Whether it be tea, coffee, herbals, cocoa, or some combination, taking a glance at the ingredients and size of your product is all you need to determine the brewing method to use on your first cup.
Time and Temperature
If you have no idea how strong you like your beverage, a good guide is 2 teaspoons of tea or 2 tablespoons of coffee per 8 oz (you'll figure out personal preference). Now, the first two factors you'll now need to determine are time and temperature. While not an exact science, there are some rules that will help you prevent over-steeping your first cup. Remember that all plants and blends are different, and it should be easy to adjust your method if need be. Here are the rules:
--Green and White Tea: Steep at 180° for 3 minutes (180° is hot water) 6-8 hour Cold Brew
--Oolong, Black Tea, Coffee, and Cocoa: Steep at 205° for 3-5 minutes (205° is simmering and NOT boiling) 8-10 hour Cold Brew
--Herbals (Rooibos, Ginger, etc.): Steep at simmering or boiling for 5-10 minutes 12+ hour Cold Brew
Method
Now that you know what time and temperature to use, you need to figure out what appliance or tool you'll be using to brew. These rules are even less fixed, but can help you make a decision.
--Cut or Whole Leaves: Try to avoid using bags unless you need to for convenience. You can use any loose leaf strainer, bombilla, or simply brew the leaves in the water and pour through a strainer.
--Powders, Roots, Coffee, Cocoa: Any appliance used for coffee OR teabags will work (yes you can brew coffee in a teabag, and it works great). As long as the strainer is small enough for your liking, you'll be happy. Cocoa and other fine powders like matcha can be stirred directly in and drank if you're fine with a thick drink, or strained through a fine strainer.
Extra Tips
--Many drinks can be re-steeped one or more times! Get the most out of your product!
--To get iced drinks immediately you will need to brew your drink hot in less water than normal and pour over a good amount of ice, or "flash chill" it in a cocktail shaker. Fun fact about this method is it extracts the highest balance of all nutrients and compounds out of tea.
--DON'T GIVE UP ON A BLEND! The first time you made it just might not have been the way to go. Or, you might realllllly enjoy it with something like citrus or honey. Feel free to ask us directly or in the forum if you need help!
