FAQ


You're confusing me with that big chart! Can you tell me in one sentenced how to make a good cup of tea?
Throw a spoonful of tea into a cup, more if loose and less if tightly rolled, pour hot water over it, wait a few minutes, and when you feel it's ready, filter it out. Drinking tea is an art, not a science. The same goes for tea making. Trust and follow your senses. Make your cup of tea.

How many grams should I use per 8 ounce cup?
We wrote a blog post about this here. As a rough guideline, use about 4 grams per cup. Cup size can be from 4 to 8 ounces depending on your preference of strength. 4 grams is roughly:

I'm getting this funky, stale smell. What is it?
Wash your tea ware with boiling water before use. Depending on how you washed your wares, they will have some remnant smells of your tap water. Also, try filtered water because chemicals like chlorine might be present in high concentration. If you live in San Francisco you're most likely fine with tap water, but I can't speak for any other city!

I followed your brewing guidelines but my tea is too strong/too weak!
If your tea is too strong, have no fear, you can still save the brew. Simply take hot water and dilute the tea until it tastes right. The next few times, use a little bit less leaf and/or a shorter pressing time until you find your sweet spot. If too weak, you will unfortunately have to suffer through that cup, or just pour it out. Increase the amount of leaf and/or the pressing time in your subsequent tries.

Do I need to wash the tea to get rid of any toxins?
Many people are often concerned with chemicals in the tea. Washing the tea is unfortunately not effective in removing poisons or pesticides. Safe tea is dependent upon good farming practices. There are other reasons for washing the tea however:
  • To bring out, and savor the aroma 
  • To remove some tannins and develop a different flavor profile
  • Performing the wash as part of a tea ceremony or personal ritual