Exact + tee
The exact cup of tea
Three numbers decide almost every cup: water temperature, leaf-to-water ratio and steep time. Get them right and cheap tea tastes good and good tea tastes wonderful.
Pick your tea
- Green tea75 °C (167 °F) · 1 g/60 ml · 1:30–2:00
- Black tea95 °C (203 °F) · 1 g/80 ml · 3:00–4:00
- Oolong tea90 °C (194 °F) · 1 g/60 ml · 2:30–3:00
- White tea80 °C (176 °F) · 1 g/50 ml · 4:00–5:00
- Pu-erh tea98 °C (208 °F) · 1 g/50 ml · 2:00–3:00
- Matcha80 °C (176 °F) · 2 g/70 ml · whisk 15–20 s
- Herbal tea & rooibos100 °C (212 °F) · 1 g/80 ml · 5:00–7:00
Temperature
Boiling water scalds delicate greens and whites. Most bitterness comes from water that is too hot, not tea that steeped too long.
Ratio
Weigh your leaf. A gram per 50–80 ml is the sweet spot for most teas, and a €15 kitchen scale beats any teaspoon.
Time
Use a timer, then adjust in 30-second steps. Write down what you liked — that is your exact cup.
Tea for a long read
A pot of oolong lasts a chapter, a pot of pu-erh lasts a book. Pair your tea with what you’re reading →