I am certain that I didn’t catch the “about 1 tablespoon” the last time I brewed this. Whoops. So this time it is 1 TABLEspoon in 8 oz. Making it this way definitely makes the liquid seem thicker. I also believe the only taste I am getting out of it today is smoke. The back of the sip reminds me a bit of the scent of the sauna but not as much as I remember from my first cup of this. This one is growing on me and I may save a bit for when I purchase a gaiwan.