I have shared specific steeping guidance for each tea to help you prepare your first cup with confidence. This general guide is designed as a starting point rather than a set of rules to know where to start with any tea type.
I encourage experimentation. Brewing preferences are personal, and small adjustments to leaf quantity, water temperature, and steeping time can make a meaningful difference to you. Use the guide as a reference, then refine the method to suit your taste.
Throughout the store, you’ll see references to Western and Gong Fu Cha steeping styles. With any steeping style the tea leaves are usually brewed for two to three infusions.
Western-style steeping typically uses a larger teapot, a lower leaf-to-water ratio, and longer steeping times.
Gong Fu Cha or Japanese Kyusu style steeping uses smaller vessels, a higher leaf-to-water ratio, and shorter steeping times. This approach allows the same leaves to be infused multiple times, revealing how flavour, aroma, and texture evolve from one infusion to the next.
Powdered Teas are typically prepared by whisking or stirring the tea directly into water, rather than steeping and removing the leaf. This creates a full-bodied infusion in which the entire leaf is consumed, resulting in a more concentrated flavour and texture.
I recommend brewing with clean-tasting water. Filtered water or good-quality spring water will produce the clearest and most balanced results.
For those that live in Brisbane (Australia) you are in for some fun with your tap water. Whilst perfectly safe for drinking the water hardness does not equate to great tea making water. You can read all about it with some suggestions right here.
| Family |
Method |
Amount* |
Temperature |
Time |
| White |
Western |
2-3g per 150mL |
90˚C-100˚C |
3-5 minutes |
| |
Small Teapot |
4-6g per 100mL |
90˚C-100˚C
|
First infusion 35s, Subsequent infusions 50-80s |
| Green |
Western |
2-3g per 150mL |
70˚C-85˚C |
1-3 minutes |
| |
Small Teapot |
4-6g per 100mL |
70˚C-85˚C |
First infusion 35s, Subsequent infusions 50-80s |
| Oolong |
Western |
2-3g per 150mL |
85˚C-95˚C |
Rinse, 3 minutes |
| |
Small Teapot |
4-6g per 100mL |
85˚C-95˚C |
Rinse, first infusion 35s, Subsequent infusions 50-80s |
| Black or Red |
Western |
2-3g per 150mL |
90˚C-100˚C |
4-5 minutes |
| |
Small Teapot |
4-6g per 100mL |
90˚C-100˚C |
First infusion 35s, Subsequent infusions 50-80s |
| Dark or Fermented |
Western |
2-3g per 150mL |
100˚C |
Rinse (*2), 3 minutes |
| |
Small Teapot |
4-6g per 100mL |
100˚C |
Rinse (*2), first infusion 30s, Subsequent infusions 45-80s |
| Powdered Tea |
Small Bowl |
2g per 60mL |
100˚C (or per suppliers instructions) |
Sift the powder into the bowl. Using a chasen (bamboo whisk) whisk in an M or W motion until the powdered tea is suspended evenly.^ |
*We have provided tea quantities in a weight due to the varying leaf shapes and style. Roughly speaking 2g of tea = 1 full teaspoon of medium leaf tea.
^ Sifting before preparation helps achieve a smoother cup and gentle foam.
