put it into the refrigerator. We suggest letting the tea cold steep in the refrigerator according to the table below. Feel free to experiment with these times to find your perfect cup of iced tea! 3.      Strain tea mixture through a cullender or strainer into another jar or pitcher. 4.      Once prepared, cold brewed tea will keep for approximately 1 week in the refrigerator. ** For best results, use the suggested tea/water ratio for hot brewing recommended on the teas packaging. * Yellow and Dark teas are not recommended for Cold Brewing. These teas undergo a fermentation step in their processing. When brewing with hot water and residual microorganisms are killed. Cold Brew Tips For cold brewing we recommend using the suggested tea leaf/water ratio for whatever tea being prepared. If you like a stronger Iced Tea you can increase the amount of dry tea leaves or steep longer. If steeping true teas longer, take care not to overstep, as this could draw more tannins and make the tea bitter. Taste your tea throughout the brewing process. This will help you determine your preferred steep time duration. We love to do our cold brew steeping overnight. This may not work for you however if preparing a tea needing a shorter steep time. Just as in hot brewing, some tea leaves can be cold brewed for multiple infusions. Not all teas are well suited for cold brewing.

Making a cup of tea takes 2 ingredients - tea leaves and water. In a recipe as simple as this what could possibly go wrong?! Ask anyone who's ever drank a cup of weak or bitter tea.... a lot. If you're using quality loose leaf tea, a great deal of attention and effort has gone into producing the tea. Growth, harvest, processing - tea making is an art that tea farmers take great pride in preserving. So what about the other ingredient? Water. A cup of tea is 99% water. So to say that water is one of the most important factors in brewing tea, is not an understatement. The good news is that besides selecting the tea leaves, water is the ingredient in the "recipe" we have the most influence over. Following, I’ll share 4 water tips sure to improve your tea "recipe." Water Quality If you don't like the taste of your water, you won't like the taste of your tea. For example, if you normally filter your tap water for drinking (and like it), go ahead and make tea with it! Of course, you CAN use bottled water, but you don't HAVE TO. Water Temperature Different tea types should be brewed at different water temperatures. I rarely using boiling water to brew my tea - even black tea. Green & White teas undergo less processing than Oolong and Black tea's, so these tea types are particularly susceptible to becoming bitter in boiling water. A programable electric kettle is a great way to heat water to a desired temperature. In leu of this, our STEAPing chart gives times to cool water (from boiling) appropriate for each tea type. You could also use a cooking or candy thermometer. Water/tea leaf ratio Improper water to tea leaf ratio can cause too weak or too strong a cup. Our recommended ratios are for an 8oz cup. So if you're using a larger infuser mug, or teapot, be sure to increase the tea leaves used in correlation to the amount of water. When in doubt, measure how much water your brewing vessel will hold. Steep Time Leaving the lea leaves in the water too long can cause a brew that is too strong or astringent. Generally green & white teas don't steep as long as black teas. Set a timer and be sure to remove the tea leaves from the water. When I’m trying a tea for the first time I always start on the low end of the suggested steeping time. If I do a second infusion with the leaves (use the leaves again) I'll increase the steeping time depending upon what I thought of the first cup. I typically increase the steep time by 1 minute for a second cup. However, if the first cup was too strong I may only increase it 30 seconds, if I thought it was week I would increase it 1 1/2 minutes. Our STEAPing chart is a great resource. It's available for download HERE. Happy STEAPing, Samantha

