Making tea seems like a simple process at first glance: hot water, tea leaves, let it steep for a while and you have a delicious cup of tea. But behind this seemingly simple process is a science that greatly affects the taste, aroma and quality of your tea. One of the most important factors in making tea is the right combination of water temperature and infusion time. Each tea variety requires specific conditions to allow the flavours to develop optimally. In this master class, we discuss the ideal temperatures and infusion times for different teas and what happens when you experiment with these.
The importance of water temperature and brewing time
Water temperature and brewing time are the keys to releasing the flavours and aromas in the tea leaves. Tea contains complex compounds such as polyphenols, tannins, amino acids and essential oils that are responsible for its flavour, texture and aroma. The temperature of the water determines how quickly and to what extent these compounds are extracted from the leaves, while brewing time affects the intensity of this extraction.
Too hot water or too long a brew can produce a bitter and tart flavour, while too cold water or too short a brew produces a bland, bland tea.
Water temperatures and brewing times per type of tea
1. Green Tea: 70-80°C, 2-3 minutes
Green tea is known for its delicate, slightly sweet and sometimes vegetal flavour. As the leaves are minimally oxidised, they are more sensitive to heat. Using too hot water (above 80°C) can cause the tannins in green tea to dissolve too quickly, resulting in a bitter taste.
- What happens if the temperature is too high? Green tea will become bitter and astringent, with little nuance in flavour. The fine, floral and grassy notes are lost.
- What happens if you vary? With a lower temperature (60-70°C), you get a more subtle flavour that is softer and brings out the freshness of the leaves better. A longer steeping time (4-5 minutes) can also give interesting, mellow flavours, although the tea should not steep too long to avoid bitterness.
2. White Tea: 75-85°C, 3-5 minutes
White tea is even more lightly processed than green tea and has a subtle and delicate character. Because the leaves are only lightly dried, they need more time and a slightly higher temperature to release their full flavour profile.
- What happens if you keep the temperature too low? With too cold water (below 70°C), white tea will not fully blossom, and the flavour will be flat and not very intense.
- What happens with variation? White tea is less sensitive to high temperatures than green tea, so experimenting with a slightly higher temperature (85-90°C) can enhance the floral and sweet notes, but longer infusions (more than 5 minutes) can lead to a somewhat tart aftertaste.
3. Oolong Tea: 85-95°C, 3-5 minutes
Oolong is a semi-oxidised tea that sits between green and black tea in terms of flavour profile. Light oolongs require a lower temperature (85°C), while dark oolongs give better extraction at higher temperatures (up to 95°C).
- What happens if the temperature is too low? If the temperature is too low, especially for dark oolongs, the tea will not fully reveal its full, rich flavour profile. The complex, roasted and sometimes fruity notes will remain hidden.
- What happens with variation? By increasing the infusion time to 6-7 minutes at a low temperature (75-80°C), you can bring out delicate, sweet and floral flavours. At a shorter infusion time and higher temperature, you get a more robust, intense flavour.
4. Black tea: 90-100°C, 3-4 minutes
Black tea is fully oxidised and therefore needs the hot water to release its powerful flavours. Temperatures between 90 and 100°C are ideal for extracting the rich, robust flavours of black tea from the leaves.
- What happens if the water is not hot enough? Too cold water will not extract enough of the flavour components from the black tea, resulting in a bland, weak tea.
- What happens if you vary? A shorter brewing time (2 minutes) with hot water can produce a milder tea, while a longer brewing time (5-6 minutes) brings out the tannins, giving a more powerful, slightly bitter taste.
5. Pu-erh tea: 95-100°C, 3-5 minutes
Pu-erh tea is a fermented tea with a unique, earthy flavour profile. It needs hot water and a relatively long infusion time to fully develop its complex flavours.
Short brewing pu-erh several times (e.g. 30 seconds to 1 minute at a time) allows you to discover new layers of flavour each time. Shortening brewing with lower temperatures can make pu-erh taste softer, while longer brewing times and higher temperatures enhance the depth and intensity of flavours.
6. Infusions: 95-100°C, 5-10 minutes
Infusions generally contain no actual tea leaves and consist of a variety of herbs, flowers and fruits. It often requires boiling water (100°C) and a longer brewing time to extract the full flavours and health benefits of the herbs.
Experiment with longer draw times to obtain deeper flavours. However, using too cold water often results in a weak infusion.
Experimenting with Water Temperatures and Brewing Times
While there are guidelines for ideal temperatures and brew times, making tea is also a matter of personal preference. It is really worth experimenting with different temperatures and brewing times, as this can yield surprising results. Here are some examples of how you can experiment:
- By using lower temperatures for strong teas like oolong or black tea, you can discover unexpected sweet or floral flavours that are otherwise suppressed by the tannins.
- When using short draw times and repeated draws (as is often done with oolong and pu-erh), you can discover different layers of flavours in the same tea.
- If you find the tea too bitter or weak, you can vary by using lower temperatures to steep longer or higher temperatures for a shorter time.
The combination of the right water temperature and brewing time is incredibly important for brewing the perfect cup of tea. Each type of tea requires a different approach, and experimenting with the water temperature or brewing time can help you discover new flavours and aromas you might otherwise miss.
