Leaves, hot water and a cup
Whole leaf tea can be as simple as that. Begin with a modest amount of tea, taste it, and change one thing at a time. This is a way to get acquainted with a tea, rather than a rule to get right.
Choose a flavour that interests you
Choose something you would like to explore: floral oolong, fruit and malt in a red tea, or earthy notes in a ripe Pu-erh. Tasting descriptions are a starting point for comparison. Your cup may remind you of something else entirely.
Start with what you have
Use a heat-safe pot or cup and a strainer that lets you separate the leaves from the water. A small scale helps you repeat a brew you enjoyed. Leave space for the leaves to open.
For a regular mug, try about 2–3 g of loose leaf in 200–250 ml of water and taste after a minute. Strain when the flavour suits you. This is a house starting point, not a batch-specific instruction; concentrated tea extracts such as Pu-erh resin need their own preparation guidance.
Small vessel, shorter infusions
The product guides use small vessels, often around 100 ml, with more leaf and shorter infusions. Do not simply scale a 6 g per 100 ml recipe up to a large mug and leave it for several minutes. Choose one approach, then adjust it.
Use the tea’s listed water temperature and initial steep time as a reference. Pour off the whole infusion so the leaves do not continue sitting in brewing water. Add fresh hot water for the next infusion and compare.
Change one thing
If a cup is stronger or more bitter than you enjoy, try a shorter steep or less leaf. If it is too light, try a little longer. Keep other choices the same so you can notice what changed.
You do not need to reach the number of infusions in a guide. Continue while you enjoy what is in the cup.
Water is part of the recipe
Mineral content and alkalinity can change the result even when the leaves, temperature and timing stay the same.[3] A muted or unexpectedly bitter cup is a reason to compare another drinking water before judging the tea.
Make room to notice
Notice the aroma, the texture and what remains after swallowing. What changes as the cup cools? A few words in a notebook can be more useful than searching for the correct tasting note.
Our practice pairings are proposals for familiar meditation or movement after tea. Your own sessions determine what is useful.
Caffeine
Tea contains caffeine, and individual sensitivity varies.[5] We do not publish caffeine amounts for these batches because they have not been measured.