Tea Making Basics

Water: Start with water that tastes good to you, such as spring or filtered. Avoid straight tap water; it may contain chemicals which will affect the taste of the tea.

Vessel: Choose a teapot, gaiwan, or yixing pot, and preheat with hot water. If there is not a way to hold back the leaves—either with a perforated spout or lid—use a wide infuser basket inside the vessel or a strainer as you pour to prevent leaf particles from entering the cup.

Tea: Brew teas as unconstrained as possible, not in a small tea ball; this allows the leaves to circulate freely, hydrate and release their fullest flavor. Whole leaf teas vary in density, so weight is the most accurate measurement for dosage (see Brewing Charts below).

Temperature: White or green teas, well below boiling (170°–185° F)—these leaves are less processed, so the lower temperature helps avoid astringency and maintain their inherent sweetness. Oolongs (185°–210° F). Black teas, just off a boil. Pu-erhs, full rolling boil (212° F) for shu; slightly off the boil (~200° F) for sheng.

Time: Until you are familiar with a particular tea, steep it for a minute or so, then try a sip. Pay attention to the flavor, rather than the liquor color. When the tea tastes right to you, decant the entire vessel or remove the infuser to avoid oversteeping. Many teas are meant to be infused several times; try increasing steeping time for subsequent infusions.

Experiment: Feel free to play with water temperature, brewing times, and proportion of tea to water. Watch the leaves unfurl and savor the aroma. Remember, our guidelines are just that. Drink up!

Western Style Brewing

for single serving (8 oz) to larger pots (16 oz)

type	tea	temp	time
White	3–4 grams	180º F	2-3 minutes
Green	3-5 grams	170-185º F	2-3 minutes
Oolong	3-5 grams	180-210º F	2-3 minutes, 5 second rinse before infusing
Black	3-4 grams	210º F	3 minutes
Pu-erh	3-5 grams	200-210º F	3 minutes, 5 second rinse before infusing
Herbal	3-4 grams	210º F	5 minutes

Gaiwan Brewing

type	tea	temp	time
White	⅓ full	180º F	1 minute
Green	⅓ full	170-185º F	1 minute
Ball-shaped Oolong	¼-⅓ full	210º F	10-30 seconds, 5 second rinse before infusing
Twisted-leaf Oolong	½-¾ full, with the exception of phoenix oolong which is best ¼ full	180-210º F	10-30 seconds, 5 second rinse before infusing
Black	¼ full	200-210º F	30 seconds-1 minute
Pu-erh	⅓ full	195-210º F	10-30 seconds, 5 second rinse before infusing
Herbal	⅓ full	210º F	1 minute

How to Make Iced Tea

We have iced tea instructions for those moments that call out for a cool, refreshing drink.

How to Store Tea

Think of tea as you would a spice in your kitchen pantry: it will not go bad as long as it's kept dry, but its peak taste and aroma are within six months to a year of production.

We pack our teas in high-quality resealable bags. These protect the leaves from degradation by light, moisture, odors and oxidation, and have a low impact on the environment. Feel free to decant into any other airtight container with similar properties.

Even when properly stored, however, the freshness and flavor of good tea will naturally decrease over time (with pu-erh and other intentionally aged teas a notable exception). The best solution is to purchase fresh teas, in reasonable amounts, from a reputable source.