Tea Timer

Why use a tea timer?

Tea steeping time matters more than most people realize. Over-steep and you extract bitter tannins; under-steep and you miss the flavor entirely. Different teas need very different times — green tea bitters quickly, while a herbal tisane benefits from longer extraction. Use this timer to steep accurately and consistently.

Tea steeping times by type

• Green tea: 1–3 minutes at 75–80°C (170–175°F). Longer than 3 minutes turns it bitter.
• Black tea: 3–5 minutes at boiling temperature.
• Oolong tea: 3–5 minutes at 85–90°C (185–195°F). Re-steep 2–3 times for full leaves.
• White tea: 4–5 minutes at 75–85°C (170–185°F). Lower temperature, gentler extraction.
• Pu-erh tea: 3–5 minutes at boiling. Often re-steeped many times for compressed cakes.
• Herbal tea (tisanes): 5–7 minutes at boiling. Herbal blends need longer to extract.
• Rooibos: 5–7 minutes at boiling. Hard to over-steep.
• Yerba mate: 3–5 minutes at 75–80°C (170–175°F). Bitter if water is too hot.

How to use this tea timer

1. Press Start. The timer is set to 3 minutes by default — a good middle ground for many teas.
2. For different times, head to the homepage and dial in the exact duration.
3. The chime sounds when steeping is done. Remove the leaves promptly — leaving them in past the timer is the most common steeping mistake.

Tea brewing tips

• Water temperature matters as much as time. Boiling water on green tea ruins it almost instantly.
• Use enough leaf. 1 teaspoon per cup for most loose teas; under-leafing makes weak tea, no matter how long you steep.
• Cover the cup or pot while steeping. Holds heat steady through the extraction.
• Re-steep good leaves. Quality oolongs and pu-erhs give 3–5 good infusions; later steeps are often the best.