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My mother regularly uses 1 tea bag for two cups or 2 tea bags for a teapot. I've read on several sites that one tea bag is ideal for one cup.

So, how much should I get from a tea bag?

Also, is the steeping time different if I was trying to get more tea out of the same tea bag? Some say that steeping it longer gets more flavour out of the bag. Somewhat more formal research suggests that releases the bitter parts and makes the tea bitter rather than thicker.

I know you shouldn't reuse coffee beans when making an espresso, but does this apply to tea as well?

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I think this is subjective. Number of tea bags per cup depend on whether you like strong or mild tea. – Anisha Kaul Feb 1 at 5:55
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@AnishaKaul I mean, what is the "cafe/restaurant" standard? I heard that putting too many bags or reusing it too many times makes it bitter rather than thicker/milder. – Muz Feb 1 at 7:02
   
then you should mention it clearly in your question to make it specific. People aren't mind readers. Please edit your question accordingly. – Anisha Kaul Feb 1 at 7:29

5 Answers

up vote 1 down vote accepted

Your tea bag will contain what the manufacturers deem to be the right amount of tea for their customer.

So if you buy a cheap brand, low quality tea you will not be expected to make the same amount of effort as you will never get a quality cup of tea from it, 1 bag [to] 1 mug, boiling water, stir squeeze and drink.

Not in my opinion an ideal cuppa. If you want a proper cup of tea you need to steep (brew) your tea for 3.5 mins and don't squeeze the bag as this releases bitterness into your brew. The tea bag will contain 2-3 grams of tea. And never, never reuse an old tea bag.

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This completely depends on the quality of the tea and flavor you're going for. It is common practice (especially in China) to make 2-3 or more cups/pots of tea from good quality loose leaf green tea. The flavor will change after each steeping, becoming lighter and milder, but also just different in certain ways. You can do the same thing with any lower quality tea, you just have to decide if you like the flavor of the second, third, etc. steepings. If not, don't do it.

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up vote 1 down vote

Personally I'd say 1 tea bag per mug, however in slightly larger mugs leaving the tea bag in a wee bit longer should also be fine (not too weak).

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up vote -1 down vote

most teabags will have instructions printed on the packaging, indicating what quantity of water they were intended for and how long to steep them.
With single-cup bags becoming ever more popular (handy for the office, not so much for at home IMO) you just have to be careful which bags to buy :)

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A lot of the bags sold in my area don't have instructions (hence the question). Can I safely assume that an average tea bag is meant for a single cup? – Muz Feb 1 at 7:40
A lot of commercial teabags tell you to steep for far too long - for my tastes. More evidence that it's completely subjective. Most cafes in the UK and US (that use bags) let the customer remove the teabags when they want to. – slim Feb 1 at 9:35
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One cup per bag is a good rule of thumb. Depending on your tastes as well as the type and quality of the tea, you could make 1-2 cups per teabag. Avoid steeping too long or else the tea will become bitter, particularly for black teas.

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All depends on the cup, the bag, and how strong you want the tea to be. There's teabags measured for a single cup, others are measured for a pot. Age of the tea, desired strength, etc. all have influence as well. – jwenting Feb 1 at 7:12

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