Brewing Guide
Best way to brew with your setup
Teapot
Brewing with a teapot can change depending on different variables. Most types of teapots work well with our guide, but some might need a little adjustment. If you brew using a large tea pot, you may want to either add more leaves to strengthen the flavor with the amount of volume or steep for longer. Be sure to remove the leaves from the pot after reaching desired strength if possible, or empty the pot into another vessel. See our guide to tea ware to learn more about teapots and the different ways they are used.
Infuser
For most small to medium size infusers, our brewing guide should work perfectly. If you have a large size infuser, you may want to either add more leaves to strengthen the flavor with the amount of volume or steep for longer. Be sure to remove leaves after reaching desired strength and set them aside to brew again later.
Gaiwan
If you have a gaiwan, you may choose to brew either the traditional Gong Fu Cha method, or you may follow our guide above. Learn more about Gong Fu Cha.
Kyusu
A Kyusu can be used either with our guide above, or the Gong Fu Cha method. Learn more about Gong Fu Cha.
Competition Brewing Cup
With a competition brewing cup, typically use 1g of leaf to 1 oz of water, although our guide above will also be a good baseline. Adjust leaf ratio or brew time according to personal preference.
French Press
Brewing in a French press is a great way to reuse equipment you may already have. Our brewing guide works great for the French press but be sure to pour out all the liquid tea once it has reached the desired strength.
Brew the perfect cup
There are a lot of nuances when it comes to making the perfect cup of tea. Our brewing guide can give a good baseline for where to start with most teas, and the product pages also come with their own individual recommendations for how to brew.
Compliment Your Tea
Milk
Milk is one of the most common additives for tea, along with sugar. Regular milk, half and half, as well as milk subtitutes work well. Add a dash, or make a latte.
Sugar
Sugar makes a perfect addition to most tea, especially with milk. Pick your favorite sugar, honey, syrup, or other sweetener to make a delicious treat.
Snacks
Another common compliment to tea is a sweet or pastry. Of course the type of tea will have an effect on the best type of pairings, so this is up to preference. Most people like scones, cookies, shortbread, or whatever is available at your local bakery.
FAQ's
How many times can I steep my tea?
All of our options can be brewed several times. The optimal amount will vary depending on how you brew, and especially depending on your preferred taste.
For our tea sachets, we find that 3 times is the optimal amount of reinfusions in an ordinary cup or mug.
When brewing loose leaf, typically we find all of our products being able to be brewed 5 or more times with full flavor using our guide, adding about 10 seconds to the steep with each infusion.
Is it okay to make my tea in the microwave?
Although this is not our recommended way of heating your water, there are still many who use the microwave to get a hassle free hot cup of water. Different tea will be comfortable at different temperatures, so the lack of control is the biggest reason we suggest to shy away from this method. Learn more about water quality and control.
We do have some recommendations from experience for those who have no other option or just like the quick convenience. Be sure to use a microwave safe mug or cup, as not all might be. Additionally, water does not always bubble from boiling in a microwave, so be careful not to superheat your water. More information about this can be found in our water guide listed above. Finally, only heat the water in the microwave and add the teabag in after. This will give greater control over steeping and intensity.
Why does my tea taste bitter?
This is likely due to either too high of a temperature or brewing for too long. While our guide is a baseline, each tea has its own unique character, and each person has different tastes. Try decreasing the water temperature; if it is still too bitter, brew for less time. We strive to make sure that we recommend what we believe to be the best variables for enjoying tea on its own, so be sure to check our product pages for specific recommendations on brewing.
If the taste is still too bitter after trying these recommendations, you can try adding a little bit of sugar, or even some milk. Most of our teas work great for making milk tea, or you could try some more adventurous recipes.
Why does my tea taste metallic?
Typically, metallic tea is a result of contaminated water. Please view our water guide for more information about water quality. If the water is not the problem, it is possible that lower quality brewing vessels which have metal components may be contaminating your tea. We recommend thoroughly scrubbing your tea ware with soap and water and running boiling water through a couple times. After this, taste some of the water that has been in the vessel. If there is still an odd flavor, it is probably better not to use it.
Why does my tea taste bland?
Bland tea can happen for a couple of reasons. If the leaves are left out in an unsealed environment, especially where there are other fumes and strong scents, they can lose their flavor. Make sure to store tea away from strong scents such as spices, and keep the bags sealed when stored.
Water quality can also make a big difference to extracting flavor from tea, so be sure to check our water guide. To remedy this, adding a small pinch of salt can bring out a lot of the flavor that is lost.
It is possible that if you have a high sugar intake, it will be harder for you to taste tea, no matter what the flavor or how strong. This can be common with soda drinkers who have a couple cups or more a day, and the only real fix is to cut sugar intake over a longer span of time.