How Much Loose Tea Per Cup: Tips from a Chinese Tea Master｜NPTEA

Why Does My Tea Taste Bitter?One of the most frustrating problems for the beginner tea drinker is that while others brew great-tasting tea, their own ends up bitter and astringent, almost to the point of being undrinkable. This is most likely due to improper techniques in brewing tea. Proper brewing methods are a must in order to unlock the full flavor of any good tea.

For Chinese loose-leaf tea, a gaiwan (lidded bowl) is best suited as a brewing vessel when one has reached advanced stages of tea drinking. Most beginners start with an ordinary mug or glass and want to know the frequent question: how much loose tea to use per cup?

How to Measure Loose Tea
After looking up various answers online, I found most methods, like measuring in teaspoons, to be imprecise. This method may work fine for some teas, but it will not do for most Chinese loose-leaf tea.High-quality Chinese tea is always whole-leaf tea, hand-picked with care and without any additives, such as artificial flavors or colors. Whole leaves ensure a smooth flavor without bitterness and help prevent excessive caffeine intake. Measurement with a teaspoon would be unreliable because whole-leaf tea varies in size and density.

We recommend a kitchen scale to measure tea leaves. It is most precise, and any new tea lover needs this tool. Seasoned tea drinkers probably don't need to measure each time, but it is recommended that beginners do, to avoid either very bitter or very weak tea. As you gain experience, you can adjust the amount to suit your taste.

How Long Should Tea Steep?
With years of experience developing tea products, we’ve tested countless brewing methods to find the best for each type of tea. Most high-quality tea products include detailed brewing instructions on their packaging. Because tea is a highly diverse product, it’s essential to follow the recommended brewing guidelines for each variety.

If you don't have any directions, here are some general brewing instructions:
Water Temperature: Use lower temperatures for delicate teas, such as green tea or white tea, to avoid bitterness. For teas like black tea or oolong tea, higher temperatures can help release their rich flavors.
Tea-to-Water Ratio: Use more tea leaves for stronger tea, less for lighter tea. For beginners, it is recommended to start with less so as not to make it bitter.
Steeping Time: Over-steeping can make the tea taste bitter. Novices should err on the side of shorter steeping times and replenish their cups with water immediately.
 
What If My Mug Is Larger Than 12 oz?
There are plenty of people who drink out of a mug larger than the "standard "12 oz -354 ml size. So, if your mug is larger, say 24 oz, then you'd use double what I say. So instead of 1 tsp loose-leaf green tea, you'd use 2 tsp.There's an ideal tea-to-water ratio for each tea, so if you follow the ratio, you will obtain the desired flavor.
Key Brewing Principles:Too much tea makes the brew bitter.Too much water will dilute the flavor. High water temperature can also cause bitterness, especially when brewing delicate teas.

Conclusion
In order to fully relish the flavor of Chinese loose-leaf tea, knowledge of how much loose tea per cup and how to master the brewing process is a must. One could easily fine-tune one's brewing skill to perfection according to one's taste with the help of proper tools like a kitchen scale, recommended water temperature, and steeping time.

SEE MORE ABOUT CHINESE TEAS
If you have questions about selecting tea:
Learn-more-about-chinese-tea

If you have questions about the benefits of tea:
Health-benefits-of-chinese-tea

If you have questions about brewing tea:
How-to-brew-loose-leaf-tea