---
title: 'Brewing methods'
url: 'https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods'
markdown: 'https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods.md'
lang: en
date: '2026-11-03'
description: 'Ways to brew tea: gongfu cha with short infusions, Western brewing, the glass, cold brew and boiling on the stove. How they differ and when to use each.'
---

# Brewing methods 泡法

The method sets how much leaf goes into how much water, and for how long. That is the whole difference between one long infusion in a big cup and a dozen short ones in a small [gaiwan](https://howtotea.me/teaware/brewing-vessels/gaiwan).

 ![A glass teapot with an infuser, a glass of green tea and a gaiwan](https://howtotea.me/images/c/o/v/e/r/cover-5177a7d4.webp) Illustration 

In [gongfu cha](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/gongfu-cha) you pack a lot of leaf into a small vessel and pour off the liquor within seconds, infusion after infusion. [Western brewing](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/western) works the other way round: a little leaf, plenty of water and one long steep in a teapot or mug. Between the two sits [the glass](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/grandpa-style): the leaf stays in the water, and you top it up until the flavor is gone.

Two more methods skip the usual hot brew. [Cold brew](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/cold-brew) sits in the fridge for hours and comes out soft and sweet. For [boiling](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/zhu-cha), the leaf stays in boiling water over a flame, which is how people open up aged [white tea](https://howtotea.me/teas/white), liu bao and shou [pu-erh](https://howtotea.me/teas/dark/puer).

Japanese green teas have their own routine. You steep [sencha and gyokuro](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/sencha-gyokuro) in a small kyusu with cooled water and whisk [matcha](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/matcha) right in the bowl with a bamboo whisk.

In this section

- [![](https://howtotea.me/images/c/o/v/e/r/cover-dbe445e4.webp) Gongfu cha 工夫茶 Gongfu cha, brewing in short infusions: how much leaf, how hot the water and how many seconds each type of tea needs, and how Chaozhou and Taiwan differ. ](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/gongfu-cha)
- [![](https://howtotea.me/images/c/o/v/e/r/cover-8b26c4a5.webp) Western brewing 西式冲泡 Western brewing: 2–3 g of tea per cup, one long steep in a teapot, mug or tea bag. Ratios, times and temperatures by type, plus milk and common mistakes. ](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/western)
- [![](https://howtotea.me/images/c/o/v/e/r/cover-4673bdd2.webp) Glass and grandpa 杯泡法 Brewing in a glass, bowl or big mug with the leaf left in: three loading orders, the 1:50 ratio, topping up at one third and the teas that suit it. ](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/grandpa-style)
- [![](https://howtotea.me/images/c/o/v/e/r/cover-d65ea114.webp) Cold brew 冷泡茶 How to brew tea with cold water: leaf and water by type, hours in the fridge, ice instead of boiling water, hot concentrate over ice. How long it keeps. ](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/cold-brew)
- [![](https://howtotea.me/images/c/o/v/e/r/cover-34a29ef2.webp) Boiling tea (zhu cha) 煮茶 Aged white, liu bao, ripe pu-erh and pressed dark tea simmered in a pot. Boiling-water and cold-water start, ratios, time, fluoride. ](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/zhu-cha)
- [![](https://howtotea.me/images/c/o/v/e/r/cover-b920c673.webp) Matcha 抹茶 How to make matcha at home: usucha and koicha, grams of powder and water temperature, chasen and sifter, foam, common mistakes, and keeping the powder. ](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/matcha)
- [![](https://howtotea.me/images/c/o/v/e/r/cover-db72e446.webp) Sencha and gyokuro 日本茶 Brewing Japanese leaf tea in a kyusu: leaf, water and seconds for sencha, gyokuro and hojicha, cooling water in cups and pouring to the last drop. ](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/sencha-gyokuro)

---

## Navigation

- Parent: [Brewing tea](https://howtotea.me/brewing.md)
- Next: [Brewing basics](https://howtotea.me/brewing/basics.md)
- Children:
  - [Gongfu cha](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/gongfu-cha.md)
  - [Western brewing: teapot, tea bag, infuser](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/western.md)
  - [Glass and grandpa style](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/grandpa-style.md)
  - [Cold brew and iced tea](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/cold-brew.md)
  - [Boiling tea (zhu cha)](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/zhu-cha.md)
  - [How to make matcha: usucha and koicha](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/matcha.md)
  - [Sencha, gyokuro and hojicha: how to brew Japanese green tea](https://howtotea.me/brewing/methods/sencha-gyokuro.md)