Are your trying to brew you perfect cup of tea ? Then you'll want to know how long to steep your tea, be it black, green, white, herbal, or any other tea type out there.
I'll help you figure out times and water temps, so you can always get a great cup of tea.
Table of Contents
How long should green tea steep ?
Green tea is one of the most finicky tea out there.
Get it right, and it's a delicate, fresh tea.
Get it wrong and you'll want to throw it all out, immediately.
The right amount of time to steep green tea is between 2 and 3 minutes, at a water temperature of 80 C/176 F.
Some green teas are going to need shorter steep times. The fuller and longer the tea leaf, the longer the steeping time.
So a green tea teabag will need less time to steep than full, loose leaves.
What I suggest, with all teas not just green, is to taste as you go. Let the tea steep for two minutes, then take a teaspoon and try to taste it.
If you're happy with the taste, then stop there,. If not, give it another half minute.
Do not let it sit for too long, since the more you go over those 2 minutes, the more you risk overextracting your tea.
It will become bitter and turn a dark yellow color, almost amber. That's never a good sign, since green tea is meant to look golden at worst.
By the way, if your brew doesn't turn out pale green, don't worry. Most green teas do not produce a green infusion, unless the leaves have been steamed while processing.
Those are the Japanese teas, like Gyokuro for example.
When steeping green tea I seriously recommend starting a timer on your phone, from the moment you placed the leaves in the water so you don't lose track of time.
It could be a kitchen timer, an alarm on your watch, whatever. Just make sure you time it precisely.
One trip to the bathroom and boom, you forgot your tea for 10 minutes. I should know, I used to be a champion at this in college and threw away many brews.
How long should black tea steep ?
Black tea is much more forgiving than green tea, in that it can take a higher temp water and a longer steeping time.
You should allow black tea 3-5 minutes to steep, at 90 C/194 F water.
Best to err on the side of caution, and taste the brew after it's had 3 minutes of steeping.
Your tea should have already turned a lovely dark amber/orange/red color by now. It probably won't smell marvelous, since black tea isn't impressive in smell.
But, it should have a beautiful color.
If you're happy with the way the tea tastes after 3 minutes, stop it there and you're done.
If not, keep checking every half minute, since it can quickly turn bitter when it gets closer to the 5 minute mark.
Again, using a timer/alarm will help with not overextracting the tea.
Black tea can and does get bitter if you let it steep for too long, and it will deepen in color. The bitterness of a black tea is a bit more manageable than green tea, but it's still too much sometimes.
To this tea you can add a dash of milk to take off the edge.
(If you like this article so far, you can pin it to your Pinterest board by clicking the image below. The article continues after the image.)
How long should white tea steep ?
White tea is a very delicate one, and it's not exactly easy to steep it.
Depending on where you got your white tea from, it might need more or less time to steep.
White tea needs anywhere from 3 minutes to even 10 to steep properly, at 80 C/176 F.
This is because white tea is made of tea buds, which are thicker than tea leaves. They take a bit more time to steep.
So you're going to seriously need to taste this tea every half minute, after it reaches the 3 minute mark.
Each white tea is different, and will release its flavor sooner or later. It's your duty as a tea lover to get to know your white tea and exactly when it releases all of its flavor, without becoming bitter.
For example I've had white tea steeped for 5 minute, and white tea steeped for 3 minutes. Both were good, and it really depends on what kind of white tea you get.
What you should remember about white tea is that it's more delicate and watery than any other tea.
As you taste it every half minute or so, you might find it hard to notice when the tea is done, if you're not used to what white tea tastes like.
It can fool an untrained palate, and if you're expecting a strong flavor to guide yourself by, you'll be disappointed.
How long to steep rooibos tea ?
Rooibos tea is a very beautiful tea, and is a favorite of mine in autumn and early winter.
When most people start making hot cocoa, we start brewing rooibos with a dash of milk.
You'll need to steep rooibos tea for 3-7 minutes, at 90 C/194 F.
It's going to give you a deep, dark red color, actually more towards amber than anything. It will be cloudier than black tea, though very reminiscent of it.
Since this is a herbal tea, you'll find that it can steep for a good few minutes without turning bitter.
