These are our recommended temperatures and steeping times for brewing each tea. We find these standards to produce the best results in flavor and aroma, especially when trying a type of tea for the first time. Feel free to play around with the temperature and steeping time, as variations will bring out different qualities in your tea. This will not only help you become very familiar with brewing your tea and its character, but also help you discover your personal preference.
Each tea's page will also have more detailed brewing instructions.
| |
|
AMOUNT OF TEA BY BREWING VESSEL |
| TEA TYPE |
TEMPERATURE
STEEP TIME |
yixing or gaiwan |
infuser cup |
medium tea pot |
| green |
175'
1 min. |
1 TB |
1 TB |
2 TB |
| white |
185'
1-2 min. |
1.5 TB |
1.5 TB |
3 TB |
| formosa oolong |
195'-200'
2-3 min. |
2 TSP |
2 TSP |
3 TSP |
| anxi oolong |
195'-200'
2-3 min. |
2 TSP |
2 TSP |
3 TSP |
| wuyi oolong |
195'-200'
1-2 min. |
1 TB |
1 TB |
2 TB |
| phoenix oolong* |
205-212'
30-45 sec. |
1.5 TB |
1.5 TB |
--- |
| black |
205'
2 min. |
2 TSP |
2 TSP |
3 TSP |
| pu-erh |
205'
1-2 min. |
2 TSP |
2 TSP |
3 TSP |
| herbal |
212'
2-3 min. |
1 tsp per 8 oz cup |
| jasmine |
180'
1 min. |
1.5 TSP |
1.5 TSP |
3 TSP |
| blossoming |
190'
2 min. |
1 blossom per cup |
You don't really need a thermometer. It is actually better to get an innate sense of water temperature through sight and feel.
Appearance of bubbles inside a kettle is a good indicator of water temperature.
175'
small bubbles appear
180'
small bubbles begin to rise
190'
medium bubbles appear
195'
medium bubbles appear to rise
205'
near boil
212'
boiling
Quickly rinse the tea for 1-2 seconds with the correct temperature water before the initial infusion. This will encourage the tea leaves to infuse more evenly, resulting in a better tasting brew.
Your tea can be re-steeped multiple times. High quality loose leaf teas are rich in tea oils and have a lot of flavor to give. Often the second or third infusion will be the most flavorful. The number of possible re-infusions depends on the type of tea and the amount of tea used.
