Tea Brewing Calculator
Enter your cups and strength; get an exact herb weight, water volume, temperature and steeping time.
Finder
Brewing Method Selector
Infusion, decoction or cold brew? Get the right method for any botanical in seconds.
Not all herbs respond to the same brewing method. A delicate chamomile flower needs a gentle hot infusion; tough ginger root benefits from a low simmer; dried hibiscus flowers make a stunning cold brew over several hours.
This selector matches botanical to method — and explains why — so you never fight your ingredients.
How to use it
How to use the Brewing Method Selector
Search or select your botanical, and the tool recommends the most appropriate brewing method — standard infusion, decoction, cold brew or sun infusion — with a brief explanation of why it suits that plant part.
- Search for or select your herb from the list.
- Read the recommended method with a short rationale.
- Follow the method parameters: water temperature, steep time and ratio.
- Explore alternative methods if you want to compare results.
The method distinctions are covered in depth in our Botanical Brewing Guide — essential reading if you want to understand the science behind the recommendation. For step-by-step brewing technique, our Herbal Tea Brewing Basics guide walks you through each method.
When a botanical supports more than one method well, the selector presents a comparison view so you can see how the results differ. A side-by-side summary of expected flavour, colour and aroma for each method makes it easy to choose based on what you want from that particular brew, rather than just following one default approach.
Questions & answers
FAQs — Brewing Method Selector
An infusion steeps plant material in hot (but not boiling) water, then removes the herb — ideal for leaves and flowers. A decoction simmers tougher material (roots, barks, seeds) in water for longer, extracting deeper compounds that need more heat and time to release.
Most herbals can be cold-brewed, though the results differ from hot brewing. Florals and fruits tend to cold-brew beautifully; roots and barks are less suited since they need heat to fully open up.
Different plant cell structures respond differently to heat and time. Using the wrong method can leave flavour compounds locked inside the plant — or extract the wrong ones, leading to bitter or flat results.
For blends, the tool recommends the method that suits the most demanding ingredient. You can also use the separate infusion approach: brew tougher components first by decoction, then add the delicate ones for the final steep.