The right amount of tea leaf depends on the tea type, brewing method, water volume, leaf shape, and desired strength, but a practical starting point is about 3–5 grams per 250–350 ml for Western brewing and around 5–7 grams per 100–120 ml for gongfu brewing.
These numbers are starting points, not universal laws.
The same tea can taste completely different when you change the leaf-to-water ratio.
Tea usually tastes weak because too little leaf, too much water, insufficient extraction time or temperature, unsuitable water, or naturally delicate tea material is being used.
The good news is that weak tea is usually easy to troubleshoot.
Instead of immediately buying stronger tea, change one variable at a time.
A good starting point for Gongfu brewing is about 5–8 grams of tea for a 100–120 ml gaiwan, but the ideal amount depends on the tea, vessel size, leaf shape, and how strong you want each infusion to be.
