It’s easy to set the desired temperature of water when you have an electric kettle with temperature presets. But what to do when you are using the good old stove to heat water for your tea? Don’t worry – it’s actually not so hard to tell the water temperature, as long as you can see how the water in your kettle reacts to heat.
Green Tea: 175ºF / 80ºC
Green teas are usually brewed with water that is around 175ºF (80ºC). Right before the water in your kettle reaches this temperature, you will see tiny bubbles start forming at the bottom of the pot. And then, as soon as the bubbles start rising up to the surface, it’s time to brew your green tea.
White Tea: 185ºF / 85ºC
White teas and Yellow Teas are best brewed with water at around 185ºF (85ºC). This is when tiny bubbles, of about 3mm, start rapidly racing to the surface – more intensely than at the beginning.
Oolong Tea: 195-212ºF / 90-100ºC
Oolong teas brew best in water of around 195-212ºF (90-100ºC), depending on the oxidation level. Lower-oxidized oolongs should be treated with lower-temperature water.
At 195ºF, bubbles will become larger (while some small bubbles remain) and rush to the water surface more frequently.
Black Tea: 195ºF / 90ºC
Most Black teas (aka Red Tea – Hong Cha) should be brewed at a temperature of around 195ºF (90ºC). Bubbles will become larger (with some small bubbles still present) and will rush to the water surface more frequently.
Pu-erh Tea: 212ºF / 100ºC
Pu-erh is best brewed with boiling water. Some prefer to use water just below the boiling point – when you see that there are almost no small bubbles left, turn off the heat.
