Herbal tea and rooibos steep time and temperature

Herbal infusions (tisanes) are not from the tea plant at all, and most are caffeine-free. Because they contain no tea catechins, they rarely turn bitter, so fully boiling water and long steeps are your friends.

Water

100 °C212 °F

Leaf

1 gper 80 ml

Steep

5:00–7:00

Re-steeps

1

Good examples: Rooibos, honeybush, chamomile, peppermint, hibiscus, ginger.

Step by step

1. Heat fresh water to 100 °C (212 °F).
2. Weigh 1 g of leaf for every 80 ml of water (e.g. 3.8 g for a 300 ml mug).
3. Pour the water over the leaves and steep for 5:00–7:00.
4. Strain completely so the leaves don’t keep steeping. Keep the leaves for the next infusion.

Getting it exact

• Rooibos can steep for 10 minutes or more and only gets rounder.
• Cover the cup while chamomile and mint steep, to keep the aromatic oils in the cup rather than the air.
• Hibiscus extracts fast and tart: start at 4 minutes.

Quick fix: Weak? Steep longer or add leaf; it is almost impossible to over-steep rooibos.

Scale this for your cup →