Many people ask how to make the perfect cup of tea but this question is relative to people’s taste so it is always tough to answer. Perhaps with more knowledge about what affects the taste of a cup of tea, you can experiment and find your own perfect cup.
Infusing tea is a matter of water, tea, temperature and time. The temperature of the water and the time will be determined by the type of tea and the size of the leaf. The flavor of the cup can be changed by adjusting the amount of tea, the temperature of the water and the amount of infusion time. You can use the following table as a guide to start out making whole leaf tea:
Black- 5 minutes at 205-210 degrees Fahrenheit
Oolong- 3 minutes at 175-195 degrees Fahrenheit
Japanese Green- 2 minutes at 160-175 degrees Fahrenheit
Chinese Green- 3 minutes at 170-180 degrees Fahrenheit
White- 3 minutes at 185 degrees Fahrenheit
The above table assumes 3 grams of tea with 8 ounces of water. If you aren’t able to strictly monitor the temperature of the water, you should know that 205-210 is just below boiling and for anything less, you can either let the water sit for a few minutes after it boils or you can add some cool water to bring the temperature down immediately