Beyond the Leaf

Welcome to Beyond the Leaf, the TeaSource blog.

Tea is more than a beverage—it's a story of people, places, tradition, and craftsmanship. Here you'll find tea education, thoughtful discussion, steeping guides, recipes, tasting notes, tea travel, sourcing stories, industry insights, and updates from the TeaSource team.

Whether you're just beginning your loose leaf tea journey or have been enjoying specialty tea for years, Beyond the Leaf is a place to deepen your knowledge, discover new teas, and explore the world behind every cup. Drawing on decades of experience sourcing and tasting exceptional teas, we share practical advice, firsthand experiences, and a passion for tea that we hope inspires your next cup.

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Green tea in a glass TeaSource mug with loose tea leaves on the surface near it
Seven Steps to Great Tea: A Tea Basics Series

Step 1: Use Good Tea Using good tea almost always means using loose leaf tea. There are some reasonably decent tea bag brands- but we don't know of any great... Read More

Show Us How You TeaSource

We are overwhelmed with all the fabulous entries in our #MyTeaSource photo contest!  Here are our winners.... 3rd Place "Afternoon Tea" Now this has all of us at TeaSource in... Read More

A glass TeaSource mug with an Easy Tea Infuser steeping tea. Scattered tea leaves and a coaster near the mug.
Seven Steps to Great Tea: Step 7 – Stop the Steep

You would never leave a cake in the oven long past the recommended time. The same logic holds true when steeping your tea leaves. If you leave the leaves in... Read More

Close up of expanded steeped tea leaves
Seven Steps to Great Tea: Step 6 – Allow for Full Leaf Expansion

Traditional tea balls are terrible tea-steeping-vessels because they don’t allow enough room for the leaf to expand. At its most basic, tea is just a dried leaf. As when you... Read More

A large black tea kettle with a timer and cup of tea on a light wooden tea tray
Seven Steps to Great Tea: Step 5 – Time Your Steep

Another reason a green tea might turn bitter is it may have been steeped too long. Basically steep the tea until it tastes good to you. Here are some very... Read More

Chef's Choice Electric Kettle
Seven Steps to Great Tea: Step 4 – Use the "Correct" Water Temperature

If you’ve ever had green tea that was bitter, chances are the water was too hot. Water temperature is important–you would never bake a cake 50 degrees hotter or colder... Read More

Small heart shaped tea cakes and rose petals in white bowls
Seven Steps to Great Tea: Step 3 – Measure Your Tea

Use 3 grams per 8 ounces water. For the non-geeky tea drinker, this is about 1 rounded tsp of loose tea. We're talking about a measuring teaspoon, not the teaspoon... Read More

Water pouring from a white gaiwan into a glass pitcher
Seven Steps to Great Tea: Step 2 – Use Good Water

If your water tastes good without tea, chances are it will taste good with tea. And the opposite is true also. Steeped tea is over 95% water, so this matters... Read More

Close up Image of Chinese Black Tea
Seven Steps to Great Tea: Step 1 – Use Good Tea

"Using good tea" almost always means using loose leaf tea. There are some reasonably decent tea bag brands, but we don't know of any great tea (or even very good... Read More

Earl Grey. Hopped.

Summit Brewing Company of St Paul called us to talk about a new beer they wanted to try brewing. Brewer Nick Hempfer, Star Trek nerd, wanted to try brewing an... Read More

Water, Malt, Hops, Yeast…and tea?

Have you made your first batch of homebrewed beer yet? If not, I bet you know someone who has. Homebrews are bubbling in many kitchens these days, and brewers are... Read More

The Tea Geek Road: What a Long, Strange, Trip It’s Been

We are pretty comfortable being called tea geeks. I’ve been serious about tea for around 35 years and TeaSource is nearing its twentieth birthday. We recently spent a week at... Read More

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