What water temperature for each tea?
Green tea: 70-80 °C. White tea: 80-85 °C. Oolong: 85-95 °C depending on oxidation. Black tea: 90-95 °C. Matcha: 75-80 °C. These guidelines refine themselves with practice.
Preparing tea
Preparing tea requires few gestures but a precise attention. Below are the most useful guidelines, to be adjusted to the leaf and the day.
How long should I steep?
As a guideline: 1 to 2 minutes for green tea, 3 to 5 minutes for white tea, 2 to 4 minutes for black tea, 30 seconds to 1 minute for oolong in successive short infusions.
What dosage should I use?
Use about 2 to 3 g of leaves per 200 ml of water for tea brewed in a teapot. For gong fu cha, the dosage increases (5 to 8 g per 100 ml) with shorter infusions.
Which water should I use?
A low-mineral, low-chlorine water lets the leaf express itself. A soft spring or filtered water suits most teas.
Can the leaves be reinfused?
Yes. Most whole-leaf teas accept two or more infusions, each one revealing a different facet. Oolongs and some black teas lend themselves to this especially well.