Tea Brewing Calculator

Tea is dosed by weight for the same reason coffee is — leaf density varies enormously.

Tea leaf5 gGreen tea, 1:100 — above 80 C the catechins extract too fast and it turns bitter

Water500 mL16.91 fl oz

Per cup2.5 g in 250 mL

In tablespoons2.5at about 2 g per level tablespoon of leaf — it varies hugely with how tightly the leaf is rolled

Brew temperature80 °C176 °F

The standard dose2 g per 200 mLabout 1:100 — six times weaker than filter coffee, which is why coffee ratios ruin tea

Temperature is what tea cares about. Green tea above 80 C extracts its catechins too fast and turns bitter — most of the reason people who dislike green tea have only ever had it brewed too hot.

The formula

coffee = water / ratio

Ratios, not spoons

Coffee is measured by ratio because beans differ in density by more than a third between a light and a dark roast, so a scoop is not a fixed quantity. The Specialty Coffee Association standard is 55 g per litre, which is 1:18.2 — rather weaker than most people brew at home.

Grind matters more than ratio

Extraction depends on how much surface the water meets and for how long. A French press steeping four minutes needs a coarse grind; espresso pushing through in 25 seconds needs a fine one. Getting the grind wrong cannot be fixed by adjusting the ratio — under-extracted coffee tastes sour and thin, over-extracted tastes bitter and hollow, and both are ground problems rather than dose problems.

Cold brew is a different drink

Brewing cold for twelve to eighteen hours extracts far less of the acids and bitter compounds, which is why it tastes smooth and sweet at a strength that would be undrinkable hot. Concentrate is usually made at 1:8 and diluted to taste; brewed ready-to-drink it sits nearer 1:15.

Recipes are starting points

Ovens run hot or cold by 20 degrees, flour absorbs water differently by season and brand, and the same joint of meat cooks at a different rate depending on its shape rather than its weight. Everything here is a planning figure that gets you close enough to start, and the thermometer, the scales and your own notes from last time are what finish the job.