This is a tea that's going to taste strong enough so tasting as you go will be a good indicator. Though I think you should go by color as well.
How long to steep oolong tea ?
Oolong tea is best brewed like green tea.
At a lower water temp, around 80 C/174 F, for 2-3 minutes if you're looking to brew it in the typical Western style.
This means using any kind of teapot, brewing the leaves, then pouring out the strained contents.
This allows you to enjoy the taste of an oolong in a way that is very familiar.
However if you're looking for the traditional method and time to steep oolong tea, you're looking for the Gong Fu style.
You will need a small tea pot. Very small, about as large as a mug.
Place a large amount of oolong tea leaves, whether they're rolled or twisted, and add the hot water. Add only as much water as you would need for 3-4 sips of tea.
Let the tea leaves infuse the water for 10-15 seconds, strain completely into your cup, and drink.
Add again as much hot water as you need into the small teapot, let sit for a few seconds, and then strain again.
This method focuses more on how the taste of an oolong can change with each subsequent steeping.
It requires you to be patient, focused on the tea itself, and curious about all the differences between the first and the 5th steep. Or as many steeps as your oolong will allow.
Most tea leaves can be reused, not just the oolong. But each subsequent steep will be weaker or slightly different than the one before.
How long to steep Pu'er tea ?
Pu'er tea is a work of art in its own right. So how do you brew it to fully enjoy all its nuances ?
This tea can be steeped like the oolong, both in Western style and in Asian style.
For Western style Pu'er tea, your will need 90 C/194 F water, and let the tea steep for 2-4 minutes.
Taste as you go, since this tea has many nuances and you'll want to know where to stop for your own palate.
As for the Asian style, you will again need the small teapot. You should be looking for a gaiwan, easily available in many stores and online.
If you don't already own a gaiwan, then this one will do very well.
It's a nice size, about 90 ml/ 3 oz, which means you can brew exactly enough for a few sips and not leave any water on the leaves unless you want to.
It might look like a very small item, and it is.
It's the way the Gong Fu ceremony works, since it requires more patience and care than the usual Western style.
You can find the listing on this gaiwan on Amazon here, and browse their listing for some Pu'er cakes as well.
Once you've got your gaiwan, you'll need to add as many tea leaves as you intend to drink.
Add a bit of hot water, as much as you like for 3-4 sips of tea. Let it infuse for 10-15 seconds, strain into a small cup, and enjoy.
Add water again, let it infuse for a few seconds, and strain again.
You will need to add a few more seconds for each subsequent infusion.
I recommend adding 5 seconds for each, so you'd be drinking the tea after 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 seconds and so on.
Each infusion will diminish the remaining flavor in your Pu'er.
How long to steep herbal tea ?
As for herbal tea, it's much like steeping rooibos tea.
You'll need to heat your water to 90 C/194 F, and let the tea steep for 3-7 minutes.
Since herbal teas contain no caffeine and no tannins, there is no way to make them bitter unless you severely over steep them.
Even then, they'll still be drinkable. As in tolerable to drink but I wouldn't recommend it.
Herbal tea is meant to be enjoyed Western style, in that steeping it once in a large amount of water is enough.
Should you cover tea when steeping ?
Yes, covering your tea when steeping is helpful. It's not mandatory, but it helps your tea in a few ways.
First, it ensures you keep exactly as much water as you want in your cup. The condensation that will form on the lid will drip back into the cup.
Second, it means that your tea won't lose its flavor as fast. Flavor can evaporate through the steam released by tea, so if the steam has nowhere to go, it will go back into your tea.
And third, covering your tea makes sure your infusion remains at a certain temperature for longer.
So yes, do cover your tea when you steep it. It also helps keep away germs or hairs or lint, anything that could contaminate your tea when you're not looking.
Final thoughts
I hope you found some good answers here. Each tea type has a steep time of its own, and it's important to respect that.
You can always play with time and water temperature a bit, so you can find the right infusion for you.
You might like your black tea on the lighter side, or you might like it a bit bitter. You won't know until you try it.
That's how I found out rooibos can be steeped for longer than 5 minutes, and becomes a nice tea to add milk to.
If you want to know more about coffee or tea, feel free to check the related articles below. Who knows what else you might find ?
