Equipment + Service Mechanics

Serving good tea consistently starts with setup. A tea program is only as good as the tools and workflow behind it. Here’s what to keep in mind as you design (or redesign) your service strategy.

Different tea types require different water temps. Your water source determines your range:

• Fixed-Temperature Dispenser (e.g., BUNN)
  Great for black, oolong, and most tisanes.
  
• Variable-Temp Kettle or Tower
  Green, white, and more delicate teas preferably steep at a lower temperature. 
  

If you’re limited to a single-temp water source, we’ll help tailor your tea menu to suit it.

High Volume / To-Go Focus

If you’re doing serious volume or mostly takeaway drinks, simplicity and speed matter. Here’s what we recommend:

• Stick to sachet service for consistency and quick preparation.
  
• Choose teas that have more flexiblity—i.e., forgiving with steep time and temperature.
  
• Avoid teas that get bitter if oversteeped (especially delicate green teas).

Note that only ourcore tea is available in sachet format.

High-Volume Iced Tea 

If you’re brewing iced tea in volume, we recommend using a commercial brewer like the BUNN ITB, Curtis G4, or similar. These systems are reliable, consistent, and ideal for batch brewing. Just make sure it’s not shared with your coffee program—residual oils from coffee will taint the flavor of your tea.

We offer tea packs sized specifically for this method. Want to learn more about brewing tea to serve cold? Check out our cold tea brewing guide here.

Slow Bar or Medium Volume

More time, more flexibility. For cafés with sit-down traffic or slower service flow, we recommend Modern Service—a term for large-format steeping with loose leaf tea, common in western cafes.

• Equipment: Boli teapot, mug.
  
• Preparation is simple, scalable, and opens access to our full tea catalog.
  
• Easy to rotate seasonal tea, limited releases, or showcase more premium tea options.
  
• All of our tea is available in loose leaf, not just the core line. 

Slow Bar or Medium Volume Iced Tea

Check out our in-depth guide to brewing teato drink cold so see what works best for you.

Gongfu Service (Small-Format Steeping)

A handful of our partners go all in with Gongfu-style service—small-format steeping that invites conversation and ceremony. It’s equipment-heavy and niche, but for the right shop, it can be a defining feature.

• Best suited for shops with tea-curious clientele and space for education.
  
• Requires training, intentional workflow, and a curated tea list.
  
• Rewarding for customers who want to engage deeply.

Your equipment and service model should shape your tea menu—not the other way around. The good news: we’ve helped shops of all shapes and sizes build successful systems.