TEA BREWING: Our Style vs. Chinese Style 

Thank you so much!

Glad we could be of help!! ☺️

We’d love to hear what you think! ☺️🍵

The main consideration here is infusion time. If the brewing vessel is filled to the brim with tea leaves, you have to compensate by reducing the infusion time to just a few seconds - this is known as flash brewing. With such a high concentration of tea leaves, unless you drastically reduce the infusion time like this, the tea will quickly become too strong to drink. However, inside a tea leaf there are several compounds that contribute to flavor, and these are all water soluble at different rates, meaning that some need longer to extract into the water, while others extract immediately. This means that if you’re only brewing for a couple seconds each infusion, you’re only extracting the most water soluble compounds, while less soluble compounds are left inside the leaf - in other words, you’re not extracting the full potential of flavor in each cup. This is why we prefer using a lower brewing ratio (fewer tea leaves): to allow for a slightly longer infusion time, and therefore the extraction of a wider range of these flavor compounds, resulting in a more complex and flavorful cup of tea. Both styles yield tea with similar intensity/strength, but we find that our method results in more complexity, while flash brewing results in a more one-dimensional taste (albeit the possibility for more re-infusions).

@@redblossomtea thank you for the prompt reply, this has increased my understanding. I will see if I can ship from you guys my next order!

It’s just the custom in those regions, not because of the availability of tea. Many older tea drinkers often smoke as well, so the increased amount of leaf produces a more concentrated flavor which they prefer.

We recommend that ratio for most of our teas if you’re brewing traditional gongfu style. If you’re brewing Western style (larger tea vessel, longer infusion) we recommend a lower ratio of leaves. You can find brewing recommendations for all teas on our website: redblossomtea.com/pages/brewing-guide

@@redblossomtea So, for Gong Fu style tea, in general, we're using a 30:1 (water to tea) ratio. For Western style do you recommend a brew ratio of around 50:1? Thank you

The Western brewing ratio is often even more diluted, potentially 60:1 (1g tea per 2oz water) or even 90:1 (1g tea per 3oz water). It’s entirely based on your preference and how strong you like your tea, so the best way to find out what works for you is to experiment.

@@redblossomtea Thank you once more. Again, very informative. All the best!

If you are having Darjeeling tea from India, use 2-2.5 gms per cup. keep for 4-4.5 mins and strain it into a cup and enjoy

Hi A.D, we're sorry to hear that. Our intention with this video is to offer an alternative to the common tea brewing method found in East Asia. We feel that brewing with fewer leaves actually produces a more complex flavor in most premium tea styles. Ultimately, tea brewing is a matter of personal preference, and you should brew your tea in whatever way tastes best to you.