Standard cup = 6oz or 8oz?

[converge20t]

It seems a general guideline for measuring tea is to use 1 rounded teaspoon for 1 cup of water. However, some people say 1 cup is 6oz and some say it is 8oz. What is the general consensus?

[spot52]

Well, its just like they say about case law...it depends. And as frustrating as it sounds, it depends. The positive is, you are the variable. Play around with how it tastes and make adjustments for what you like. (or whoever you are making it for)

[shah82]

I use one teaspoon for 12 ounces, generally.

[auggy]

I read somewhere that a typical cup of tea means 6oz while a typical cup of coffee means 8oz. But I can't remember where I read it or if it was reputable.

For me, the size of my cup of tea depends on the cup I'm using for the tea. But I with just 2 oz difference, I think a teaspoon per 6 or 8 oz is probably okay. Even using a scale, there is very little difference in the amount.

[geeber1]

The book 'The Story of Tea' explains that the measurement came from the 1920s, when they (modern food pioneers, according to the book) were trying to determine consistent parameters for brewing tea and coffee. They found that 1 measuring teaspoon corresponded to 2 grams of tea, which was the approximate amount in a teabag. The tea tasters determined that 6 oz. of water to 2 grams of tea produced the best flavor and had the right level of 'soluble solids considered to be the perfect cup of brewed tea.'

I have made a cheat sheet for the weights of tea for all my favorite cups, none of them happen to be 6 oz.!

[Intuit]

semi-official modern source for conversions:

http://unit-converter.org/en/volume/usteacup.html

US teacup is 6 oz.

US cup is 8 oz

Several of my vintage English china teapots are 4 teacups, 24+ oz, conforming to the nearly uniform size of the Staffordshhire teacup that became standardized in the early 20th century (I believe this coincided with standardization of the size of mattresses and beds, furniture like dining table (to fit linens) and chairs and probably room dimensions on affordable homes, at the onset of mass-production era of domestic goods in the UK (Brit Empire) and Europe and North America.

[brad4419]

I agree with the above posters that 6oz is what I see most often but I think its important to ask them how many oz in there cup because there are so many differences. You can have as many oz in your cup as you want

Because I use a coffee mug most of the time my cup is between 8-12oz.

[auggy]

I've seen some Japanese tea instructions for a cup where a "cup" is 4oz. Well, it was really something like 3.7oz. Converted from mL, I'm sure.

[shardy53]

My cups are mostly 8 oz. I use a teaspoonful for 8 oz. and I mix 2 infusions together for 16 ounces out of each teaspoonful.

Steve