Brew Guides

We know millions of words have been written about how, exactly, to brew the perfect cup of tea. So, if you do desire to make things more complicated, we suggest you follow the steep guides below while doing hard math problems in your head. For the truly advanced, steep your tea while doing hard math problems in your head and riding a unicycle around your kitchen.

Hand pouring water into a glass of iced tea.

Single Serving Iced Tea Brew Guide
In addition to our Iced Tea Collection, many of our signature tea blends and varietals are wonderful iced as well. Here you will find instructions for brewing any of our tea sachets and loose leaf offerings as iced tea.
Pouch of Pineapple Green iced tea on a whicker tray with peach, pineapple and glasses of iced tea.

How to Brew Pineapple Green
How to brew our paradise in a glass, brought to you by Smith Teamaker. Ride a wave of full-leaf green tea, pineapple and vanilla all season long.
Hand reaching for a teacup filled with Black Lavender tea and a box of Black Lavender tea beside two unwrapped sachets of tea.

Black Tea Brew Guide
Below are our step-by-step instructions on how to brew black tea so that you can enjoy a fresh cup just as any Smith Teamaker would. Once you finish, you can browse our black tea selection to find the blend or varietal that will fill your next cup.
Orange box of Peppermint Leaves herbal infusion, an unwrapped sachet and a glass teacup of brewed tea on wooden surface.

Herbal Infusions Brew Guide
Our current collection of herbs and botanicals are all deeply flavorful and sourced in their prime from friends around the world. These herbal infusions are naturally caffeine-free, perfect for enjoyment any time - day or night.
Pitcher pouring red hibiscus mango iced tea into a snifter glass filled with ice.

How to Brew Hibiscus Mango
How to brew our juiciest iced tea, Hibiscus Mango, brought to you by Smith Teamaker. Prepare for an ice cold glass of caffeine-free refreshment.
Hands holding a ceramic bowl of prepared ceremonial matcha tea.

Matcha 101
Matcha can seem intimidating to make at home, but what you may not know is that you can actually prepare Matcha in less time than it takes to steep any regular cup of green tea. 
Hand pouring brewed tea out of gaiwan vessel through strainer into tea decanter.

Gaiwan Style Brewing
Often simple, with a few accoutrements, a Gaiwan Set provides the least barrier between tea and human. The simplicity of the gaiwan is complemented by the skill and knowledge gained with such a personal experience with the tea of your choice.
Glass of blue iced tea with ice cube thrown in to create splash.

How to Cold Steep Iced Tea
Cold steeping your tea can be a way to highlight certain aspects of a tea that you enjoy. In general, using cold water will play up the sweetness and minimize any bitterness.
Hand holding gaiwan cup filled with brewed pu-erh tea with gaiwan set.

Pu-erh Brew Guide
Of all the types of tea you can find in the world, Pu-erh is among the most mysterious. While other types of tea are categorized by their level of oxidation, Pu-erh represents a category of fully-oxidized tea, fermented and ripened by time.
Glass teapot pouring green tea into Smith branded teacup.

Green Tea Brew Guide
Read to find our guide on how to brew green tea, then head over to our green tea collection to choose which green tea you'd like to steep first.
Glass of iced tea with lemon garnish filled with ice.

Iced Tea Brew Guide
How to brew iced tea, brought to you by Smith Teamaker, so every ice cold glass is steeped to perfection.