Tea mocktails: choosing and brewing a tea base

The short answer

A tea mocktail starts with a tea base made specifically for the drink, so choose the drink first and then brew its base exactly as written. The three documented options below cover black, green and herbal tea, and each is made differently. The black tea and hibiscus versions are steeped concentrates, brewed strong so they hold up once ice and mixers go in. The green tea version uses matcha whisked into a small amount of warm water. The tea dose, water temperature, steeping time and cooling step are specific to each recipe and should not be swapped between them.

Comparing black, green and herbal tea bases

Base	Tea and dose	Water	How it is made	Cooling	What it is mixed with
Black tea concentrate (Tea Squirrel)	18 g loose black tea	8 oz just-boiled water	Infused uncovered for 6 minutes, then strained	Cooled to room temperature, then refrigerated until chilled	Smoked-tea vanilla syrup, light coconut milk, orange peel garnish
Matcha base (ArtfulTea's Matcha Sunrise)	1 tsp culinary matcha	¼ cup water at 180°F	Sifted, then whisked until smooth; no straining	No separate cooling step; added to orange juice over ice	Fresh orange juice and ice
Hibiscus-mint concentrate (Tealish's Hibiscus Mint Mojito)	4 tsp of Tealish's own hibiscus-mint blend plus 4 tsp sugar	5 oz boiling water	Infused 8 minutes, stirring during steeping	Cooled before mixing	Mint, lime juice, grenadine, sparkling water

The main tradeoffs are time and texture. The black tea concentrate needs the most lead time because it must cool and chill, and it produces a rich, creamy drink. The matcha base is the quickest, with no steeping or chilling wait, and gives a bright citrus drink. The hibiscus concentrate sits in between: a short steep and a cooling period, then a tart, fizzy finish. The hibiscus base is also the only one sweetened during brewing.

Black tea: a creamy, chilled concentrate

Choose this base for a richer, dessert-leaning drink that can be made ahead. Tea Squirrel's concentrate uses a heavy dose of loose black tea in a small volume of water, which suits a recipe where coconut milk and syrup would otherwise mute the tea.

Pour 8 oz just-boiled water over 18 g loose black tea and infuse uncovered for 6 minutes.
Strain, let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled.
For one drink in the author's creamy adaptation, combine 3 oz concentrate, ½ oz RAFT smoked-tea vanilla syrup and 1 oz unsweetened light canned coconut milk.
Shake with ice for 15 seconds, then double-strain (pour through the shaker's strainer and a fine-mesh strainer) over fresh ice.
Garnish with orange peel. The author notes the bitters in the original version can be left out.

Green tea: whisked matcha with orange juice

Choose this base when you want a drink with no steeping or chilling wait. Matcha is powdered green tea, so it is whisked into water rather than steeped and strained. ArtfulTea's Matcha Sunrise uses culinary-grade matcha and pairs it with fresh orange juice.

Sift 1 tsp culinary matcha to break up clumps.
Whisk it with ¼ cup water at 180°F until smooth.
Pour 1 cup fresh orange juice over ice.
Add the whisked matcha to the glass.

The 180°F water temperature belongs to this matcha recipe and is not a general rule for every green tea. If you use loose-leaf green tea or a different matcha, follow the brewing instructions for that tea, since dose and temperature affect how the base tastes once diluted.

Herbal: a sweetened hibiscus-mint concentrate

Choose this base for a tart, sparkling, mojito-style drink. Hibiscus is an herbal infusion rather than tea from the tea plant. Tealish's recipe is built around its own hibiscus-mint blend, and the sugar goes in during steeping, so the concentrate comes out already sweetened. The grenadine adds more sweetness at assembly.

Combine 4 tsp of the hibiscus-mint blend, 4 tsp sugar and 5 oz boiling water.
Infuse for 8 minutes, stirring during the infusion, then strain and let cool.
Muddle 15 mint leaves with 2 oz lime juice and 1 oz grenadine.
Stir in 4 oz of the cooled concentrate.
Divide between two ice-filled glasses and top with 5 oz sparkling water in total.

Planning quantities

Illustrative example: two creamy black tea drinks at Tea Squirrel's 3 oz portion need 6 oz concentrate, 1 oz syrup and 2 oz coconut milk. One batch starts with 8 oz water, but the amount you get back after straining can be less than that, so measure the strained concentrate before deciding how many drinks you can serve. The hibiscus recipe already makes two glasses from 4 oz of concentrate, and the matcha recipe makes one glass per teaspoon of matcha.

A simple worksheet before you brew

Drink and tea base: black tea with coconut milk, whisked matcha with orange, or hibiscus-mint with lime and mint.
Exact tea used, including brand or blend if the recipe names one.
Measured tea dose and water volume.
Water temperature specified for that tea.
Steeping or whisking time.
Cooling step and how far ahead you need to start.
Remaining ingredients and their amounts per drink.

Fill in only the brewing details for the tea you actually chose. If you swap in a different tea from the one named in the recipe, use that tea's own brewing instructions rather than the figures above.