Why should you NEVER use boiling water for Green Tea or Matcha?

Boiling water at 212°F (100°C) scorches the delicate amino acids and releases an overwhelming surge of bitter tannins (catechins). Green tea and Matcha should always be brewed with cooler water between 160°F and 175°F (70°C–80°C) to preserve sweet umami flavors.

What is Oolong tea and how is it processed?

Oolong is a semi-oxidized traditional Chinese tea that falls between unoxidized Green tea and fully oxidized Black tea. Leaves are gently withered in the sun, shaken in bamboo baskets to bruise the edges, and curled, offering complex peach, orchid, and roasted honey aromas.

Does Rooibos tea have caffeine?

No, Rooibos (red bush tea from South Africa) is naturally 100% caffeine-free because it comes from an herbal shrub (Aspalathus linearis) rather than the caffeinated Camellia sinensis tea plant.

Tea Sommelier & Steeping Guide

Tea Types & Steeping Guide Meaning

Tired of bitter green tea? Master tea sommelier secrets: decode Matcha vs Oolong vs Pu-erh, water temperatures, caffeine mg levels, and steeping minutes.

🌡️ The #1 Mistake: Water Temperature Controls Bitterness

Black and herbal teas love boiling 212°F (100°C) water to release bold body. But pouring boiling water over Green Tea or Matcha destroys sweet L-theanine amino acids and releases astringent tannins, turning the tea undrinkably bitter. Let your kettle cool for 3–5 minutes down to 160°F–175°F for green tea!

Type:

Showing 7 tea varieties

Matcha (Ceremonial Grade)

Uji / Kyoto, Japan 🇯🇵

Green Teas

160°F – 175°F (70°C – 80°C)Whisk 30 seconds (no steeping)High (40-70 mg)

Shade-grown whole tencha green tea leaves ground into a microscopic vibrant emerald powder. Because you ingest the actual ground leaf rather than steeping water, you absorb 100% of the antioxidants and L-theanine calm focus.

🍃 Tasting Notes:Deep umami, creamy vegetal sweetness, rich jade-green froth.

🫖 Sommelier Brewing Secret:NEVER use boiling water! Boiling water scorches the delicate amino acids and turns matcha harshly bitter. Sift powder through a fine mesh strainer first to prevent clumps.

Camellia Sinensis HeritageTea Masters Guide

Oolong Tea

Fujian / Taiwan 🇹🇼

Oolong & Fermented

185°F – 200°F (85°C – 93°C)3 – 5 minutes (multiple infusions)Moderate (25-40 mg)

A semi-oxidized tea occupying the vast magical space between unoxidized Green tea (0%) and fully oxidized Black tea (100%). Oxidation ranges from 15% (light floral) to 85% (dark roasted).

🍃 Tasting Notes:Complex spectrum ranging from sweet roasted peaches to creamy milk orchid florals.

🫖 Sommelier Brewing Secret:High-quality rolled oolong leaves can be re-steeped 5 to 7 times! The flavor evolves with each subsequent steep.

Camellia Sinensis HeritageTea Masters Guide

Pu-erh (Aged Dark Tea)

Yunnan Province, China 🇨🇳

Oolong & Fermented

205°F – 212°F (96°C – 100°C)3 – 5 minutesHigh (40-70 mg)

An ancient fermented tea compressed into dense solid cakes or bricks. Unique beneficial microbes and molds ferment the leaves over months or decades, improving flavor with age like vintage wine.

🍃 Tasting Notes:Rich damp forest floor, dark earth, mushrooms, sweet dried plums.

🫖 Sommelier Brewing Secret:Always perform a 10-second "rinse": pour boiling water over the leaves, swirl, and immediately discard the water to wake up the compressed brick.

Camellia Sinensis HeritageTea Masters Guide

Rooibos (Red Bush)

Cederberg Mountains, South Africa 🇿🇦

Herbal & Tisanes

212°F (100°C Boiling)5 – 8 minutesZero Caffeine (0 mg)

Not technically from the Camellia sinensis tea plant, but an herbal tisane made from the fermented leaves of a broom-like South African shrub. Completely free of caffeine with almost zero astringent tannins.

🍃 Tasting Notes:Naturally sweet, warm honey, vanilla, woody, nutty, zero bitterness.

🫖 Sommelier Brewing Secret:Virtually impossible to over-steep! Because rooibos has low tannins, leaving the bag in the mug for 15 minutes will never make it bitter.

Camellia Sinensis HeritageTea Masters Guide

Sencha (Japanese Green Tea)

Shizuoka, Japan 🇯🇵

Green Teas

160°F – 175°F (70°C – 80°C)1 – 2 minutesModerate (25-40 mg)

Japan’s most consumed everyday green tea. Leaves are immediately blasted with hot steam within hours of harvest to arrest oxidation and preserve deep green chlorophyll.

🍃 Tasting Notes:Bright grassy freshness, sea breeze, sweet oceanic seaweed, crisp clean finish.

🫖 Sommelier Brewing Secret:Keep steep time strictly under 2 minutes. Letting sencha sit in warm water for 5 minutes releases excess tannins that overpower the sweet grassy flavor.

Camellia Sinensis HeritageTea Masters Guide

White Tea (Silver Needle)

Fujian Province, China 🇨🇳

White Tea

175°F – 185°F (80°C – 85°C)4 – 6 minutesLow (15-25 mg)

The least processed of all teas. Picked by hand in early spring solely from unopened young fuzzy baby leaf buds, then simply air-dried in the sun with zero bruising or rolling.

🍃 Tasting Notes:Silky, airy melon, honeysuckle, fresh cucumber, delicate floral sweetness.

🫖 Sommelier Brewing Secret:The gentle flavor requires soft, filtered spring water and a longer 5-minute steep time to coax out the subtle sweet honey notes.

Camellia Sinensis HeritageTea Masters Guide

Earl Grey

United Kingdom 🇬🇧

Black & Scented

205°F – 212°F (96°C – 100°C)3 – 5 minutesHigh (40-70 mg)

The world’s most famous flavored black tea, named after 19th-century British Prime Minister Charles Grey. Traditional blends scent black Ceylon/Assam leaves with natural cold-pressed bergamot peel oil.

🍃 Tasting Notes:Robust malt black tea elevated by aromatic citrusy Italian bergamot orange perfume.

🫖 Sommelier Brewing Secret:Perfect for a London Fog latte: steep strong Earl Grey, stir in vanilla syrup, and top with steamed frothed oat milk.

Camellia Sinensis HeritageTea Masters Guide