Tea guides
Answers to the questions people actually ask about tea: why it turns bitter, how hot the water should be, how much leaf to use, and how to brew it hot, cold or gongfu style.
Fix a problem
- Why is my tea bitter? – Bitter or harsh tea is almost always water that is too hot, too long a steep or too much leaf.
- Water temperature without a thermometer – Get 70, 80 or 90 °C (194 °F) water for green tea, white tea or matcha without a thermometer: mixing ratios, wait times, bubble stages and the pour-between-cups trick.
Brewing methods
- Resteeping tea – Which teas you can resteep, how many infusions each gives, how to adjust time and temperature, and whether it is safe to reuse tea leaves the next day.
- Cold brew tea – Cold brew tea ratio (about 8–10 g per litre), fridge steep times for green, black, white and oolong tea, and why herbal tea is better brewed hot.
- Gongfu brewing – How to brew tea gongfu style: about 1 g of leaf per 15–20 ml, a quick rinse, then flash infusions from 10 seconds.
- Matcha without a whisk – No chasen? Make smooth, frothy matcha with a milk frother, a jar with a lid, a shaker bottle or a blender.
- Iced tea ratio – Iced tea ratio for hot-brewed tea poured over ice: about 15 g of black tea (or 6–8 bags) per litre of finished tea.
- Matcha latte ratio – Matcha latte ratio: 2 g matcha, 30–50 ml water at 75–80 °C (167–176 °F), 150–200 ml milk.
Tea-by-tea guides
- Earl Grey – How to brew Earl Grey: water at 95–100 °C (203–212 °F), about 2.5 g per 250 ml, steep 3–4 minutes.
- Chamomile – How to make chamomile tea: boiling water, about 2 g of flowers per 250 ml, covered for 5–10 minutes.
- Sencha – How to brew sencha: water at 70–80 °C (158–176 °F), about 1 g per 60 ml, steep 60 seconds, then short re-steeps.
- Peppermint – How to make peppermint tea from dried or fresh mint: boiling water, about 1.5–2 g dried leaf per 250 ml, covered for 5–10 minutes.
- Dragon Well (Longjing) – How to brew Dragon Well (Longjing) green tea: 75–85 °C (167–185 °F), about 1 g per 60 ml, 2 minutes, or grandpa style in a glass.
Measuring and ratios
- Teaspoon to grams – A teaspoon of loose-leaf tea weighs anywhere from 0.5 g (white tea, chamomile) to 4 g (rolled oolong).
Core brew guides
Green tea · Black tea · Oolong tea · White tea · Pu-erh tea · Matcha · Herbal tea & rooibos · Temperature chart · Calculator · Best tea for reading