How many grams of tea should you use per cup?
Quick answer
For a large Western-style cup, start with 2–3 g of loose tea per 250 ml. For gongfu brewing, use roughly 5 g per 100 ml for oolong or puerh and about 3 g per 100 ml for green tea. Treat these as baselines: leaf shape, roast, compression, and personal taste all justify small adjustments.
| Leaf | Starting ratio | |
|---|---|---|
| Green tea | 3 g / 100 ml | 2–3 g / 250 ml |
| Oolong | 5 g / 100 ml | 3 g / 250 ml |
| Shu puerh | 5 g / 100 ml | 3–4 g / 250 ml |
| Black tea | 4 g / 100 ml | 2–3 g / 250 ml |
Why teaspoons are inconsistent
A teaspoon of dense rolled oolong can weigh much more than a teaspoon of broad, fluffy leaves. Weight is repeatable; volume is convenient. Use a scale while learning, then rely on sight once you know a familiar tea.
Use about
4 g
100 ml · 4 g / 100 ml
Fixing a weak or strong cup
If tea is weak but pleasant, add leaf or time. If it is harsh, shorten the steep before reducing leaf; shorter contact often preserves aroma better. Change one variable at a time so the next cup teaches you something.
Common questions
Why grams instead of teaspoons? Because a teaspoon of dense rolled oolong weighs far more than a teaspoon of fluffy leaf, so the same "spoon" gives wildly different strength. Grams are repeatable; a teaspoon is only a rough guide.
How do I scale this for a teapot? Keep the ratio, not the number. Multiply grams by the pot's volume — at 2.5 g per 250 ml, a 500 ml pot wants about 5 g. The grams calculator does this for any vessel size.
If a cup tastes watery, harsh, or too strong, use the bad-tea troubleshooting guide. See the beginner kit, use these numbers in the brewing timer, or follow the exact shu puerh tablet recipe.