We're into hot water... not boiling.... Hot water is a necessi-tea when it comes to steeping tea. All puns aside, water temperature in tea steeping is pretty important. It makes the difference between a nice cuppa, a bitter, astringent cup, or a week, watery cup.. Each type of tea (white, oolong, etc.) has an ideal temperature range (see our STEAPing guide for details). This is because each tea type has unique attributes and needs a certain water temperature to bring out its best qualities. When the water is at the correct temperature, all the compounds in the leaves are released to make a well-balanced and delicious cup of tea. You may be wondering why a few degrees matter. Well, there a couple reasons. Boiling water can cause the over extraction of polyphenols (tannins), which can alter the flavor of your tea. Water that is too hot can burn delicate tea leaves, meaning that it can destroy the healthy compounds of the tea. The result can be a biter, astringent, and unpleasant cup. It should be noted that the opposite side of the water temperature spectrum has it's own issues. Water that is not hot enough will fail to extract the tannins and compounds that give the tea it's flavor. This results in a week, bland, or "watery" cup. Personally, my favorite way to ensure recommended water temperatures is to use an electric kettle that heats water to specific temperatures. It's easy and accurate. This is also what I recommend to folks looking to ensure proper steeping temperatures. If you already have a kettle that doesn't heat to variable temperatures, you can try to stop heating the water according to certain stages in the heating process (see our STEAPing guide for details). Less reliable, due to changing variables, is to cool the water from boiling. When you use the correct water temperature it can open up a world of flavor. You'll be amazed by the difference. Download our STEAPing guide to get started!

Brewing the perfect cup of tea is simple and easy. It comes down to these 3 things Portioning Water Steep Time This guide appears of the back of all S•TEA•P packaging. Portioning The recommended tea to water ratio is 3 grams of loose leaf tea per every 8oz of water. Because of the variance in leaf densities, this can equal anywhere from 1 teaspoon to 2 Tablespoons of tea leaves. Less dense, or "fluffier," tea leaves weigh less so it takes more of them to equal 3 grams. While more dense tea leaves, such as rolled, balled, or compressed tea leaves are heavier. All of S•TEA•P's teas list accurate measurements on the package. Additionally, our STEAPing guide lists general measurements for each tea type. Pro tip: If you're not sure how large your brewing vessel is, test it. Fill it with water, then transfer the water to a measuring up. Chances are it's larger than 8 oz. If you use the same mug or teapot to brew in regularly you will likely remember the amount it holds. If you're afraid of forgetting, you can mark the capacity on the underside with a waterproof marker. Water You can use bottled or filtered water, but you don't have to. If you like the taste of the water it's fine to make tea with. The more important factor when it comes to water is the temperature. Each type of tea has unique attributes and an ideal infusion temperature range (see our STEAPing guide) that correspond to how it was processed. White, Green & Yellow teas undergo less processing than Oolong, Black, and Dark tea's, so these tea types are particularly susceptible to becoming bitter in boiling water. Pro tip: A variable temperature electric kettle is a game changer for your tea ritual. With pre-set temperature buttons it takes the guess work out of perfecting water temperature. Steep time Leaving the lea leaves in the water too long can cause a brew that is too strong or astringent. While not leaving it in long enough will result in a week and "watery" cup. A general rule of thumb is that more processed teas steep longer than less processed tea types. All of S•TEA•P's teas list recommended steeping times on the package. For best results follow these recommendations. Pro tip 1: set a timer. for your steep time. Pro tip 2: If the recommended steeping time is a range, for example 3-5 minutes try starting in the middle of the range (4 minutes). For subsequent cups adjust up or down depending upon your tastes. To sum it all up, using the recommended portions, water temperature, and steeping time brings out the tea leaves best qualities and compounds resulting in a balanced and delicious cup. With that said, everyone's tastes are different and individualistic to them. You should brew and consume tea however you like it. Our recommendations leave space for this. If you see the recommended water temperature listed as 200-210 (just under boiling and boiling) or steep time listed as 3-5 minutes. Anywhere in this range will produce as "ideal" cup for the majority of tea drinkers. Experiment to find your perfect cup. This recipe for tea brewing is a map, your perfect cup is the destination, and how you get there is up to you! Happy STEAPing, Samantha

