Start with the water, not the leaf
Most brewing problems begin before the tea is even measured out. A full, rolling 100°C boil is correct for one category of tea and damaging to several others. Getting the temperature right is the single most reliable improvement you can make.
Black tea needs boiling water, applied immediately off the boil — not water that has been sitting in the kettle for twenty minutes slowly cooling. Freshly boiled water carries dissolved oxygen that brightens the flavour; stale water produces a flat, dull brew. Steep for three to five minutes depending on the grade of leaf, and you have the basis of a proper cup.
Why green tea needs cooler water
Green tea's character comes largely from its catechins — the polyphenols responsible for that clean, slightly grassy freshness. Catechins turn harsh and mouth-puckeringly bitter when scalded by boiling water. The target is 70°C to 80°C: water brought to the boil and left to cool for a few minutes, or set directly on a variable-temperature kettle.
Steep time matters just as much. Two minutes is often enough; beyond three, bitterness starts to dominate even at the correct temperature. Set a timer until you know the leaf you're working with.
White tea is less processed, more delicate, and made from younger buds and leaves. It benefits from similarly cool water — perhaps slightly cooler than green — and a longer steep to coax out its softer flavours. It won't punish an extra minute the way green will.
Oolong and multiple infusions
Oolong sits between green and black in oxidation and behaves differently from both. Water around 85°C to 90°C is the target: hot enough to open rolled or twisted leaves, cool enough to preserve the aromatics.
Quality oolong repays steeping two, three or even four times. Keep each successive infusion short — a minute or less — and the leaf reveals a slightly different character each time. The first steep might be floral and light; the second fuller; the third deeper and earthier. This is one of the stronger arguments for whole-leaf oolong over broken-grade teabag material. For oolong's place in the single-plant, six-tea story, see our separate article on that subject.
Herbal infusions
Herbal infusions — chamomile, peppermint, rooibos, hibiscus and the rest — share a name with tea but not a plant. Made from dried flowers, leaves, roots or berries, they need full boiling water and a longer steep than any of the above. Cover the cup or pot while they steep; escaping heat reduces extraction and weakens the result. Five to ten minutes suits most herbs, though a robust blend like rooibos can take longer without turning unpleasant.
Leaf grade, space and over-steeping
Broken-leaf grades — the smaller, finer particles in most teabags — expose more surface area, so they brew fast and strong. They suit a short steep, take milk well, and are built for convenience. Whole-leaf grades take longer to open, releasing flavour more gradually and with more complexity. Neither is wrong; they serve different purposes.
Both require space. A cramped infuser packed too tight, or a teabag squeezed into too small a pot, stops the leaf swelling and moving freely. Extraction suffers — a weak, uneven result from what may be excellent tea. Loose leaf in a roomy pot, or at minimum a generously sized infuser, makes a measurable difference. Our loose-leaf guide covers this in more detail.
Over-steeping black tea produces the tannic astringency that makes the throat contract. Tannins are present in all tea, but over-exposure amplifies the effect. Milk binds to some of those tannins and softens the sensation — which is why a strong, over-steeped brew becomes acceptable with a generous splash. Brew to time and you need far less milk to rescue the cup.
