How many grams is a teaspoon of tea?

By exactee · Updated 2026-10-13

A level teaspoon of loose tea weighs roughly 2–3 g for most black and green teas, but it varies a lot by leaf shape: fluffy white tea or chamomile can be 0.5–1 g, tightly rolled oolong 3–4 g. A standard tea bag holds about 1.5–2.5 g. For a 250 ml cup you want about 2.5–4 g, which is why weighing beats spooning.

Why a teaspoon is a bad unit for tea

Recipes say “one teaspoon per cup”, but a teaspoon measures volume and tea varies enormously in density. Tightly rolled oolong pellets pack into a spoon like gravel. Silver Needle white tea is all air and long buds. Broken leaf and CTC black tea are small and dense. The same spoon can hold four times more of one tea than of another, which is the single biggest reason the same “one teaspoon” recipe gives a watery cup one day and a harsh cup the next.

Grams per teaspoon by tea type

These are typical ranges, not lab values; your tea and your spoon may differ. Heaped spoons can hold almost double. The fastest way to get it right is to weigh one level spoon of each of your teas once on a kitchen scale and write the number on the tin.

How many grams of tea per cup?

For most teas brewed western-style, about 1 g per 60–80 ml works well, which is 3–4 g for a 250 ml cup or 4–5 g for a 300 ml mug. Delicate white tea wants a bit more by weight, rooibos and herbals a little less. The calculator gives exact grams for any tea and vessel, and each brew guide lists the ratio.

How many grams are in a tea bag?

Most standard tea bags contain between about 1.5 and 2.5 g; 2 g is a common size. Pyramid bags with larger leaf often hold 2.5–3 g. Herbal bags vary more because herbs are lighter: a chamomile bag might hold 1–1.5 g. The pack usually states the net weight and the number of bags, so dividing one by the other gives the exact figure.

One standard bag of black tea brews roughly the same strength as 2–3 g of loose leaf, but faster, because the leaf inside is finely cut. That is why bags need shorter steeps.

Teaspoon to grams for matcha

A level teaspoon of sifted matcha is about 2 g, which is one serving of thin tea (usucha). The bamboo scoop (chashaku) holds roughly 0.5–1 g depending on how heaped it is, so two scoops make one serving. See the matcha guide.

Do you need a scale?

Not strictly, but a small digital kitchen scale that reads in 0.1 g steps is inexpensive and makes tea consistent. If you don’t want one, calibrate once: weigh a level spoon of each tea you own, note it, and from then on spoon with confidence.

Tea to water ratio in grams and ml

• Green tea: 1 g per 60 ml
• Black tea: 1 g per 80 ml
• Oolong: 1 g per 60 ml (gongfu: 1 g per 15–20 ml)
• White tea: 1 g per 50 ml
• Herbal and rooibos: 1 g per 80 ml

Going stronger? Add leaf rather than time, or your tea gets bitter before it gets stronger; see why tea turns bitter.