I’m often asked to explain the best way to steep a particular type of tea. Water temperatures, steep time, tea and water quantities are usually the subject of these inquiries.The answer I give is often simplistic, leaves much to be desired and looks something like this:black teas, 5-6 minutes in near boiling water (210ºF)oolong teas, 4-5 minutes in water near 185ºFgreen teas, 2-3 minutes in water near 185ºFwhite teas, 3-4 minutes in water near 190ºF*2.2 grams of tea per 5 fluid ounces of waterI’m speaking of steeping teas to extract the most enjoyable liquor from a given group of tea leaves, not professional ‘cupping’ of teas. These guidelines are surely simplistic and can certainly yield satisfying results, but I suggest that the nuances gained by taking a more individual and in depth approach to steeping will prove well worth the effort.Concluding that the above guidelines are more than ‘guidelines’ and deciding to consider them as static rules can be very limiting. Many pleasurable nuances are sacrificed by assuming that all black, green, oolong or white teas fall under some rigid steeping regimen determined solely by their oxidation level.I suggest that looking past oxidation levels and considering other factors present in tea leaves allows us to better determine the water temperature, time, and tea to water proportions required to steep the ultimate liquor from any given tea leaf. Once we cease using oxidation level as the sole criterion for steeping teas we move on to a higher level of understanding and enjoyment of teas in general.The steeping guidelines I prefer look like this.black teas:5-6 min, usually between 190º- 210ºFoolong teas: gung fu steeping method onlyChina pan fired green teas:2-3 min, usually between 180º - 210º FJapan style steamed green teas: 2-4 min, usually between 155º - 185ºFwhite teas: 3-4 min, usually between 165º-200ºF*2.2 - 2.5 grams of tea per 5 fluid ounces of waterI admit that at first glance my preferred ‘guidelines’ don’t seem to give much guidance at all. Recall that I’m advocating using oxidation level only as a part of the steeping equation. The temperatures and steep times I prefer certainly take oxidation levels into account but they also recognize a few other factors that I feel need to be considered, as follows:- roll style (tight, loose, hard twist, soft curl, etc.) - open or closed character of leaf style- finish of the leaf (hardness, softness, polished, etc.) - thickness of the leaf- growth stage of leaf at plucking- age of the tea- personal strength preference.Once we become absolutely aware of all of these factors we’ll see that it doesn’t really make sense to determine our steeping criteria based solely on oxidation levels.With this in mind I encourage all of us to keep analyzing our tea leaves, dry and infused. Continue to discover the many facets, physical differences and individual character of each lot of tea we encounter. Master the art of ‘knowing’ the leaves you steeping and you’ll master the craft of steeping the perfect cup.So what additional guidelines can I offer? I have only these few additional suggestions:1) After full examination of the dry leaves, take a trial run at steeping each new tea and then fully examine and analyze the infused leaves. Use your fingers, ears, eyes, nose and mouth in conjunction when examining tea leaves. Hear and feel the dryness, see and feel the finish, etc.2) Balance the results of your leaf analysis in your mind before steeping, note basics like: hotter waters may be required to open tighter rolls & twists, leaves with hard finishes or thicker leaves. Aromatics are volatile and released most quickly from hotter liquors. Steeping too long causes stewing while too short or cool a steep can fail to extract the qualities you want. Tender leaves ‘cook’ quickly in too hot water, cooler waters may not penetrate older, more leathery leaves before stewing occurs.3) Use common sense and, if you cook, generalize from cooking vegetables. Know that over cooking results in a stew and undercooking results in a flavorless broth. Recall that spinach cooks more quickly than kale because it has more moisture content and is more open (think of Mao Jian green tea as your spinach and Chun Mee green tea as your Kale. … now think of brussels sprouts and their similarity to Gunpowder style green teas).In closing I think we must recognize that classification of teas by oxidation level is important, fundamental and basic, however, it is not the ultimate classification system nor should we accept is as the sole determining factor when it comes to steeping a great cup of tea.

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