New to tea
How to start with Chinese tea
No ceremony, no gatekeeping. Chinese tea is simpler than it looks — here's the short version to get you pouring today.
01 — Pick a forgiving tea
Begin with something hard to brew badly: a ripe (shou) PUERH or a red tea. Sweet, warm and unfussy about temperature.
02 — Keep the setup simple
A gaiwan or a small teapot, one cup, and water just off the boil. That's genuinely all you need to start.
03 — Brew gongfu, lightly
More leaf, less water, short steeps, many rounds. Rinse once, then pour 5–10 seconds and add a few seconds each round.
04 — Taste, don't rush
Notice how the tea changes from steep to steep. There's no wrong way — the point is to slow down and pay attention.
No teaware yet?
A mug or thermos is enough to begin. Choose what you have, select your tea, and use the recipe as a starting point.
Choose your vessel
Choose your tea
Shu PUERH · Mug
Tea
2.5–3 g
Water
100°C
First taste
5 min
- 1.Place the tea in a mug or infuser.
- 2.Rinse the leaves for 10–15 seconds and discard the rinse.
- 3.Refill the mug with water at the recommended temperature.
- 4.Begin tasting at the suggested time.
- 5.Remove or strain the leaves when the tea tastes balanced.
Taste first. Adjust one variable at a time.
Too light? Give it more time or use slightly more tea next time.
Too strong or bitter? Remove the leaves sooner, reduce the tea, or use slightly cooler water.
These numbers are starting points, not strict rules. The best guide is the final cup: if the tea tastes good to you, you brewed it correctly.
Brew calculator
Pick your tea and teapot — we'll do the maths: leaf, water temperature, and a gongfu timing schedule.
Your tea
Teapot volume · 120 ml
Leaf
7.2 g
Water
100°C
Brews
9×
Timing (gongfu)
Cold brew
No heat, no rush — just time
Steep in cold water in the fridge for hours instead of minutes. Slower extraction, a naturally sweeter, smoother cup — no bitterness to manage.
Starting point
Add the tea to a clean bottle or pitcher. Pour in cold filtered water, close the lid and place the vessel in the refrigerator for 12 hours. Strain completely and enjoy cold.
Taste. Evaluate. Adjust.
The recipe is a starting point. Tea type, leaf structure, water and personal preference can change the final result.
- · Too light — add more tea or more time.
- · Too intense — use less tea or less time.
- · Change one variable at a time.
Current experiments
Recipes developed and tested by Tea Drunkard. This library will continue to grow as we explore new teas and combinations.
Sheng Pu'er + Golden Needles
In testing- 3 g Sheng Pu'er
- 3 g Golden Needles
1000 ml · 12 hours · Refrigerator · Sealed
Profile
Freshness and structure from sheng pu'er, balanced by the honeyed sweetness and rounded body of Golden Needles.
Recommendation
Taste after 12 hours. If the sheng feels too dominant, try 2 g sheng pu'er and 4 g Golden Needles in the next batch.
Taiping Houkui + Ya Bao
In testing- 3 g Taiping Houkui
- 3 g Ya Bao
1000 ml · 12 hours · Refrigerator · Sealed
Profile
Fresh green character and gentle floral notes from Taiping Houkui, softened by the clean sweetness and herbal freshness of Ya Bao.
Recommendation
Taste after 10 hours and evaluate again at 12 hours. For a softer and sweeter result, test 2 g Taiping Houkui with 4 g Ya Bao.
More recipes are coming
We are continuing to test different teas, combinations and extraction times. New cold-brew recipes will appear here as they are developed.
Keep exploring.
Starter sets
