All articles
Everything on The Steady Kettle, organised by topic.
Mindful Tea
- Five-Minute Tea Mindfulness: A Plain Practice — A five-minute tea mindfulness practice is simply structured attention.
Brewing Basics
- Gongfu vs Western Tea Brewing: Ratios and Rhythm — Western-style brewing usually uses less leaf in a larger vessel for one longer infusion: start around 2.5–3 grams per 250 millilitres for two to five…
- How Long to Steep Tea: Times by Type — Start green or delicate white tea at 1–3 minutes, oolong at 2–5, black tea at 3–5, and many herbal or fruit infusions at about 5 minutes.
- How to Brew Herbal Tea: Follow the Blend — Use a labelled drinking infusion and follow its own amount, water volume and steeping time.
- How to Brew White Tea: Two Product-Specific Methods — Follow your particular white tea's complete recipe: leaf weight, water quantity, temperature and time.
- Tea Brewing Temperatures: A Taste-First Guide — Use the tea maker's directions first, then adjust by taste. Useful starting water temperatures are 70–80°C/158–176°F for many Japanese sencha,…
Tea Care
- How to Store Loose-Leaf Tea Without Losing Aroma — Store loose-leaf tea in a clean, fully dry, food-safe package that closes tightly and blocks light, then keep it in a cool cupboard away from steam,…