How do you make tea with a french press coffee maker?
Believe it or not, french press coffee makers are not just for making delicious cups of coffee! They can also be used to make a nice hot cup of your favorite loose leaf tea. It is a simple, easy-to-follow process. So, how do you make tea in your french press, you ask?
Step 1: Pour the loose leaf tea into your french press. You’ll want to use one teaspoon of tea leaves for each cup of water.
Step 2: Add hot water and wait for it to steep. It is also important that if you happen to have two french press coffee makers, that you use one for tea and one for coffee. The oils in coffee can leave residue on your french press which could affect the taste of the tea. See the chart below for the correct steep time for each different type of tea.
Type of Tea: Steep Time:
| TEA TYPE | WATER TEMP | STEEP TIME |
| WHITE | 175-185 F (80-85 C) | 1-3 MINUTES |
| GREEN | 180-185 F (82-85 C) | 2-3 MINUTES |
| BLACK | 200-205 F (93-96 C) | 3-5 MINUTES |
| DARJEELING | 185 F (85 C) | 3 MINUTES |
| OOLONG | 185-205 F (85-96 C) | 3-5 MINUTES |
| HERBAL | 205 F (96 C) | 5-7 MINUTES |
Step 3: Push down on the plunger after your time is up.
Step 4: Pour your delicious tea into your favorite mug, or in your favorite to-go cup if you’re running late! Add honey or milk for personal flavor preference.
If you'd still like more information on how to make tea with a french press coffee maker, check out our video tutorial for making tea in your french press!
Image by Carolyn V on Unsplash
Comments 2
Dennis
Two answers — (1) One shouldn’t squeeze ground coffee or tea leaves at the very end of a plunge. (2) The leaves used in most bags are actually the “dust and fannings” from broken tea leaves. This is a huge compromise in quality from full leaf tea. Finely broken tea leaves have lost most of their essential oils and aroma. When steeped, they release more tannins than whole leaf tea, resulting in bitter astringent brews. The material, shape, and size of the bags themselves are also important factors. Most tea bags constrain the tea leaves, keeping them from expanding to their full flavor and aroma potential. In summary, all of the above leads to overextraction, and squeezing tea bags exasperates that.
Nancy
If squeezing a tea bag at the end of brewing causes bitter tea why wouldn’t a French press do the same?