Time for Tea - Yields and Brewing Instructions

When purchasing tea, remember once ounce of dry leaf will give you approximately 8 – 10 cups of tea. The average serving uses one rounded teaspoon, or two grams of tea per 8 ounces of water (which is 0.1666 ounces of tea per 8 ounces of water). A dainty tea cup holds about four ounces of liquid. A coffee-cup-size holds about 6 to 7 ounces and a mug holds about 8 – 12 ounces of liquid.

Fancy That’s loose teas will be sold in one 1/2 ounce “sample sizes”.
1/2 ounce will yield approximately 4 - 5 cups
3 ounces will yield approximately 24 – 30 cups

Brewing instructions are simple:

Black Tea: Pour in boiling water that has been freshly drawn (previously boiled water has lost most if its oxygen and therefore tends to be flat tasting), steep for 2-4 minutes (to taste), pour into your cup. When you are making a pot of tea you will see the tea leaves uncurl and expand dramatically. This uncurling and expansion is called ‘the agony of the leaf’.

Green Tea: best enjoyed when brewed with spring water that is below the boiling point. Hot boiling water will make the tea into a very bitter brew. Try to use water that is between 175-180°F ….hot but not rapid boiling. Steep for 2-3 minutes and remove the tea leaves. Green Tea can become bitter quickly. Multiple infusions of the same Green Tea leaves (to make two or three cups of tea) allow for the best flavor and fragrance.

Rooibos or Herbal Tea: Measure the desired amount of tea leaves and place into a teapot or teacup. Use 1 tsp or 2.3g of tea leaves for every 8oz (1 cup) of water. Bring the water to a rolling boil Add enough hot water to submerse the tea leaves and let it sit for a few seconds before pouring out the water. Warming the tea leaves and teaware allow for a better brew. Add boiling water and let the tea leaves steep for 3 to 5 minutes.

Iced Tea of any type: use double the amount of tea and brew according to the instructions for the flavour of tea. Remove the tea leaves when the time for steeping has expired and chill the tea. Sweeten to taste. (For some fun, take a glass jar, add the amount of tea (double the amount that you would use for hot tea), place it and tepid water in the jar and set it in the sunlight for several hours, shaking the jar about every 15 minutes. Taste-test the sun-brewed tea until the desired taste is achieved…usually about three hours in the sunlight.)

There you have it! A simple guide on yields and brewing instructions!

Enjoy!