Quantity Matters

Whether preparing a cup or a whole pot the quantity of tea we use is important. Unfortunately however with an almost innumerable number of types and varieties of tea there is no one standard which can be applied universally to all teas. In order to get a better idea of how much tea we should use we suggest considering the following three variables; variety of tea, the size of the brewing vessel and your own tea drinking customs and habits.

 

Let’s take a closer look at each variable and see how it affects your cup of tea.

 

Variety of Tea: Have you ever taken a closer look at the tea inside your Lipton tea bag? One thing you’ll be sure to notice is the consistency in size of each and every tea leaf particle within each and every teabag. Tea companies, like McDonalds, are interested in consistency. They want their customers to be sure a two minute infusion, a dollop of cream and dash of sugar will take them to that same familiar taste day after day. In the world of whole leaf teas however life becomes a bit more complicated. Different teas with differing characteristics each require different infusing conditions.  Confusing, huh?  It's really not so bad.  The bottom line when considering how much loose leaf tea to use for each infusion is to always make sure your tea leaves have enough room to breathe. Infused and unfurled whole leaf teas can expand up to five times in size in water so we want to ensure that the water is able to pass freely over the entire surface of the leaves. By doing so we can be sure our teas are able to release more flavor for each and every drop of water.

 

Size of the Brewing Vessel: Teabags, teaballs, teapods, tea sachets…etc…They all have one thing in common; they’re great at cramping a good tea’s style! The problem with such brewing devices is they don’t give enough room for loose leaf teas to expand and expose their whole leaf surface to the water. Sound silly? Now you understand why those low-grade supermarket stapled-shut teabags are full of tea dust (the increased surface area makes it easier to brew the flavor out).  The truth is the size of your teaware makes a difference.  Too small and your tea won't have enough room to unfurl, too big and you'll have to use a whole lot of extra tea leaf to make for the correct tea to water ratio.  In selecting how much tea to use we suggest by first asking yourself two simple questions.  First how much tea are you planning to infuse?  From there you can more appropriately select a teapot that best fits your needs.  And secondly is it big enough to infuse the type of tea you like to drink? Make sure your tea to water ratio is appropriate for the variety of tea your infusing. (see below for an approximation)

 

Your own customs and habits: Brewing tea is not a rule of science. The amount of tea you use in any one given serving wholly depends on your current disposition, your personal preference and just how you like to drink tea. Each and every tea drinking culture has a different tea drinking habits. The Tibetans like their tea strong, the Taiwanese like it fragrant, the English like it puckery with milk and sugar and the Thais like it sweet. Take your tea as you like it. Drinking tea is an experience based on personal insight, so listen to yourself and explore.

 

Here's some simple guidelines to help get you going.  These ratios are based on per 6.75oz (200ml) water quantities. 

 

  • White teas - 4-5 grams
  • Green teas - 3-4 grams
  • Oolong teas - 7-9 grams
  • Black teas - 5-7 grams
  • Puerh teas - 5-7 grams