The brewing ritual: a truly good cup of tea at home

Good tea is neither a secret nor a hassle. It’s mainly: good water, the right temperature, enough time, and calm in the pot. In this article you’ll find one reliable method that works for our botanical blends—with practical tips and enough depth to understand why it works. Use this as your steady brewing compass. You can return to it from any blend whenever you want to taste at home the same quality the blend is meant to deliver.

Most “failed” cups come from three things: water that’s too hard, water that’s too hot (truly boiling), or too much movement (stirring/squeezing/a tiny infuser). Avoid those three, and your tea becomes clearer, gentler, and more consistent right away.

Think of brewing as a small ritual: waiting until the first steam rises, the aroma unlocking, and the botanicals slowly unfolding in the pot. That’s exactly what Maison Tisane stands for: calm, rhythm, attention.

Dosage of loose herbs for a botanical tea infusion

The Maison Tisane Method

This is the basic recipe that works for you almost every time. Think of it as the “middle ground”: enough extraction for body and depth, without the cup becoming harsh or bitter.

Dosage

1–3 heaping teaspoons loose herbs (2–3 grams per 250 ml)

Water

± 90 °C — do not boil

Time

8–10 minutes gentle steep

Rhythm

Cover, do not stir, strain gently afterwards

How to brew it (simple, step by step)

Choose soft, neutral water (filtered or bottled water if your tap water is hard).
Heat to ± 90 °C. Stop at the first bubbles or use a kettle with temperature control. (Did you let it boil anyway? Let the water cool briefly before pouring.)
Put the herbs in a spacious pot or in a large filter basket. Give the botanicals room to open.
Pour gently along the side of the pot/glass — not in one hard stream “straight onto” the herbs.
Cover and let steep for 8–10 min. Do not stir. Take a moment: lift the lid briefly and smell. You will notice how the blend opens up layer by layer.
Strain or pour through. Let the herbs drain gently (do not press).

Why we steep “longer”

Aromas are often released early, but a botanical infusion only really gets body when extracted longer. With extra time, more water-soluble plant compounds dissolve (think of polyphenols, minerals, and other compounds that contribute to mouthfeel and “depth”). Many people drink herbal infusions for that reason too: not just for scent, but for what is inside the plant.

1) Water: soft water gives a clear, soft cup

Tea is largely water. And water determines more than people think. Hard water (many minerals) can make tea cloudy faster and make the taste feel rougher or more bitter. Soft, neutral water allows botanicals to come out clear and elegant. And: with normal tap water you can still brew a delicious cup. See “softer water” mainly as a possible upgrade — not as a requirement.

Practical choice

Start simple: tap water is fine — especially if you like it.
Do you taste a lot of limescale or does it get dull quickly? Try filtered water (or a more neutral water) once and compare.
Small habit: let the water run “fresh” for a moment and preferably use cold water from the tap.

How to recognize hard water

Your tea gets a haze faster or becomes dull.
The taste feels dry or astringent more quickly.
Your kettle develops limescale quickly.

Clear water in a glass as the basis for a gentle tea infusion

2) Temperature: do not let water boil thoroughly

This is often the biggest source of bitterness in “home tea”: water that is boiling really hard. When water boils through, you extract the drier/bitter sides of leaf and herbs faster, and lose nuance. That is why we do it like this: heat to just below boiling.

How to do it simply

Kettle with temperature control: set to 90 °C. (Find a blend quickly “harsh”? Try 85–88 °C.)
Without control: turn the kettle/stove off at the first bubbles. That is usually exactly the point where you get soft but hot water.
Boiled anyway? Let the water cool down before pouring. How long that takes differs per amount and kettle — that’s why a temperature kettle is such a nice investment.

3) Space & rest: do not stir, do not “break”

Loose botanicals and leaves need space to open. And they love rest. Too much movement (stirring, shaking, too small an infuser) breaks leaves and releases more fine particles. That can make the cup bitter and cloudy faster. Give them space — then you see the leaves and flowers literally come to life in the water.

Choose this (works almost always)

Spacious pot or glass teapot
Large filter basket (leaves can unfold)
Loose tea or coarse botanicals (more nuance, less “dust”)

Avoid this (especially with coarse botanicals)

Too small tea balls/infusers (too little space)
Stirring hard or “whisking tea”
Pressing or squeezing after steeping

Pour gently: not directly onto the tea

Preferably pour the hot water along the side of the pot/glass, so the stream doesn't “hit” the leaves. You can also put a small layer of water in the pot first and then pour the rest gently. Less impact = less broken leaf = often a softer, clearer cup.

Hot water is poured gently along the side of the glass for tea infusion

4) Time & covering: when the taste becomes round

Many aromas are present quickly, but a cup that tastes truly “complete” — round, full, and balanced — often requires more time. Especially with botanicals: leaves, flowers, seeds, and roots release their character in phases.

Why covering helps

Aromas are volatile: they evaporate with the steam. By covering, you keep heat and scent “together”. Your cup often becomes clearly more complete — especially with flowers, citrus, and mint-like herbs.

Why 8–10 minutes makes sense

The first minutes provide mainly top notes. Then comes body and mouthfeel. With a bit more time, more water-soluble substances dissolve too — “steeping longer” is not just flavor, but also extraction. That is why at Maison Tisane we prefer to take a little more time: it is the calm path to depth — in taste and extraction.

Using a bag? Fine — but don't squeeze

Loose tea usually gives the most beautiful taste, but a bag can be practical. The most important thing: do not squeeze the bag. By pressing, you push extra bitters and fine particles into your cup — that makes the taste rough and less soft faster.

This is how you do it

Let the bag drain gently over your cup or on a saucer after steeping. No pressing, no stirring. Simple — and your tea remains much softer.

Troubleshooting: the quickest fixes

Change only one variable at a time. Almost always start with water (soft) and temperature (not boiling) — that gives the biggest gain without hassle.

Cloudy / dull

Use softer water (filter/bottle).
Do not stir, no small infuser.
Do not let water boil; go to ± 90 °C.

Bitter / astringent

Lower temperature to 85–88 °C.
Shorten steeping time by 1–2 minutes.
Do not press/squeeze, no extra movement.

Too light / watery

Slightly more botanicals (add 0.5–1 g).
Extend steeping time by 1–2 minutes.
Always cover while steeping.

Scent is nice, taste is flat

Cover (do not let aromas fly away).
Softer water.
More space for the leaves (larger filter/pot).

Remember: if your tea often “sticks to your palate” or becomes bitter quickly, it is rarely a lack of herbs. It is almost always too hot, too hard water, or too much movement.

The ritual is not in complexity, but in attention. Brew quietly, cover, smell for a moment — and taste your blend as it is meant to be: clear, soft, and balanced. Not as a promise — simply as a small caring moment in your day.

How do you make herbal tea?

The brewing ritual: a truly good cup of tea at home