Water temperature
Hotter water extracts faster and can emphasise bitterness or astringency. Cooler water can protect delicate aromas but may need more time.
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Tea encyclopaedia · Brewing
Brewing tea well.
Good tea brewing is controlled extraction. Temperature, dose, time, water and vessel can make the same leaf taste sweet and aromatic, thin and quiet, or harsh and drying.
Change one thing
Four controls explain most brewing adjustments.
Leaf-to-water ratio
More leaf does not simply mean stronger tea: it can enable shorter repeated infusions and reveal a different progression of flavour.
Time
Longer contact increases extraction. If a tea tastes thin, harsh or flat, time is one of the easiest variables to change deliberately.
Water
Mineral content affects extraction, aroma and texture. Very hard water can mute fragrance and leave some teas feeling dull or heavy.
Starting points, not commandments
Use the leaf as the final authority.
Green tea
70–85°C
1–3 min
Start cooler for delicate Japanese greens; hotter water can work well for robust pan-fired styles.
White tea
80–95°C
3–5 min
Whole, bulky leaves often tolerate hotter water and longer steeps than their delicate appearance suggests.
Oolong
85–100°C
1–4 min
Rolled and roasted oolongs often respond well to hotter water and repeated infusions.
Black tea
90–100°C
2–5 min
Strong breakfast teas usually tolerate boiling water; fine, aromatic black teas may reward slightly cooler brewing.
Dark / pu-erh
95–100°C
Short to long
Often brewed hot and repeatedly. Compressed leaves may need a little time to open.
Western-style brewing
Less leaf, more water, longer steep.
This is the familiar teapot or mug approach. It suits everyday black tea particularly well and works across many other styles when temperature and time are adjusted.
Repeated infusions
More leaf, less water, shorter steeps.
Gaiwan and small-pot brewing can show how a tea changes across successive infusions. It is particularly revealing for oolong, white tea and many dark teas.