I'd like to take a deeper look into CTC. No, not Child Tax Credit or Cost-To-Company. I'm talking about Crush, Tear, Curl tea. CTC teas are sent through rollers which tear and break the leaf after it has been withered. The result of the CTC process is small, uniform tea particles with a consistent taste. CTC tea leaves infuse quickly and typically steep a stronger cup than whole leaf teas. CTC tea is graded into categories of Leaf, Fanning, and Dust. It is considered to be of inferior quality to whole leaf tea and is generally used in tea bags and sometimes flavored blends. CTC teas strength makes it a popular choice in making iced tea and milk tea, as it can tolerate dilution and still maintain its flavor. While I prefer loose leaf tea (also called orthodox tea), CTC tea is well suited to a variety of uses and certainly has a place in the world of tea. We have one blend which contains CTC tea - Great Lakes. We've combined a mountain grown, leaf grade CTC tea from Taiwan with honeybush to create a unique blend that is strong, robust, and naturally sweet. Great Lakes holds a special place in my heart, as it was one of the first blends I created. I loved it then, and still love it today! Happy STEAPing, Samantha

The variety of brewing methods can be overwhelming for new and veteran tea drinkers alike. Personally, I like to change my brewing method based on my mood, what tea I'm preparing, and my purpose for making it. Brewing loose tea can be as simple or complex as you like. What's most important is to brew according to your personal needs and style. Here are a few of my "go to" brewing methods. Infuser basket I use the Finum brand infuser baskets in my choice of mug. This is probably my favorite brewing method for single cups. Which is what I drink most often! I start my morning with a cup of Ypsi.Land.Tea brewed in this way. I tend to use this brewing method for teas I wouldn't re-steep, like black or flavored teas, or when I don't plan to re-steep. You certainly could use this method to re-steep, I usually don't becuase there are other methods I prefer to use if I plan to re-steep leaves. I also use this method when I'm serving guests who want different teas. Using an infuser basket is a quick and easy way to make individual cups. Individual tea pot I have a small teapot paired with a teacup. I use this when I'm feeling more mindful and intentional about my tea drinking. This might be something I use in the afternoon when I want a to make myself a little "tea time" and have tea and a snack. The pot is 8oz. and is very handy for re-steeping. I usually drink green, white, or oolong in the afternoon, so if I want another cup (as I often to) I can easily re-steep the leaves. I've also been known to use the teapot to steep and re-steep, pouring both servings into a 16oz travel mug! Gaiwan I use Gaiwan brewing for a different form of indulgence. This is my preferred brewing method for enjoying the same tea all day. I'll use this brewing method with an oolong, yellow, or white tea. My favorites to use for this are the Michigander Milk Oolong and The Cube. I've been more into using the individual teapot because it is a bit easier, but every once and a while, I get out the Gaiwan and brush off my skills. It's one of those tools that becomes easier to use with use, and even I find myself getting a little rusty if I don't do it for a few months. I hope that you enjoyed learning a bit about my tea drinking habits. Maybe this gives you some ideas on things you want to try. Just remember, there's no right or wrong way to brew, as long as you enjoy the finished product! Happy STEAPing, Samantha

