A good temperature for your tea is much more important than you might think. If you have the wrong temperature, you can for example, burn the tea leaves, making the tea taste very bitter. This can especially happen with white and green tea. Have you ever made a green tea and thought it was very bitter? Chances are your water just came out of the kettle and was way too hot.
If the water for your tea is not at the right temperature, the taste will not come into its own. In addition, it is also very important that you always let the water boil well and only then let it cool down to the correct temperature that is needed. This has to do with the position of the molecules. In other words, if the water is not properly boiled, the tea cannot fully release its flavours. The water will not absorb it.
The best temperature also differs per tea type. For example, white tea must be brewed with water of 75 degrees. Green tea is best at 80 degrees. For oolong tea it is 85 degrees. These three teas also have an average brewing time of the tea. This brewing time is 3 minutes.
For black tea it is best to use water of 95 degrees. You can easily let this tea steep for 4 to 4,5 minutes. With herbal tea you can use water of 95 to 100 degrees. In principle you can let this tea brew as long as you want. Because this tea is not made from the camellia sinensis plant, this tea cannot become bitter. However, we recommend that you let this tea steep for 5 minutes. This way you have the ultimate taste for a delicious tea.
The recommended temperature and brewing time are also stated on the bags and packaging of all our teas! (In case you forgot ;))
There are several tools to achieve the correct temperature. For example, you can think of a thermometer to measure your water temperature. But you also have very smart kettles where you can set the temperature. For example, you can indicate, I want a water temperature of 80 degrees. This cooker first boils the water and lets it cool down to 80 degrees. This way you can also indicate that the water should remain at 80 degrees. How convenient is that!
If you don’t have a thermometer of a smart kettle, you can always pour the water in a different cup or teapot or let it cool down. If you pour the water into a teapot, the temperature will drop by an average of 10 degrees. You can also choose to let the water cool down. If you have a full kettle, it takes 5 minutes for the water to cool for green and white tea, 3 minutes for oolong tea and 2 minutes for black and all herbal teas. Don’t forget to open the lid!
