Last Updated on September 8, 2016 by worldofteainfusers
If you’re new to the wonderful world of loose leaf tea, you may be wondering how to get started.
Loose tea leaves?
Measuring?
Tea infusers?
All of these things may seem a bit daunting to a beginner, but it’s really quite simple. Once you make the switch from bagged tea to loose leaf tea, you’ll wish you had done so sooner. Plus our loose leaf tea starter kit will help you brew tea like a pro.
What is a Loose Leaf Tea Starter Kit?
Over the years there have been so many tea products we’ve tried. From flimsy tea ball infusers to premium loose leaf teas, there’s a ton of products out there for tea drinkers.
We’ve learned the hard way what makes a good tea product and what doesn’t. I wish at the time I had a handy tea starter kit to guide me in the right direction. Lo and behold, we have provided a list of four tea items we feel will help get you started into drinking loose leaf tea.
Below we’ll go over our Loose Leaf Tea Starter Kit:
It’s essentially our pick of four items all tea beginners should have.
Whether you’re trying loose leaf for the first time or you’re a seasoned tea connoisseur, these items will help make your tea drinking experience more enjoyable, easier, and delicious.
The below items are also easily accessible through Amazon.
#1 – Perfect Tea Spoon
The Perfect Tea Spoon by Teavana is the best way to measure loose leaf tea.
I’ll admit when I first started drinking loose leaf I used a regular teaspoon for measuring the leaves.
This was fine in the beginning because I was new and didn’t really know what I was doing. Sometimes my tea came out weak and other times too strong. That’s because I wasn’t adding enough leaves or was adding too much.
I decided to bite the bullet and give the spoon a try. When I did I noticed something happened:
My tea tasted better.
It wasn’t too watery and it wasn’t too bold. It was just … right.
That’s because it’s a perfect tea spoon, not a perfect teaspoon.
I didn’t realize the difference at first, but there is a difference!
A tea spoon is made for measuring and scooping loose leaf tea. It is much more rounded and larger in size in order to hold all the different types of tea leaves, spices, flowers, or fruit you commonly find in tea.
A tea spoon is also larger in measurement than a regular teaspoon. This is why I wasn’t brewing the right quantity of tea earlier.
The Perfect Tea Spoon allows you to scoop the right amount of tea leaves in order to brew a cup of tea that is just … perfect (pun intended).
#2 – Brewing Basket
What good is switching to loose leaf if you don’t have anything to make it in?
I find the Finum Brewing Basket the best way to steep loose leaf tea. It’s the most hassle free way to brew tea. Plus a lot of people at Amazon feel the same way and left a lot of good reviews about the Finum Brewing Basket.
Some of my favorite things are:
- Large basket allows plenty of room for leaves to unfurl and fully expand
- Fine mesh prevents smaller tea pieces from entering your tea
- The basket fits into standard cup sizes
- Easy to clean
I find using the Finum Brewing Basket to be the easiest, quickest, and most hassle-free way to brew tea. Other tea infusers will also get the job done, but for a beginner I recommend Finum. It’s the most essential item in our loose leaf tea starter kit.
#3 – Tea Tins
*tea tins not to scale
Tea Tins are where you can really let your personality shine.
These are just some of the many tea tins available.
Not only do these fancy tins look nice on counter tops, they’re practical too.
You can use tea tins to store your tea. If you purchase loose tea that typically come in sealed plastic or paper pouches, pouring them into a tea tin will help them stay fresher for longer.
You can also store rock sugar in tea tins as well. Rock sugar is great for adding a little sweetness to your tea without it changing the flavor too much.
Tea tins can also be used to store tea infusers and other tea utensils as well. It’s an organized way to keep your tea stash in a separate area of your kitchen. It also makes transporting easier – for example bringing tea from home into the office and vice versa.
#4 – Loose Leaf Tea Samplers
Now that you have all the essential gear to make and store tea, there’s just one thing missing – the tea!
If you’ve drank bagged tea before then you’re probably already familiar with the common tea flavors: black tea, green tea, herbal tea, etc.
A great way to try all of the tea flavors in loose leaf form is by tea samplers.
Tea samplers are pouches of tea that each have a unique flavor to try.
The Tea Forté Loose Leaf Tea Sampler has 28 different flavors of tea! Some of their yummy flavors include:
- Blood Orange
- Coconut Chocolate Truffle
- English Breakfast
- Green Mango Peach
- Earl Grey
- Sencha
- White Ginger Pear
- Blueberry Merlot
The Tea Forté Tea Sampler includes different flavors of black tea, green tea, herbal tea, and white tea to try. I always find loose leaf tea to have more variety and unique flavors than bagged teas.
Tea Forté also has a variety of different types of tea samplers, ranging from white tea samplers, herbal tea samplers, classic tea samplers, black tea samplers, and many more. You can view a full list of Tea Forté tea samplers.
You’d also be surprised at what new flavors you might like. For example I was never a fan of English Breakfast and Earl Grey. Yet when I tried these flavors in loose leaf form, there was just something different about them. They tasted so much better and now they have become a regular part of my tea inventory. Thank you loose leaf!
Final Thoughts
With this handy loose leaf tea starter kit, you now have everything you need to make a delicious cup of tea.
The above items are timeless classics – perfect for loose leaf beginner’s or seasoned tea drinkers.
If you’re looking for more information on how to steep loose leaf, check out our How to Brew Loose Leaf Tea: A Beginner’s Guide.
What are some of your favorite tea items for making or storing loose leaf tea? What items do you think are useful for those new to loose leaf? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
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