Notes on Tea

Water temperature

Green

70-80 C. Above that the leaf turns bitter and the sweetness disappears.

White

80-85 C. Longer steeping compensates for the lower temperature.

Oolong

90-95 C. Rolled leaves need heat to open at all.

Black

95-100 C. The only category that tolerates a full boil.

Pu-erh

100 C, with a short rinse discarded before the first real infusion.

Leaf to water

Western brewing: roughly 3 g per 200 ml, one or two infusions. Gongfu brewing: 5-8 g per 100 ml, many short infusions, each a few seconds longer than the last. The second approach rewards attention and punishes distraction.

Storage

Away from light, heat, moisture and anything with a smell. Green tea keeps for about a year, oolong rather longer, and aged pu-erh improves for decades if the humidity stays moderate and stable.

A note on timing

Most mistakes are steeping mistakes, not leaf mistakes. Thirty seconds too long will ruin good tea more reliably than mediocre leaf ever will.