Life by the Cup - book review by Sanndi Thompson

from Marla Spellenberg

Q: As I sit her with my cup of tea, on this drab, drizzly, raw day, I contemplate questions for Joy about tea. My preferences for tea range from a good black tea, to the floral Chinese teas (one of which, brought back from China by a friend, actually opens as a flower in the bottom of your cup!), to nice green tea. I'm a purist in that I do not adulterate tea with milk, cream, honey or sugar. Brewing these various teas have always posed a question for me. What is the proper temperature for steeping tea? I know it must vary with variety of teas. Our tea pot, the stainless one with the element, has a knob to adjust the temperature of water. Some teas, you can pour boiling water over them, some you should not. I would love an answer to this, because I think I do abuse some of the lovely teas I have. We buy our teas from the Upton Tea Company. I love their printed catalog because they always include a history of some kind of tea, and you can purchase samples before "investing" in some of their teas.

A: Miss Marla, not only do the steeping temps & times vary, so do the answers based on who you ask! I’ve included what I believe to be the best way to get the most out of your tea, along with a chart posted online that differs a bit. As always, go with what works best for you.

Black tea - Black is the most robust of the tea varieties and can be brewed in truly boiling water at 212°F, usually steeped for 4-6 minutes.

Oolong tea - As to be expected, oolong tea falls between green and black. The best temperature is around 185-200°F, steeped for 1-4 minutes.

Green tea - You will need to be a bit gentler with your greens. The water temperature should be 165-180°F, and tea steeped for 2-4 minutes.

White tea - This delicate tea should be treated with care. Water can be a bit cooler than for green tea, at 160-170°F, steeping only for 1-2 minutes.

Rooibos - This red herbal from South Africa is very hardy stuff and should be prepared with water at 210°F, and steeped for 4-7 minutes. The same goes for Honey Bush tea.

Pu Erh - Generally delivered in compressed discs, this tea must be broken in pieces that are then placed in the tea pot and rinsed. (Merely pour hot water over the pieces in the pot, then discard the liquid.) Steep at 200-210°F for 4-8 minutes.

Herbals / Infusions / Tisanes - The array of ingredient combinations not withstanding, most herbals can be steeped at 208-212°F for 4-7 minutes. These brews are perfect for making iced tea. Simply double the amount of ‘tea’ leaves, steep as usual, and pour over ice.

“A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.”

—Eleanor Roosevelt

The chart at right from Wikipedia suggests different steeping times, however, you’ll note that this is done with multiple infusions in mind. I am of British stock, and as the Scots of yore, I prefer my tea “strong enough to trot a mouse on” ... or at least, fully steeped.

Type

Water temp. Steep time Infusions

White tea 65 to 70 °C (149 to 158 °F) 1–2 minutes 3 Yellow tea 70 to 75 °C (158 to 167 °F) 1–2 minutes 3 Green tea 75 to 80 °C (167 to 176 °F) 1–2 minutes 4–6 Oolong tea 80 to 85 °C (176 to 185 °F) 2–3 minutes 4–6 Black tea 99 °C (210 °F) 2–3 minutes 2–3 Flowering tea 100 °C (212 °F) 2–3 minutes 4–5 Pu'er tea 95 to 100 °C (203 to 212 °F)

{Limitless Several