How to Brew Different Types of Teas

The best temperature for brewing tea depends on its type. Teas that have little or no oxidation period, such as a green or white tea, are best brewed at lower temperatures between, while teas with longer oxidation periods should be brewed at higher temperatures. This article specifies the optimal temperature and steeping time for different types of teas.

Black Tea

The water for black teas should be added near boiling point 210 °F (99 °C). Many of the active substances in black tea do not develop at temperatures lower than 90 °C. The temperature will have as large an effect on the final flavor as the type of tea used. The most common fault when making black tea is to use water at too low a temperature. It is also recommended that the teapot be warmed before preparing tea, easily done by adding a small amount of boiling water to the pot, swirling briefly, before discarding. Black teas are usually brewed for about 4 minutes and should not be allowed to steep for less than 30 seconds or more than about five. It is commonly said that a steeping time above five minutes make the tea bitter, but in reality the precise time depends on a number factors, such as the type of tea and the water quality, and bitterness can occur as early as three minutes, or not at all even after prolonged steeping. The popular varieties of black tea include the Assam tea, the Darjeeling tea and the black Ceylon tea.

Green Tea

Water for green tea, according to most accounts, should be around 176 °F to 185 °F (80 °C to 85 °C); the higher the quality of the leaves, the lower the temperature. Hotter water will burn green-tea leaves, producing a bitter taste. Preferably, the container in which the tea is steeped, the mug, or teapot should also be warmed beforehand so that the tea does not immediately cool down. High-quality green and white teas can have new water added as many as five or more times, depending on variety, at increasingly high temperatures.

Oolong Tea

Oolong teas should be brewed around 194 °F to 212 °F (90 °C to 100 °C), and again the brewing vessel should be warmed before pouring in the water. Yixing purple clay teapots are the traditional brewing vessel for oolong tea. For best results use spring water, as the minerals in spring water tend to bring out more flavor in the tea. High quality oolong can be brewed multiple times from the same leaves, and unlike green tea it improves with reuse. It is common to brew the same leaves three to five times, the third steeping usually being the best.

Source: Wikipedia (Licensed under CreativeCommons)