Every morning, tens of thousands of breakfast shops across Taiwan need to brew large pots of black tea. For breakfast shop owners, the quality of the black tea directly impacts customer return rates, but the brewing process must be simple and fast.
This article will fully teach you how to use 50g no-filter large tea bags to brew consistently delicious black tea, including the best brewing methods for three different types of tea.
Why choose no-filter large tea bags?
Traditional breakfast shops brew black tea using loose tea leaves and a strainer, which involves more steps, troublesome cleaning, and inconsistent tea leaf usage, leading to variations in taste from pot to pot.
50g no-filter large tea bags solve these problems: pre-portioned packaging ensures consistent usage for each pot, they can be directly tossed into the pot to brew without a strainer, and simply discarded after brewing, greatly simplifying the preparation process.
Basic Brewing Method: Three Steps for a Large Pot
Regardless of the tea bag type, the basic operation is the same:
Step One: Boil Water
Pour 4000cc of water into a pot and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat. The amount of water can be adjusted according to the container size, but it is recommended to maintain a ratio of "one tea bag to 4000cc of water."
Step Two: Add Tea Bag, Steep
Once the water boils, turn off the heat (or reduce to the lowest setting), and add one 50g no-filter tea bag. Cover the pot and steep for 10-15 minutes. The longer the steeping time, the stronger the tea flavor.
Step Three: Remove Tea Bag, Sweeten
After steeping, remove the tea bag and add sugar to taste, if desired. If making unsweetened black tea, simply skip this step. After cooling, pour into a tea dispenser and chill; you now have a delicious pot of black tea.
Best Brewing Methods for Three Tea Types
Traditional Black Tea Bag (Most popular in breakfast shops)
The ingredients in this tea bag are Indian large-leaf black tea with roasted cassia seeds. The resulting flavor is that classic black tea taste you remember from breakfast shops.
- Water amount: 4000cc
- Steeping time: 10-12 minutes (not too long, to avoid an overpowering cassia seed flavor)
- Sweetener suggestion: Approximately 300g of brown sugar for full sweetness, about 150g for half sweetness
- Tip: Best served chilled after cooling; it's the top choice for Taiwanese iced black tea.
A box of 50 bags costs $800, making each bag $16. The cost per pot of black tea is only $16, and approximately $2 per cup (500cc).
Old Malt Black Tea Bag (Lowest cost)
Old Malt Black Tea is roasted, giving it a unique malty aroma. It's not bitter or astringent and has a natural sweet aftertaste. It's the top choice for establishments seeking extreme cost control.
- Water amount: 4000cc
- Steeping time: 12-15 minutes (can be steeped longer without becoming bitter or astringent)
- Sweetener suggestion: The malt itself has a natural sweetness, so less sugar or no sugar is recommended to fully appreciate the malty flavor.
- Tip: Especially suitable for large pots of complimentary tea, with extremely low cost.
A box of 50 bags costs $420, making each bag only $8.4, and approximately $1.05 per cup. This is one of the most cost-effective commercial black tea bags on the market.
Hong Kong-Style Milk Tea Special Black Tea Bag (For milk tea)
This tea is specially blended for milk tea, with a much stronger tea flavor than regular black tea, so the tea aroma remains distinct even after adding evaporated milk.
- Water amount: 4000cc (but for milk tea, it's recommended to use 2000-3000cc to brew a concentrated tea base)
- Steeping time: 15 minutes or more (the stronger the better, a slight bitterness is normal)
- Mixing ratio: Concentrated tea base to evaporated milk (black and white) approximately 7:3
- Tip: Strongly recommend pairing with Black & White evaporated milk rather than fresh milk to achieve authentic Hong Kong-style flavor.
A box of 50 bags costs $1,250, making each bag $25. The cost of the tea base per cup of milk tea is approximately $2.5.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can tea bags be reused?
Not recommended. The 50g large tea bag is designed for single use; the flavor of a second brew will be significantly weaker, affecting product quality. Consistency in taste for every cup is paramount for commercial tea.
Q: How long can brewed black tea be stored?
It is recommended to consume it on the same day. When refrigerated, it should not be stored for more than 24 hours, as beyond that, the tea may oxidize, change color, and its flavor will decline.
Q: Should I use RO water or tap water?
It is recommended to use RO (reverse osmosis) or filtered water. Chlorine in tap water can affect the flavor and color of the tea.
Q: Can I cold brew it?
The 50g large tea bag is designed for hot brewing; cold brewing is not effective. If you want to make cold brew tea, we recommend using Teavoya's 3g pyramid tea bags or 24g medium tea bags.
