Measure the Water Temperature

If you’ve ever had green tea that was bitter, chances are the water was way too hot. Water temp. is important; you would never bake a cake 50 degrees hotter or colder than the recipe called for; you should be just as diligent with your tea.

Recommended brewing water temperatures for different tea types.

Tea Image	Tea Type	Recommended Water Temperature
	Black Tea	Boiling (212°F) You can hear and see the bubbles breaking the surface of the water; your kettle should be whistling like crazy.
	Dark Tea (and Puer)	200–210°F Just short of a rolling boil, "fish-eye" bubbles are forming on the surface and the kettle is beginning to hiss.
	Oolong Tea	190–203°F The steam should be strongly coming out of your kettle's spout in a steady column, but bubbles should not be breaking the surface.
	Green Tea (and Yellow)	175–185°F The steam should be coming out of your kettle's spout in a gentle wafting/wisping motion—like steam rising off the frozen surface of a Minnesota lake in February.
	White Tea	Brewing temperatures vary widely. Classic steeping is 175°F, when the very first hints of steam begin to rise from the kettle. We have also found that some white teas develop more flavor when brewed at 180–190°F.

Basically, the hotter the water-the more flavor chemicals (including any bitter flavors) you will pull into the steep water.

The above are general guidelines, and there are many exceptions.   All TeaSource packages come with steeping suggestions on the back. These are just meant to be starting points. Feel free to experiment and find what suits you best.

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