Your First Loose-Leaf Order: What to Expect and How to Get Started

Welcome to the world of loose-leaf tea—a place where simplicity meets artistry, and every cup becomes a moment of quiet elegance. If you're new to this journey, you may wonder if it requires expertise or special rituals. The truth is beautifully simple: loose-leaf tea invites you in with open arms, asking only that you slow down and savor.

Let me guide you through what awaits when your first order arrives.

Step 1: The Unveiling

When your tea arrives, you'll find it carefully sealed in a pouch or tin—designed not just for freshness, but to preserve the integrity of what's inside. This isn't tea that's been sitting on a shelf for years. These are leaves and fruits at their peak, ready to share their story with you.

Open your package slowly. Notice the whole leaves, the vibrant petals, the real fruit pieces. This is tea in its truest form—unbroken, unprocessed, alive with flavor. Take a moment to breathe in the aroma. You're already beginning the ritual.

Step 2: The Measure—An Art, Not a Science

There's an elegance in the simplicity of measuring tea. No need for precision scales or anxiety about getting it "right." Tea is forgiving, especially the fruit infusions we craft.

A gentle guideline:

• 1 to 2 teaspoons per 8-ounce cup
• For fruit-forward blends, be generous—they reward abundance
• Trust your instincts, adjust to your palate

Use the spoon you have. This isn't about perfection—it's about presence.

Step 3: Your Vessel of Choice

You don't need an elaborate tea ceremony to honor loose-leaf tea. What you need is intention. Choose from these simple, elegant methods:

A Tea Infuser
Place your leaves in a mesh infuser, nestle it into your favorite cup, and pour. When the time comes, lift it away. The leaves have done their work.

A French Press
If you have one, it becomes a beautiful brewing vessel. Add leaves, pour water, let them dance and unfold, then press gently to separate.

The Traditional Way
Add leaves directly to your pot or cup. Let them steep freely, then strain as you pour. This is how tea has been enjoyed for centuries—no fuss, just flavor.

Step 4: Water—The Canvas for Flavor

Water is where tea comes alive. For fruit infusions and herbal blends, bring your water to a full boil—around 212°F. The heat unlocks the vibrant colors and rich flavors waiting inside.

For other teas in your future explorations:

• Green and white teas prefer a gentler touch: 175-185°F
• Oolong finds its voice at 185-205°F
• Black tea embraces the heat: 200-212°F

If you don't have a temperature-controlled kettle, simply let boiling water rest for a moment before pouring over delicate leaves. Tea teaches patience.

Step 5: The Steeping—Where Magic Happens

Pour your water over the leaves and watch. This is the transformation—the moment when dried leaves and fruits release their essence into the water. Colors bloom. Aromas rise. The cup becomes something more.

For fruit infusions, 3 to 5 minutes is your window. But don't watch the clock too closely. Steep a little longer if you prefer depth. A little less if you want delicacy. The tea will guide you.

Step 6: The First Sip—Your Reward

Remove the leaves. Lift the cup. Breathe in the steam. Now taste.

This is what tea is meant to be—full-bodied, vibrant, layered with flavor. Not the flat, one-dimensional taste of a tea bag, but something alive and complex. Something worth slowing down for.

If it's bolder than you expected, use less next time. If it's subtle, add more. You're learning the language of tea, and it speaks differently to everyone.

A Secret Worth Knowing: The Second Steep

Here's a gift that loose-leaf tea offers: you can steep the same leaves again. Pour fresh water over them and discover new notes, softer flavors, a different expression of the same blend. Some say the second steep is the most honest.

There Are No Mistakes Here

In the world of loose-leaf tea—especially with fruit infusions—there is no wrong way. Too much tea simply means a bolder cup. A longer steep brings more intensity. Forgotten leaves can be strained away without ceremony.

The only misstep is hesitation. The only loss is not beginning.

This Is Just the Beginning

Your first cup of loose-leaf tea is an invitation—to slow down, to taste deeply, to find elegance in simplicity. You don't need to be an expert. You don't need the perfect setup. You need only curiosity and a willingness to savor.

So open that package. Measure with confidence. Pour with intention. And take your first sip into a world where tea is not just a drink—it's an art form made simple.

Welcome. You belong here.