ISO 3103 is a standard published by theInternational Organization for Standardization (commonly referred to as ISO), specifying a standardized method forbrewing tea, possibly sampled by the standardized methods described in ISO 1839.^[1] It was originally laid down in 1980 as BS 6008:1980 by theBritish Standards Institution,^[2] and a revision was published in December, 2019 as ISO/NP 3103.^[3] It was produced by ISO Technical Committee 34 (Food products), Sub-Committee 8 (Tea).

The abstract states the following:

The method consists in extracting ofsolublesubstances in driedtea leaf, contained in aporcelain orearthenware pot, by means of freshlyboilingwater, pouring of the liquor into a white porcelain or earthenware bowl,examination of theorganoleptic properties of theinfusedleaf, and of the liquor with or withoutmilk, or both.

This standard is not meant to define the proper method for brewing tea intended for general consumption, but rather to document a tea brewing procedure where meaningful sensory comparisons can be made. An example of such a test would be a taste-test to establish whichblend of teas to choose for a particularbrand or basic label in order to maintain a consistent tasting brewed drink from harvest to harvest.

The work was the winner of the parodicIg Nobel Prize for Literature in 1999.^[4][5]

Ireland was the only ISO member country to object to the standard, doing so on technical grounds.^[6]

To maintain consistent results, the following are recommendations given by the standard:

• The pot should be white porcelain orglazed earthenware and have a partlyserrated edge. It should have alid that fits loosely inside the pot.
• If a large pot is used, it should hold a maximum of 310 ml (±8 ml) and must weigh 200 g (±10 g).
• If a small pot is used, it should hold a maximum of 150 ml (±4 ml) and must weigh 118 g (±10 g).
• 2grams of tea (measured to ±2% accuracy) per 100 ml boiling water is placed into the pot.
• Freshly boiling water is poured into the pot to within 4–6 mm of the brim. Allow 20 seconds for water to cool.
• The water should be similar to the drinking water where the tea will be consumed.
• Brewing time is six minutes (for black tea), five minutes (for leafy green tea) and three minutes (for fanning green tea).
• The brewed tea is then poured into a white porcelain or glazed earthenware bowl.
• If a large bowl is used, it must have a capacity of 380 ml and weigh 200 g (±20 g).
• If a small bowl is used, it must have a capacity of 200 ml and weigh 105 g (±20 g).
• If the test involves milk, then it is added to the bowlbefore pouring the infused tea into it, unless that is contrary to the organisation's normal practice.
• If milk is addedafter the pouring of tea, the standard notes that best results are obtained when the liquid is between 65 and 80 °C.
• 5 ml of milk for the large bowl, or 2.5 ml for the small bowl, is used.

An annex of the standard describes two alternative pots (310 ml and 150 ml) and corresponding bowls (380 ml and 200 ml) “which are in widespread use” fortea tasting, includingengineering drawings of their cross sections. The type of pot described is also known as a taster's mug.

In 2003, theRoyal Society of Chemistry published a press release entitled "How to make a Perfect Cup of Tea".^[7]

• Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol
• A Nice Cup of Tea
• Steeping
• Tea tasting, the professional practice of tea sampling for flavour characteristics
• Teapot, a traditional vessel for brewing and serving tea

• British Standard 6008, ISO 3103
• ISO 3103:1980 at iso.org
• ISO 3103:2019 at iso.org
• Other tea related documents from iso.org

• ISO standards
• Tea
• Tea in the United Kingdom

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata