I'm somewhat confused about steeping my teas "properly"

It honestly depends on what you want and what your tastes are.

For Teavivre, I only ever use 1 tsp, not their recommended 3-4 tsp.

I often follow Teavana's recommendations for all brands of tea, just becuase that is the taste I like.

I also bought a cheap food scale which I use for teas that are unfamiliar to me, then once I figure out how I like the tea, I generally eye ball it.

There is no wrong way to do tea :)

Also remember that different teas have different weights and volumes. So sometimes measuring by teaspoons does not work becuase if it is a large sized tea leaf, you fit less in a teaspoon vs a small leafed tea.

For resteeping, i put my leaves in the fridge overnight. If you have strong flavours in there, be aware that they might transfer to the tea! I have a different preference for the strength of each tea, so i have notes on my packages. I generally start with 1-2 tsp per 16oz for 3 min and adjust up or down from there. Sometimes I weigh the leaves (3-4g), especially if they're a huge fluffy one, as tsp are not good for measuring large leaves.

You can definitely brew a large amount at once (and also resteep) to keep it in the refrigerator. I don't advise refrigerating used leaves, they'll degrade quickly and your next steep won't taste too good.
You don't have to resteep many times, it's a matter of choice. If you don't like the third infusion of a particular tea there's no point in getting there. I usually go for two for most green teas.

i think you are describing the gong-fu style, Rachel!

Verdant describes the process pretty nicely - how to do gong fu w/o a gaiwan. using 5g tea and steeping for a few seconds and increasing by a few per steep will yield more re-steeps and greater range of flavor

With flavored teas you (usually) want all of the flavors in one big cup! With unflavored I prefer for the many flavors to come out over the course of many cups. This is the method that teavivre describes. They give steeping instructions for gongfu and western styles. I'd highly recommend trying them out and seeing what *you* like.

There are so many different ways to brew teas! There's of course western style, where there is a smaller leaf to water ratio but the steep times are long. For many this is the most convenient brewing method--it does not require a lot of work, and you get a ton of flavor.

Then gongfu, where you use a large amount of leaf but very short infusions, as short s 5 to 10 seconds. This is pretty labor-intensive, especially once you get into teas that are good for 10+ steeps. I find it to be a meditative process, but definitely not a good option for brewing large quantities at once! It also doesn't work with flavored teas.

There are some that are brewed kind of western style, specifically I am thinking of Japanese greens, where the water to leaf ratio is similar to western but you go with shorter infusions (30-45 seconds for the first one). It works well for sencha/genmaicha/gyokuro/etc but I've found the infusion time to be far too short for most other teas.

You can also cold brew, which could possibly be useful for you! Basically you let the tea steep in the fridge, in cold water, overnight (8-12 hours). The ratio here is usually double the water for the same amount of leaf you'd use for a western brew. You can do big batches at once in a pitcher, strain them in the morning and then heat them up in the micro or stovetop quite easily!

There are also many other ways, like the particular methods for using yixing pots, the matcha tea ceremony, stovetop chai methods, etc. There's really no right or wrong--do what you are comfortable with and what you feel produces the best results! I do think a scale can be helpful just so you know exactly how much you are using, it makes it much easier to replicate favorable results, but it's definitely not necessary.

Thanks all!

Rachel I have had very good success with Teavivre using their time and temperature recommendations. I usually ignore the amount of leaf they suggest and use my usual abt 3g. It works for me and I don't feel wasteful. I do enjoy multiple infussions. I just leave the leaf in my press uncovered through out the day. Even if i keep them overnight I do not refrigerate. Never had a problem. What you might do is brew two or three cups in a row and just pour them into a larger vessel.

I have never used a scale and am not inclined to as that sounds a lot more like science than tea, but that is just me. I am comfortable with my measurements and can eyeball a good amount of leaf every time. If you want the comfort of exact weights, totally go with the scale! It is all about what makes your tea experience better.

I keep wet leaves for 2 or 3 days out in the open quite frequently and have never had mold or smell contamination. I also don't follow expiration dates though, so I'm a bit of a nut. :)

I also never follow Teavivre's instructions. I like to change up my teas too frequently to re-steep endlessly. I use a smaller amount of leaf and can almost always get 2 steeps or more out of their teas if I want (I stick to the blacks).

It seems like you might be worrying about this a bit more than you have to - just try to enjoy it. If it's too light, use more leaf or more time. Too strong = less leaf or time. You'll find your 'sweet spot' quickly enough. :)