# Brewing calculator

**Canonical URL:** https://teas.co.uk/brewing-calculator/
**Source:** teas.co.uk, UK tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent

## Description

Brew tea by the numbers. Pick what you are making, set how many cups, and the calculator returns the water temperature, steep time and leaf or bag quantity. Numbers are sourced from professional brewing tables (ITC, Camellia Sinensis, JoyOfTea) and cross checked against the supplier guidance on each product page.

1. Tea type

Black tea (English Breakfast, Assam, Yorkshire, Ceylon)
Earl Grey (bergamot black)
Green tea, Japanese (Sencha, Gyokuro, Bancha)
Green tea, Chinese (Dragon Well, Gunpowder)
White tea (Silver Needle, Bai Mu Dan)
Oolong (Tieguanyin, Da Hong Pao)
Pu erh (aged dark)
Rooibos / redbush
Herbal infusion (peppermint, chamomile, fruit)
Chai (spiced black, milk friendly)
Matcha (ceremonial grade powder)

2. Cups 200ml per cup

3. Format

Loose leaf
Tea bags

4. Strength

Light (gentle cup)
Medium (the standard)
Strong (builders' brew)

Your brew

Water temperature-
Steep time-
Leaf or bag quantity-
Total water-

Brewing reference table
If you prefer a static reference, here are our recommended brewing parameters per tea family:

Tea familyWater tempSteep timeLoose leaf per 200ml cup

Black (Assam, English Breakfast, Yorkshire)95-100°C3-5 min2.5g
Earl Grey95-100°C3-4 min2.5g
Green, Japanese (Sencha, Gyokuro)70-75°C1-2 min2.0g
Green, Chinese (Dragon Well, Gunpowder)75-85°C2-3 min2.5g
White (Silver Needle, Bai Mu Dan)75-85°C4-5 min3.0g
Oolong85-95°C3-5 min3.0g
Pu erh (dark, aged)95-100°C3-4 min3.0g
Rooibos100°C5-7 min2.5g
Herbal (peppermint, chamomile, fruit)100°C5-10 min2.0g
Chai (spiced black)100°C4-5 min3.0g
Matcha (ceremonial grade)70-80°Cwhisk 15s1.5g per 70ml bowl

Five common brewing mistakes

Boiling water on green tea. Japanese greens turn bitter above 80°C. Let the kettle stand for two minutes before pouring.
Squeezing the bag. Squeezing pushes out the bitter tannins from the end of the steep. Lift, do not squeeze.
Over steeping. A 5 minute brew of strong black tea is rarely better than a 3 minute brew. Set a timer.
Cold mug. Pre warm the cup or pot with hot water. Pouring 95°C water into a cold mug drops temperature by 10°C in seconds.
Stale water. Fresh tap water has dissolved oxygen which carries flavour. Re boiled water tastes flat.

Related guides

Brewing loose leaf tea, step by step
Ideal water temperatures by tea type
Caffeine content by tea family
The full tea wiki (687 entries)
Take the tea finder quiz

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