Learn an easy way to brew loose leaf tea, including the best temperatures for each kind of tea, from Tegan Woo, former founder of Amoda Tea.
All "tea" comes from the Camellia Sinensis bush, whether it's black, oolong, green, white, yellow, or pu-erh.
Yet even though all of those teas come from the same plant, each tea is unique and has its own requirements for brewing.
In this article, tea expert Tegan Woo, of Amoda Tea, will break down the details to help you brew a perfect cup of loose-leaf tea.
Learn More About Loose Leaf Tea
If you want to deep-dive into the different varieties of loose leaf tea, check out this Beginner's Guide to Loose Leaf Tea, also written by Tegan Woo.
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Tea Brewing Supplies
- Loose Leaf Tea
- Water
- Kettle
- Mug or Cup
- Tea Infuser
- Tea Spoon (optional)
When it comes to tea infusers, you have a lot of options!
Try using a tea infuser cup for an individual serving of tea, or get a stainless steel infuser basket for your teapot.
These days, you can even find teapots that come with their own properly fitting infuser basket.
If you like the convenience of tea bags, look for biodegradable unbleached (brown) tea filters that you can fill with your preferred loose-leaf tea.
Avoid Using a Tea Ball
They can be messy to use, and there isn't enough surface area for the tea to steep properly.
Another handy item to have in your tea-making arsenal is a dedicated tea spoon that helps you measure just the right amount of tea every time.
Lastly, you'll need a tea kettle or pot to boil the water for your tea.
Since each type of tea benefits from different water temperatures, it's handy to have a variable temperature kettle.
If you don't have one, it's not a deal-breaker, though. Just open the lid and let the water cool down a bit before pouring it over your tea leaves.
You can also try steeping more delicate teas for a shorter amount of time.
Suggested Tea Brewing Temperatures
These suggested temperatures can help you heat your water to a temperature that will bring out the best flavours of each tea.
- Pu-erh: 100°C / 212°F (full rolling boil)
- Black Tea: 96°C / 206°F (a bit less than a full boil)
- Oolong: 85 - 98°C / 185°- 210°F (below boiling)
- Green Tea: 76° - 85°C / 170° - 185° F (well below boiling)
- White Tea: 76° - 85°C / 170° - 185° F (well below boiling)
As a general rule, delicate teas like white and green tea should never be brewed with boiling water because it burns the leaves.
The exact perfect temperature for oolong, green and white tea can depend on your taste preferences.
Try brewing these teas at temperatures in the recommended range, and take note of which temperature gave you the best flavour.
How to Brew Tea with an Infuser
An easy way to brew loose-leaf tea is to use a tea infuser! This could be an infuser cup or a teapot with a stainless steel infuser basket.
Step 1: Heat Your Water
If you have a regular kettle, wait for the water to boil. Otherwise, set the kettle to the recommended temperature (see above) and heat the water.
Step 2: Measure Your Loose Leaf Tea
Measure tea with a tea spoon and place it into your infuser cup or infuser basket.
Start with 1 teaspoon of tea per 8oz cup (250mL) of water. If the tea is quite bulky, like white tea or chamomile flowers, use 2 teaspoons.
Once you've made a few cups of tea, you'll be able to figure out if you want to use more or less tea for an 8oz cup to get your perfect cup of tea.
Step 3: Steep Your Tea
Pour heated water over the leaves and steep for the recommended time.
- White Tea: 3-5 minutes
- Green Tea: 1-3 minutes
- Oolong Tea: 3-5 minutes
- Black Tea: 3-5 minutes
- Pu-erh Tea: 2-5 minutes
- Herbal Tea: 5 minutes
Make Your Perfect Cup
Finding the right steeping time is key to making loose-leaf tea. These guidelines are just a starting point. With practice, you'll discover the perfect timing for your ideal flavour.
Step 4: Remove Tea and Enjoy While Hot
Remove the infuser from your cup or teapot, but don't throw it out yet! I like to rest mine on a saucer.
Pour tea into mug or cup (if using a teapot), and add milk or sweetener (if desired).
Bonus: Re-steeping Your Leaves
Many teas can be infused a few times. This is especially true for oolongs and pu-erhs, but try it out with all your teas!
With each subsequent steep of the same cup of leaves, lengthen the steeping time.
What this means is, don't throw away your loose leaf tea leaves after your first cup! Try steeping a second and a third infusion.
You'll get more bang for your buck!
Frequently Asked Questions
The easiest way to steep tea is to just pour hot water over the leaves in a cup, and then sip carefully. However, this works better with large rolled teas like oolong rather than teas with small leaves. If you don't have an infuser, but you do have a strainer, simply strain the brewed tea into another vessel before drinking.
No. While a variable temperature kettle can be handy, you can certainly brew tea without one. If you're brewing a delicate tea (like Green tea) with a standard kettle, you can open the lid to let the water cool down a bit before pouring it on the leaves. Also, brewing the tea for less time may help prevent it from tasting bitter.
If you enjoyed this guide to brewing loose-leaf tea, you might also enjoy this collection of delicious tea sandwiches, including my pimento cheese sandwiches and smoked salmon sandwiches.
This guide on how to make loose-leaf tea was originally published on June 09, 2015, by Tegan Woo. It has since been edited and re-published by Shareba Abdul. All images are credited to Tegan Woo.
Please note that specific products mentioned may not be the exact ones that Tegan recommended, as product listings have changed over the years.
This is not a sponsored post. Links to Amoda tea products are not affiliate links.
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