Tea Brewing Basics

The easiest way to brew is to follow the suggested instructions on your purchased tea if available.

How you brew tea is completely up to your own tastes and preferences but, it’s good to have a starting point especially if you are new to tea. Any part of these directions can be modified as you see fit.

Water + tea + time = A perfect cup

More specifically this formula is: Water amount (and quality) + Tea amount (and quality) + Temperature + Time = A perfect cup.

Let’s break each section down.

Water

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Tea compounds make up only 2.7% of a brew, leaving the rest at about 97.3% water. This is where you start with tea. Water quality is the most important component. To have good tea you’ll need good water. Another consideration is what type of water to use. Filtered, tap, spring, artesian, mineral, etc., will affect the final flavor of your tea. Ultimately, it’s up to personal preference but usually the suggestion is filtered or spring water. Distilled is never recommended because it will leave your tea tasting flat and dry.

Tea

image© Golden Monarch Tea LLC

Tea quality works the same as water; better quality tea will give you better results. Also, loose leaf will always be higher quality than teabags.

Amount ratio

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The amount of tea you use to water will determine if your tea is too strong, too weak, or just right. On average you’ll use 1 tablespoon to 8-10 ounces of water or about 3 grams to 8-10 ounces of water if you want to be more accurate. The problem with tablespoons is that it goes by volume and different teas will have different volumes and leaf sizes that will make measuring difficult. It’s best to go by weight when it comes to getting a more consistent cup of tea.

Temperature

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Each tea type has a recommended temperature. Too hot and you will scald the leaves, especially in the case of delicate teas, making the brew bitter. Too cold and the tea may not infuse properly, and the infusion will taste weak. It is important to have the correct temperature for each tea type. A thermometer will get you the best accuracy but there are other methods to get the right temperature if one is not available.

The Chinese method uses the bubbles hot water produces to tell the temperature.

155°F-160°F (68°-71°C): Shrimp Eye – The water is just starting to produce tiny, pinhead sized bubbles at the bottom
176°-185°F (80°-85°C): Crab Eye – The steam is soft and very small bubbles appear in the water
185°-199°F (85°-93°C): Fish Eye – The water begins whistling, the steam is intense and fish eye-sized bubbles appear in the water.
200°-205°F (93°-96°C) String of Pearls – The bubbles stream to the top and water is almost boiling.
212°F (100°C): Raging Torrent – Bubbling boil.

Another method is to let the water come to a boil (212°F) and let it cool to the desired temperature. This method is much harder to master and requires a lot of experimentation and intuition to get timing right for each tea type. Try starting at:

30-40 seconds for dark to medium Oolongs
1 minute for green Oolongs
1-1.5 minutes for yellow and green teas
2 minutes for white tea

You can also try pouring boiling water into a cool vessel. This reduces the temperature to around 190° F (+/- 5 degrees). Pouring the water back and forth several times can lower the temperature to about 175°.

Lastly, you can add cooler water to boiling water. Finding a simple blending ratio can get water to the correct temperature.

Separation

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Once the tea is finished infusing, the leaves will need to be separated from the water. There are many methods to do this from fillable teabags, mesh infuser baskets, tea balls, to strainers. The most important thing to keep in mind when choosing a method is to make sure whatever you are brewing in has plenty of room for the tea leaves to expand. The most common mistake people make when using infusers is buying one that is too small. If the leaves don’t have adequate space to open up, the brew will not infuse properly.

Tea steeping instructions for each type

Tea Category	Water Temperature	Time
Black	212 degrees	3-5 minutes
Oolong	190-200 degrees	2-4 minutes
Yellow/Green	160-180 degrees	1-3 minutes
White	155-165 degrees	2-5 minutes
Pu-erh	208-212 degrees	4-5 minutes
Dark	195-205 degrees	4-5 minutes

Steeping Tips

It’s easier to make tea weaker, but extremely difficult to make it stronger. If you’re having a hard time getting the tea the right strength for your taste, try making the brew stronger then adding hot water to dilute it down to a desirable preference.
If you want a stronger a brew, always use more tea, not more time. Adding time will make your tea bitter. Or, use less water for a more concentrated liquor.
Oolongs can be brewed more than once. Add an extra minute to your previous brew time for each steeping.

What to brew in?

Pots and mugs come in a few different materials being ceramic, metal, and glass. All are suitable for tea brewing. The only difference is how long they hold heat. Metal, of course, holds heat the longest followed by ceramic (including Yixing clay, porcelain, and bone china), and glass which will cool the quickest. If you need heat for an extended period, consider investing in a candle warmer for pots (they come in glass or cast iron) or an electric pot/mug warmer. They will keep your brew warm without re-boiling it, which you don’t want to do as it may ruin the flavor.

Iced and chilled tea

When making iced tea use double to triple the amount of leaves and follow the appropriate instructions for the type of tea being brewed (Remember, do not add extra time). This is because the ice will dilute it down. You can also brew the tea at normal strength and put it in the fridge overnight instead of icing it if you don’t want it to get too watered down.

When tea gets cold, its chemical composition does change a bit, especially black loose-leaf teas. The minerals in the leaf will cause the tea to cloud up. This will not affect the taste, but you can sometimes remedy the problem by adding a little hot water until it clears up.
The simplest way to brew is using an automatic iced tea maker such as ones made by Mr. Coffee or a tea pitcher with an infuser built in like a Takeya or one from DAVIDsTEA.
Sun tea is not recommended as it provides an environment for harmful microbes to flourish. If you want to make sun tea make the brew as normal, then boil it to destroy these microbes before adding ice.

Remember these are all suggestions to act as a foundation to get started and part of this guide can be modified. How you brew tea is entirely up to you so feel free to experiment and explore!