In the world of tea, you hear both terms often. And there’s really no difference, unless you’re a knit-picker. But, technically, the overall process is the brewing and steeping happens when you infuse, or pour water on, the leaves.

The important thing about steeping is to get the essentials right or the whole brewing process is a bust. Here they are:

Product: Great loose tea

Water: Filtered water

Equipment: A well-made vessel/pot of glass, ceramic, or stainless steel. A proper infuser, described in ‘Space’ requirements, below.

Temperature: Different teas, and herbals as well, require different temperatures. We are specific about what we believe gives the best result in all of our page descriptions. The general rule is that lighter teas, like white and green, need cooler water and less time.

Time: Here, along with too hot a water temp, is where good green teas go ‘bad’. If you’ve had bitter green tea, it’s most likely because the water was too hot or the time was too long. The right infusion time is absolutely essential for an amazing cup of tea.

Space: Tea leaves need room to infuse during the steeping process. While we sell no infusers on our site, our favorite is a stainless steel infuser with very tiny holes top to bottom, which leaves plenty of room for any tea or herbal to expand during steeping. You can find these on most tea websites.

I like to give the leaves a stir when beginning steeping, to have them gently moving, so that water can touch each part of the leaf as it steeps. Tea balls are not recommended, or cute infusers that are fun to look at but smother the leaves.

If all the above steps are right….get ready for one delicious cup of tea!