How much loose leaf tea per cup? A simple guide
The rule of thumb is one heaped teaspoon of leaf per 200ml mug, which is about 2 to 3 grams. Light, fluffy leaf like peppermint, chamomile and white tea needs two. Everything else in this guide is a small adjustment to that rule.
Why grams matter more than spoons
A teaspoon of dense, rolled gunpowder green weighs about 3g. A teaspoon of loose peppermint leaf weighs barely 1g. That is why the spoon rule needs a second spoon for the fluffy teas. If you have kitchen scales, 2.5g per 200ml is a good starting point for black tea and 2g for green. If you do not, use the table below and adjust to taste.
Amounts, temperatures and times by type
Black tea, including breakfast blends, Earl Grey and Lapsang: 1 heaped teaspoon, water at 100°C, 3 to 5 minutes.
Green tea, including Sencha, Jasmine and Genmaicha: 1 heaped teaspoon, water cooled for about 3 minutes after boiling to roughly 80°C, 2 to 3 minutes. Boiling water makes green tea bitter.
Oolong: 1 heaped teaspoon, about 90°C, 3 to 4 minutes, and good for a second and third steep with an extra minute each time.
White tea: 2 heaped teaspoons, about 80°C, 3 to 5 minutes.
Rooibos and honeybush: 1 heaped teaspoon, 100°C, 5 to 7 minutes, covered.
Peppermint, chamomile and lavender: 2 heaped teaspoons, 100°C, 5 to 7 minutes, covered so the oils do not escape with the steam.
Pu-erh nests: 1 nest for a pot of about 500ml, 100°C, rinse with a splash of water first, then 3 to 5 minutes.
Stronger or weaker
For a stronger cup, add time before you add leaf. Going from 3 minutes to 5 makes more difference than a second spoon, and it does not waste tea. For a weaker cup, shorten the time or use a little less leaf. Do not use hotter water on green or white tea to get strength, it only adds bitterness.
A pot instead of a mug
The same ratio scales up. For a 3 cup pot of about 600ml, use 3 heaped teaspoons of black tea. The old advice of one for each cup and one for the pot comes from weaker tea bags and gives you a very strong pot with good loose leaf. Start without the extra one.
How many cups in a pouch
At one heaped teaspoon per mug, 100g of black tea makes around 40 mugs, 250g around 100, and 500g around 200. Fluffy herbals make about half that by weight. Every tea on our shop page shows the cups per pouch and the price per cup so you can compare before you buy.