Traditional manufacture of instant tea by extracting and drying results in limited raw material utilization ratio and complicated processing procedures. Here, ultrafine black tea powders (10-50 mu m) and coarse black tea powders (100-500 mu m) were prepared to investigate their properties after brewing for up to 30 min in boiling water. The size of a stably suspending particle was 12-15 mu m, which was not affected by the grinding method and particle microstructure. Hence, the particle size criterion to produce soluble ground instant tea is proposed to be < 12 mu m. Particles larger than 30 mu m, comprised of carbohydrates, lignin, and protein, precipitated. The raw material utilization ratio of ultrafine powder (50.12%) was higher than that of coarse powder (35.70%), resulting in a higher amount of soluble carbohydrates and suspended particles. Moreover, ultrafine grinding reduced the precipitation ratio by delivering more insoluble health-benefiting components to the suspending liquid. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.