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How can you brew a better cup?

Brewing basics and a quick reference

茶食新知7 minRevised
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Brewing Basics & Parameter Quick-Reference

Article summary

Build a practical brewing starting point with leaf mass, actual water volume, temperature and time; compare two cups and keep notes.

Written and maintained by茶食新知The publishing name and WeChat identity used by the site’s principal author
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Shared editorial starting points; extraction-study scope and official cold-brew guidance; no universal component sequence or cold/hot caffeine ratio.

Interactive tableGongfu / WesternExtraction kinetics
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Brewing Basics & Parameter Quick-Reference L1 · Quick understanding

Start with the essentials

Brewing finds a combination of leaf quantity, water volume, temperature and time that suits the sample and your taste. A different method can change strength, aroma and texture. Understanding each variable makes a consistent cup easier to achieve.

This article starts with cup and gongfu approaches, separates bitter, astringent and weak results, and uses paired infusions to create repeatable notes. Tables provide starting points; small adjustments reveal what works.

Three key points

  1. Leaf and water establish a strength basisRecord actual water volume alongside the leaf quantity.
  2. Time and temperature shape extractionForm, tenderness, compression and infusion number require attention.
  3. One change helps identify causesDescribe the problem, compare the result and retain useful adjustments.

A simple way to try it

Record leaf, water, temperature and duration, then change only time in the next cup. Once strength suits you, explore temperature or quantity and preserve the result in a simple reusable note.

L2 · Deeper explanation

Choose a method you can repeat

Cup brewing uses relatively little leaf and longer contact for a convenient drink. Gongfu brewing uses more leaf relative to water and shorter repeated infusions. Begin with a method you can handle consistently.

Record actual water added, not the vessel’s advertised capacity. Leaves occupy space. Slow pouring or incomplete drainage also extends contact.

Find a starting point

Choose a category and method below. These are editorial starting points for typical samples, not product standards, quality scores or guarantees. Time refers to the first infusion; volume means actual water added.

BREWING QUICK-REFERENCE

Six Tea Categories: Brewing Parameter Starting Points

Water temp
Leaf
Time
Infusions
Vessel

Tip

Editorial starting points for typical whole-leaf tea; timing is the first infusion and volume is actual water added. Adapt for broken or compressed leaf and preference. These are editorial starting points, not standards or quality judgments. Adjust for tenderness, leaf shape/compression, roast and storage, water and taste; change one variable at a time. If harsh, shorten or cool; if weak, modestly add leaf, time or heat.

Camellia Tea Knowledge Base · by 茶食新知 | Updated 2026-10-08

Maturity, broken leaf, compression, roast, water and preference all affect the choice. CTC and tea-bag material should not automatically receive whole-leaf timing[2][3].

Liquor brewed with different parametersTea specimens and brewing results

Understand the four variables

VariableContributionAdjustment
Leaf quantityAvailable material and concentrationWeigh first; add modestly if weak
Water temperatureExtraction rate and liquor characterChange and taste rather than assuming hotter is better
Contact timeExtent of extractionShorten harsh tea and check drainage
Vessel and handlingHeat retention and pouringKeep vessel, preheating and timing consistent

Extraction research shows effects from temperature, particle size and manufacturing[1][2][3]. Components need not extract together, but this does not establish a universal “sweet first, bitter later” curve.

EXTRACTION KINETICS · FOUR VARIABLES

Four Brewing Variables & Extraction Rate Bench

Particle Size & Cell Disruption vs. Extraction Rate Price & Spiro (1985): sieved leaf fractions vs. extraction half-time High Low Contact Time / Steep Progression → Broken / CTC leaf (rapid release) Whole / tightly rolled leaf (gradual)

Adjustment Tip: Do not apply whole-leaf timing to broken or CTC tea; halve the first steep to avoid harshness.

Separate bitterness, astringency and weakness

Bitterness is a taste; astringency is often a drying, contracting mouthfeel. Note persistence and whether aroma stays clear. Distinguish generally weak liquor from adequate taste with muted aroma.

Check timing and pouring before changing one variable. See brewing troubleshooting. Stop tasting suspected contamination or mould rather than treating it as a recipe problem.

Try a two-cup comparison

  1. Use the same tea, quantity, water, vessel and temperature.
  2. Brew one cup at your usual duration; change only time in the other.
  3. Taste at similar drinking temperatures and record aroma, bitterness, astringency and body.
  4. Refine time in the preferred direction before changing temperature.

This is a home tasting exercise. Formal evaluation follows a particular standard and a different purpose[4].

Wetting and cold brewing

  • Wetting is optional: It can help some tightly shaped leaves open; adjusting the first steep is another choice.
  • Rinsing does not establish safety: Do not salvage mouldy or contaminated tea by washing it.
  • Cold brewing extracts caffeine: Mild taste does not establish decaffeination.
  • Hygiene and refrigeration matter: Use potable water and clean vessels, avoid prolonged warm storage, make small batches and drink promptly[5]. See cold brewing.

Keep a repeatable record

ItemRecord
TeaName, batch or source, whole or broken leaf
ParametersGrams, actual water volume, temperature and contact time
HandlingVessel, preheating, pouring and drainage
SensationsAroma, bitter taste, astringency, freshness, body and finish
Next stepOne variable to change

References

  1. R-116 — Spiro, M., Jaganyi, D., & Broom, M. C. (1992). Kinetics and equilibria of tea infusion: Part 9. The rates and temperature coefficients of caffeine extraction from green Chun Mee and black Assam Bukial teas. Food Chemistry, 45(5), 333–335. https://doi.org/10.1016/0308-8146(92)90033-x
  2. R-129 — Price, W. E., & Spiro, M. (1985). Kinetics and equilibria of tea infusion: rates of extraction of theaflavin, caffeine and theobromine from several whole teas and sieved fractions. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 36(12), 1309–1314. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.2740361216
  3. R-266 — Jaganyi, D., & Price, R. D. (1999). Kinetics of tea infusion: the effect of the manufacturing process on the rate of extraction of caffeine. Food Chemistry, 64(1), 27–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0308-8146(98)00101-0
  4. R-161 — GB/T 23776-2018.《茶叶感官审评方法》(Methodology for sensory evaluation of tea). 全国茶叶标准化技术委员会（SAC/TC339）.
  5. R-339 — 農業部茶及飲料作物改良場. 常見問答集－茶葉爭議訊息澄清. https://www.tbrs.gov.tw/theme_list.php?print=Y&theme=question&type=1

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