Tea Brew Ratio

Free Tea Brew Ratio calculator with clear step-by-step results.

About Tea Brew Ratio

Each tea type has its own leaf-to-water ratio, water temperature and steeping time, and getting the temperature wrong matters more than the dose - green tea brewed at boiling extracts bitter catechins that no adjustment to leaf quantity can fix.

Formulas

Leaf quantity

Grams = total water ml / 100 x grams per 100 ml for the tea x (1 + strength adjustment)

Reference ratios

Black 0.7 g, green 0.8 g, oolong 0.9 g, white 1.0 g, pu-erh 1.1 g, herbal 1.2 g per 100 ml

Worked example

With the default values below, Tea Brew Ratio returns Tea leaf to use of 4.90. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Water volumeminimum 20 ml: 350 ml
Tea typeone of Black tea, Green tea, Oolong, White tea, Pu-erh, Herbal infusion: Black tea
Strength adjustmentaccepts -50–100 %: 0 %
Cups to serveaccepts 1–24: 2

Results

Tea leaf to use: 4.90 g
Total water: 700 ml
Brew temperature: 95 C
Steeping time: 4.0 min

Step by step

1Values used
2Leaf quantity
3Reference ratios
4Tea leaf to use= 4.90 g
5Total water= 700 ml
6Brew temperature= 95 C
7Steeping time= 4.0 min

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does green tea need cooler water?

Above about 85 C, green tea releases tannins and catechins quickly and turns astringent. Cooler water extracts the sweeter amino acids preferentially.

Can I re-steep the leaves?

Oolong and pu-erh are designed for multiple infusions and often improve on the second. Black tea and herbals give little on a second steep.