Tea Steeping Times & Temperatures: A Complete Brewing Guide

Quick steeping chart (Western style)

A standard, single-cup steep uses roughly 2 g of loose-leaf tea per 100 ml of water. These are reliable starting points; adjust to taste.

Tip: the more delicate the leaf, the cooler the water and the shorter the steep.

Steeping each type of tea

Green tea

Green tea is delicate. Use water around 176°F (80°C) and steep for about 3 minutes. Water that is too hot or a steep that runs too long turns green tea bitter and astringent. Japanese greens like sencha and gyokuro go cooler still.

White tea

White tea is light but forgiving. Try 185°F (85°C) for about 4 minutes. It rewards a slightly longer steep without turning harsh.

Oolong tea

Oolong spans a wide range. For a Western steep use 194°F (90°C) for about 3.5 minutes. Oolong also shines with gongfu brewing (see below), where short, repeated infusions reveal how the flavor evolves cup to cup.

Black tea

Black tea takes full heat. Use boiling water, 212°F (100°C), and steep 4 minutes. Shorten the time slightly for a milder cup or if you take it with milk.

Pu-erh tea

Pu-erh brews dark and earthy at 212°F (100°C). A standard steep is about 5 minutes, though pu-erh is excellent gongfu style with many short infusions.

Herbal tea & tisanes

Herbal blends are not true tea and like a long, hot steep: 212°F (100°C) for 5 to 7 minutes. They will not turn bitter, so steep until the flavor is as strong as you like.

Gongfu brewing: short, repeated infusions

Gongfu style uses a high leaf-to-water ratio (around 5 to 6 g per 100 ml) and a series of short steeps, so one set of leaves yields many cups that change with each infusion.

Add about 5 to 10 seconds to each successive infusion as the leaves give up more slowly.

Japanese green tea

Japanese greens are temperature-sensitive. Sencha brews around 158°F (70°C), gyokuro even cooler at 140°F (60°C), while roasted hojicha and genmaicha take hotter water near 185 to 195°F (85 to 90°C). Steeps are short, often under a minute for the first infusion.

Cold brew tea

Cold brewing makes a smooth, low-bitterness tea. Use about 8 g of leaf per liter of cold water and steep in the refrigerator: roughly 6 hours for green, 8 hours for white, oolong, and black, and up to 12 hours for herbal. No heat required.

Frequently asked questions