Different teas require different steeping temperatures
To steep the perfect cup of tea, people often think of timing as the crucial factor and forget about the water temperature. Ideal temperatures vary depending on what variety of tea you’re making. The proper tea brewing temperature can range anywhere from 140 degrees for specialty green teas to 212 degrees (a full boil) for black and herbal teas, with plenty of gradations in between.
It’s important to brew teas at the proper temperature to get the best flavor from your tea. Use water that’s too hot, and you could burn delicate tea leaves, resulting in an unpleasantly bitter cup. Use water that’s too cool, and you risk ending up with a weak, less flavorful cup of tea. Here are some types of tea and their ideal brewing temperatures:
- Black tea: 212 degrees
- Green tea: 175 to 180 degrees
- White tea: 175 to 180 degrees
- Oolong tea: 195 degrees
- Pu-erh tea: 212 degrees
That being said, you don’t necessarily need any fancy equipment like an electric kettle with temperature control. While these devices are handy, people have been brewing tea without them for hundreds of years and still get a great result. You can simply pay close attention to the water in your kettle as it warms; depending on the type of tea, it may be ready when it first starts to steam, when it’s steaming briskly, or when it has reached a full boil.
