How to Brew Tea

On this page we are going to explore the techniques of brewing hot tea. For iced tea, please refer to our other page devoted to brewing iced tea.

1. Always use good water. Chinese historians demand that tea be brewed exclusively using mountain stream water. Of course, not many of us have access to such a resource. Steer clear of mineral water. It is way too “hard” to brew a proper cup of tea. It will also promote a bitter taste. On the flip side distilled water is just too soft and will produce (what some will call) a flat tasting cup. For using any type of bottled water, a good rule is to use “spring water”. Unfortunately, the quality of all the various types of bottled spring water is endless. Whenever possible if you can determine that the water is “neutral” with a PH level about 7 would be ideal. It should have a Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) content of 30 parts per million (PPM) or less. Now we turn to tap water… this may sound contrary to what we all believe, but actually many areas have nice water! We recommend brewing tea in non-fluoridated water for the healthiest brew. If you do have good water, (and you all know who you are…) go ahead and brew away! One homespun way to see if your tap water is good enough is to bring some water to just shy of boiling and smell it. If you smell minerals, your tap water is too hard. There are many in-line water filters that really perform well. Additionally, never use hot tap water, either for tea or even for drinking.
2. For the tea, we here at Kally Tea seem to disagree on the preferred quantity of tea to use per cup. We each have our own preferred strength of brew. For you, we recommend trying the quantities stated on your packaging and then add or subtract what you would prefer the brew strength to taste like. Do what you prefer. Remember tea is “FUN” and should be; whenever you put the “heat to your pot”. So with that said, we recommend 1 heaping teaspoon per 8 ounces of water. Note: We all have our favorite cups. We have measured those cups to see if they are 8, 12, or even 16 ounces. Then from there we multiply the tea appropriately. Once you have brewed your tea, adjust more or less by your personal taste.
3. For basic recommendations in brewing:
   • BLACK TEA – 1-1/2 tsp. per cup – 212 degrees – Steep 3 minutes.
   • GREEN TEA – 1-1/2 tsp. per cup – 180 degrees – steep 3 to 4 minutes
   • WHITE TEA – 1-1/2 tsp. per cup – 165 degrees – steep 3 minutes
   • OOLONG – 1-1/2 tsp. per cup – 212 degrees – steep 3 minutes
   • CHAI – 1-1/2 tsp. per cup – 212 degrees – steep 5 to 7 minutes
   • ROOIBOS – 1-1/2 tsp. per cup – 212 degrees – steep 3 to 5 minutes
   • HERBALS/TISANES – 1-1/2 tsp. per cup – 212 degrees - steep 5 to 7 minutes