Brewing tea is easy! Regardless of how you made it, if the taste suits you, you brewed it right! If you didn’t care for the taste, because it wasn’t strong enough or too bitter then this post might help you.
Each type of tea has a recommended water temperature and steeping time for optimal flavor. But if you aren’t too fussy or you are too busy to fuss, the water temperature is the number 1 thing to pay attention to. Green tea typically requires lower temperature water, which means you should stop applying heat before water comes to a boil or let the pot cool off for 3 minutes after a boil. Green tea requires the least amount of time for steeping. 3 Minutes. That’s it. Green tea will get very bitter if any longer than that. Black tea can go for a maximum of 5 minutes, but I actually prefer 4. White Tea and Oolong can go for a full 5 minutes because these teas don’t get bitter as quickly as Green or Black Teas.
Above is a chart that serves as an overview of the brewing requirement for tea. It serves as a guideline and can be adjusted for personal tastes. If you typically require sugar with your cup of tea, you’ll be surprised by how little you’ll need if you reduce the amount of steeping time.