°C and °F · leaf per cup · timer
Tea steeping guide
How hot, how long and how much leaf, from two tea associations, with a timer to steep by.
Your pot
- Water90–100 °C194–212 °F
- Steep3–5 mintimer starts at 4:00
- Leaf2 bagsor 2 rounded teaspoons of loose tea
- Water to pour473 ml16 fl oz · 2 cups
- Tasting strength9.5 gthe ISO 3103 tasting brew, 2 g per 100 ml
Black tea
Assam, Kenya, English breakfast
- Tea Association of the USA: water a full boil, 212 °F (100 °C); steep 3–5 min.
- UK Tea & Infusions Association: water 90–98 °C (194–208 °F); steep 3–4 min.
Every tea at a glance
Pick a tea to see its water temperature, steep time and how much leaf to use, as the Tea Association of the USA and the UK Tea & Infusions Association publish them. Where the two differ, both are shown and the ranges are combined. Both say to use one tea bag or one rounded teaspoon of loose tea per cup; the cup size only changes how much water to pour.
| Tea | Water | Steep | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black tea | 90–100 °C (194–212 °F) | 3–5 min | Tea Association of the USA, UKTIA |
| Darjeeling | 90–98 °C (194–208 °F) | 3–4 min | UKTIA |
| Earl Grey | 90–98 °C (194–208 °F) | 3–4 min | UKTIA |
| Lapsang Souchong | 90–98 °C (194–208 °F) | 4–5 min | UKTIA |
| Green tea | 74–85 °C (165–185 °F) | about 1 min | Tea Association of the USA, UKTIA |
| Sencha | 80 °C (176 °F) | 2–2½ min | UKTIA |
| Jasmine | 80 °C (176 °F) | 2–3 min | UKTIA |
| Gunpowder | 80 °C (176 °F) | 3–4 min | UKTIA |
| Oolong | 82–88 °C (180–190 °F) | 3–7 min | Tea Association of the USA, UKTIA |
| White tea | 82–88 °C (180–190 °F) | 3–4 min | Tea Association of the USA |
| Herbal or fruit infusion | Freshly boiled | as the pack says | UKTIA |
The timer starts at a time inside the tea’s range; nudge it with the ±30 s buttons before or during the steep. Both associations treat their figures as starting points, so lengthen or shorten the steep to taste. “Tasting strength” is the ISO 3103 standard used by professional tasters, 2 g of black or green tea per 100 ml of boiling water. It is a strong, consistent brew for comparing teas, not a recipe for an everyday cup.
Brewing at altitude
Water boils at a lower temperature the higher you go: the USDA puts it at just under 1 °F lower for every 500 feet, and at about 198 °F (92 °C) at 7,500 feet. Enter your altitude to see the estimate. For teas brewed with boiling water, your boiling water is simply as hot as it can get; above about 9,600 feet it falls below the bottom of the black-tea range.
Sources
- Black tea with water at a full boil (212 °F) for 3–5 minutes; green tea at 165–185 °F for about a minute; large-leaf oolongs and white teas at 180–190 °F, oolongs 5–7 minutes and white tea 3–4 minutes; one teaspoon or one tea bag per cup: Home Brewing Instructions for True Tea, Tea Association of the USA (October 2024), linked from its brewing page.
- Black tea at 90–98 °C and green tea at around 80 °C; 1 tea bag or 1 rounded teaspoon per cup; brewing times for Assam, Kenya, Darjeeling and Earl Grey (3–4 minutes), Lapsang Souchong (4–5), Sencha (2–2½), Jasmine (2–3), Gunpowder (3–4) and Oolong (3–5): The Perfect Brew, UK Tea & Infusions Association.
- Herbal and fruit infusions made with freshly boiled water unless labelled for cold brewing: FAQs about infusions, UK Tea & Infusions Association.
- Tasting brew of 2 g of tea per 100 ml of boiling water, 6 minutes for black tea and 5 minutes for leafy green tea: ISO 3103:2019, Tea — Preparation of liquor for use in sensory tests, Table 1.
- Water boils at 212 °F at sea level, just under 1 °F lower with each 500 feet, and at about 198 °F at 7,500 feet: High Altitude Cooking, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. The calculator draws a straight line between those two points.
Questions
Why does green tea need cooler water?
Both associations give green tea much cooler water than black tea: around 80 °C, or 165–185 °F, which the Tea Association of the USA suggests reaching by letting boiled water stand for ten minutes. A thermometer or a kettle with temperature settings takes the guesswork out.
How much loose tea is one teaspoon?
Both associations measure loose tea by the teaspoon (the UK one says a rounded teaspoon) rather than by weight, because leaves vary so much in size. For a weight, the ISO tasting brew uses 2 g per 100 ml, which is on the strong side.
Can I make cold-brew or sun tea?
The Tea Association of the USA does not recommend sun tea or cold-brewed tea, because water that is not close to boiling does not kill bacteria that may be on the leaf. The UK association says to use freshly boiled water unless a product is labelled for cold brewing.