Chris Simpson for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Sophia Pappas. I recently made a lovely tea cake, and I'd like to share the recipe with you. It's a nice moist loaf cake, featuring chamomile and lemon zest. The recipe below is reproduced from a recect article in the New Your Times by Eric Kim. Chamomile Tea Cake With Strawberry Icing Time 2¼ hours, plus cooling Yield:One 9-inch loaf INGREDIENTS ½ cup/115 grams unsalted butter 2 tablespoons/6 grams chamomile tea (from 4 to 6 tea bags or 3 tablespoons loose Chamomile ground), crushed fine if coarse 1 cup/240 milliliters whole milk Nonstick cooking spray 1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt 2 large eggs 1 large lemon (zest & juice) 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1½ cups/192 grams all-purpose flour 1 cup/124 grams confectioners’ sugar ½ cup/8 grams freeze-dried strawberries (I substituted freeze dried raspberries) PREPARATION Step 1 In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon prepared chamomile to a large mixing bowl. Pour the hot melted butter over the chamomile and stir. Set aside to steep and cool completely, about 1 hour. Step 2 Use the same saucepan (without washing it out) to bring the milk to a simmer over medium-high heat, keeping watch so it doesn’t boil over. Remove from the heat, and stir the remaining 1 tablespoon chamomile into the hot milk. Set aside to steep and cool completely, about 1 hour. Step 3 Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with the nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper so the long sides of the pan have a couple of inches of overhang to make lifting the finished cake out easier. Step 4 Add the sugar and salt to the bowl with the butter, and whisk until smooth and thick, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, vigorously whisking to combine after each addition. Zest the lemon into the bowl; add the baking powder and vanilla, and whisk until incorporated. Add the flour and stream in the milk mixture while whisking continuously until no streaks of flour remain. Step 5 Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until a skewer or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are OK, but you should see no wet batter), 40 to 45 minutes (need to bake longer). Cool in the pan on a rack for 30 minutes. Step 6 While the cake cools, make the icing: Into a medium bowl, squeeze 2 tablespoons juice from the zested lemon, then add the confectioners’ sugar. Place the dehydrated strawberries in a fine-mesh sieve set over the bowl and, using your fingers, crush the brittle berries and press the red-pink powder through the sieve and into the sugar. (The more you do this, the redder your icing will be.) Whisk until smooth. Step 7 If needed, run a knife along the edges of the cake to release it from the pan. Holding the 2 sides of overhanging parchment, lift the cake out and place it on a plate, cake stand or cutting board. Discard the parchment. Pour the icing over the cake, using a spoon to push the icing to the edges of the cake to encourage the icing to drip down the sides dramatically. Cool the cake completely and let the icing set. I have to admit that my cake looked a bit different than the photo – don’t they always?! My cake was not as yellow, and the frosting was much more pink. A few things I did differently than the original recipe are... I used loose leaf chamomile that I ground down into a fine powder. The original recipe called for chamomile from tea bags. Though I don't think this would have made too much of a difference in the color. My cake tasted mostly like lemon. The original recipe called for the zest of one large lemon. So I zested the entire lemon. The flavor was very good, but I admit to not tasting the chamomile at all. My husband called it a "lemon cake." I used freeze-dried raspberries in the frosting instead of strawberries, because this is what I had on hand. I reduced them to a powder the same way the recipe called for. I used only 4 grams of the freeze-dried fruit instead of the 8 g that was called for and my frosting was a bright pink. My takeaway from both the lemon zest and the freeze-dried fruit is that a little bit goes a long way. And that these items should be added "to taste." Still even with these slight differences, it’s a nice cake. I love that it’s baked in a loaf pan. The size of the cake seems smaller and not as overwhelming as making a sheet cake, bunt cake, or tiered cake. I enjoyed my first slice with a cup of Ypsi.Land.Tea, which balanced out the lemon nicely. Here is the recipe on Google Docs. Happy Baking! Samantha

You may have heard me say, you don't need fancy equipment to brew tea. Each and every morning when brewing a cup of Ypsi.Land.Tea, I reach for the same black mug, old infuser basket, and soy sauce dish. There's nothing special about this mug, except that it's just the right size - not to big, not to small. It's not part of a set, it's just a mug. My old infuser basket fits perfectly in it, with the rim of the basket sitting right inside the mug. And the soy sauce dish? It's a lid and an trivet! Not only does this little white dish sits nicely on top of the mug and infuser, holding the heat in while steeping, it also holds the infuser basket post brew. The routine is automatic. I hardly even have to think about it. It's comforting and familiar, exactly what I'm looking for with that first cup. Don't get me wrong, one of the things I love about tea brewing is all the accoutrements! Tea pots, gaiwans, gong fu tray's, matcha bowls, tea pets.... These items can certainly enhance the tea brewing experience and add to one's enjoyment of the process. My second cup may incorporate a single-serve teapot, a gaiwan, or another infuser basket. Depending upon my mood, what tea I want to drink and if I have 5 minutes or 20. This changes from day-to-day. No matter what I brew, or how I brew it, it's always about what I need in the moment. Happy STEAPing, Samantha