Dark Tea Brewing

Brewing dark tea at the office or on the road is easy with the right kit. Temperatures, ratios and gear that travel.

The usual dark tea mistakes are simple: skipping the quick rinse that wakes compressed leaf. Here is how to avoid each one.

Dark tea: gongfu, Western or grandpa? This guide compares the three brewing methods and shows which fits the leaf.

For dark tea use 5-8 g per 100 ml (gongfu) and steep short steeps, many infusions. This guide gives exact ratios and times.

Dark tea wants near-boiling water, because the leaf is compressed and post-fermented. Why a rinse helps, and when a rolling boil is the right call.

Dark tea is post fermented and usually compressed, and both facts point the same direction on ware. It needs sustained heat, and it needs volume.