Making the perfect cup of tea is easy. On the other hand, it’s also easy to miss; particularly with more delicate varieties of tea.
The trick is to know and follow the “rules” of steeping.
Did you know that each kind of tea has its own rules? Yeppers. Things like water temperature and steeping time can have a dramatic effect on the end result.
For example, water at 100° (boiling) can turn green tea bitter, leaving an infusion that is far less than optimal. Green tea should be steeped with water that is around 75° (Wait a minute…does this mean it’s possible that some people who believe they don’t like green tea…have really never had a properly-steeped cup?! *gasp* How tragic!).
But never fear! We’ve got the rules laid out for you in this quick reference chart. Like a good friend, it’ll be there for when you need that helpful advice on getting the perfectly steeped cup.
(By the way, for Rooibos and some Fruit teas, you can actually leave the steeping for as long as you like, as they won’t turn bitter with over-steeping; 5 minutes is just the minimum. Also, generally speaking, 1 heaping teaspoon of dry loose tea for 1 cup of water will do the trick).
Happy steeping! ♥
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March 29, 2016 at 11:57 am
I wasn’t aware of the different temperatures for steeping different teas before I started writing my blog and as a result once ruined a highly rated (and rather expensive) shincha green tea. I can’t believe how bad the taste was compared to how it should have been!
Hopefully your post will stop people making the same mistake.
Rory,
http://teaandthat.com
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April 1, 2016 at 1:48 am
Rory, thanks for your thoughts! All the best with your blog. Looks like you’re off to a fantastic start!
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