Brewing Guide

Tea is forgiving, but it rewards intent. The same leaf brewed at the right temperature for the right time gives a cup that the same leaf brewed wrong cannot match. The instructions below cover the six origins in the box. Each origin's product page includes a more specific ritual.

The fundamentals

• Use good water. Filtered, low mineral content, drawn fresh. Tap water that smells of chlorine will give you a cup that tastes of chlorine.
• Heat to the right temperature. Boiling water for every tea is a habit, not a virtue. Green and white teas need cooler water; black teas and pu-erh need it hot.
• Time the steep. A timer is not optional. Thirty seconds is the difference between a sweet cup and a bitter one.
• One pour at a time, one cup at a time. Brew when you're ready to drink. Tea sitting in the pot keeps extracting and keeps getting worse.

By origin

Darjeeling · First flush

Water at 85°C / 185°F. Steep three minutes for the first cup, four for the second, five for the third. Whole leaf gives three good pours. No milk; the muscatel and floral lift will be obliterated.

Earl Grey

Water at 95°C / 203°F. Steep three to four minutes. Drinks brilliantly straight; takes a small splash of milk. Iced with a slice of lemon: pour at half-strength over ice, sweeten lightly, drink in summer.

Sencha

Water at 70°C / 158°F. Forty seconds for the first cup, twenty for the second, thirty for the third. Pour into a low cup so the cooler air brings out the umami. Three pours is the right number.

Hōjicha

Water at 95°C / 203°F. Steep ninety seconds for the first cup, two minutes for the second. Forgiving — even a little overdone, the roast keeps the cup balanced. Drinks well after dinner; the lowest caffeine in the box.

Tieguanyin Oolong

Water at 90°C / 194°F. Use a gaiwan if you have one. Forty seconds for the first pour, then thirty, thirty, forty, sixty. The cup gets more interesting from the second pour onward; this is normal. Whole leaf gives five to seven pours.

Sheng Pu-Erh

Water at 95°C / 203°F. Rinse the leaf for ten seconds and discard that pour. Then twenty seconds for the first cup, fifteen for the second, twenty for the third — slow climb after that. Sheng gives ten or more pours; the late steeps are often the most interesting.

Equipment

You don't need much. A kettle that holds temperature, a glass or porcelain teapot, a strainer if your pot doesn't have one. A gaiwan for oolong and pu-erh is worth owning if you drink them often. A timer is non-negotiable.