Tea Steeping Calculator

Roughly 1 g per 100 ml for most styles, so about 2.5 g in a standard 250 ml cup. Pu-erh and herbal infusions take more; delicate greens take about the same but at a much lower temperature.

Around 75 °C. Above about 80 °C the catechins extract fast and the tea turns bitter, which is the single most common green tea mistake and is not fixed by shortening the steep.

Usually water too hot for the style, or steeping too long. Tannins extract more slowly than the flavour compounds, so an over-long steep is astringent even at the right temperature.

Whole-leaf oolong and pu-erh are made for it, and the second and third infusions are often better than the first. Broken-leaf tea in bags extracts almost everything in one go.

No — herbal infusions are not tea and contain no tannins to turn astringent. They take full boiling water and a long steep, and they do not become bitter the way real tea does.

Near-boiling, around 95 to 100 °C. Under-heated water is the usual cause of a weak, flat cup, and adding more leaf does not fix it.

Substantially. Very hard water flattens delicate teas and can leave a surface scum; heavily chlorinated water is worse. Filtered water is the single easiest improvement to a cup.

It makes little difference to dissolved oxygen in practice, despite the common claim. What matters more is not boiling water that has stood for hours picking up stale flavours.

As much as possible. A cramped infuser ball prevents the leaves unfurling and gives a weak cup regardless of quantity — a basket or a pot works far better.

It made a real difference when fine porcelain could crack from hot tea, which is where the argument started. Today it changes only the mixing behaviour and how much the milk scalds.

Airtight, cool, dark and away from strong smells. Tea absorbs odours readily, which is why a jar next to the coffee is a bad idea.

Green and white teas are best within a year and lose brightness noticeably. Black tea keeps longer, and pu-erh is one of the few that genuinely improves with age.