Wondering how long to steep green tea to get the best flavor? 🤔
You’ve come to the right place! In this article, we’re showing you how long should you steep green tea, how the green tea steep time varies by type and we’ll teach you how to steep green tea in cold water.
Let’s get steeping! 🍵
How Long to Steep Green Tea explained in Video
How long to steep green tea?
What's the best brewing time for green tea? That depends on the type. Most Japanese green teas work well with a brewing time of 1 minute.
If you steep green tea for too short of a time, the leaves won’t have a chance to open up and release their flavor into the water.
If you use too long of a steep time green tea will take on a bitter flavor.
1 minute is great for most types of Japanese green tea, but as you will see in the next section, the green tea steep time will vary depending on the type you prepare.
However, for Fukamushi Sencha, it's 45 seconds. For gyokuro, we recommend 2 minutes.
Green tea steep time by type of tea
One of the main factors that influences how long should you steep green tea is the tea types. To make sure you brew your tea the right way, we implemented a detail list of the different green tea types:
Japanese Green Tea Steep Time
Gyokuro
The steeping time for Gyokuro, a highly-prized Japanese green tea, is a precise and deliberate process that typically lasts around 2 minutes. During this time, the tender, shade-grown tea leaves are carefully infused in hot water to extract their delicate, umami-rich flavors. The result is a brilliant, pale green liquor that captures the unique essence and character of Gyokuro, making it a tea steeped in tradition and nuance.
Sencha
Steeping Sencha, a popular Japanese green tea, demands a slightly shorter infusion time, usually around 1 minute. This brief period is crucial for allowing the vibrant, full-bodied flavors of Sencha to emerge. The tea leaves are carefully introduced to hot water, revealing a lively, grassy aroma and a bright, green infusion. Sencha's unique character and refreshing taste make it a favorite choice for those seeking a classic and invigorating green tea experience.
Hojicha
Hojicha, a roasted Japanese green tea, requires a relatively short steeping time, typically around 1 minute. This brief duration is essential for awakening the warm, toasty flavors that result from the tea leaves' roasting process. The tea leaves are swiftly immersed in hot water, releasing a comforting and nutty aroma with a reddish-brown infusion. Hojicha's distinct roasted profile offers a soothing, mellow, and slightly smoky tea experience, making it a delightful choice for those seeking a unique departure from the more traditional green teas.
Genmaicha
Hojicha, a roasted Japanese green tea, requires a relatively short steeping time, typically around 1 minute. This brief duration is essential for awakening the warm, toasty flavors that result from the tea leaves' roasting process. The tea leaves are swiftly immersed in hot water, releasing a comforting and nutty aroma with a reddish-brown infusion. Hojicha's distinct roasted profile offers a soothing, mellow, and slightly smoky tea experience, making it a delightful choice for those seeking a unique departure from the more traditional green teas.
Kamairicha
Kamairicha, a distinctive Japanese green tea, is steeped for approximately 1 minute, allowing for the delicate interplay of flavors to unfold. During this brief infusion, the tea leaves are introduced to hot water, resulting in a uniquely aromatic and vegetal infusion. Kamairicha stands apart from other Japanese green teas due to its pan-firing method, which imparts a slightly smoky, grassy, and nutty character to the brew. This short but precise steeping time reveals Kamairicha's exceptional taste, making it a choice worth exploring for those seeking a flavorful departure from more conventional green teas.
Kukicha
Kukicha, a Japanese green tea blend composed of tea twigs and stems, is typically steeped for around 1 minute. This brief infusion allows the unique combination of components to release their subtle and mellow flavors. As the tea twigs and stems interact with hot water, a light, golden infusion with a mild, slightly woody aroma emerges. Kukicha's distinctive taste, often characterized by its gentle sweetness and nutty undertones, offers a soothing and approachable tea experience. This relatively short steeping time is all that's needed to unlock the charm of Kukicha.
Matcha
When it comes to the green tea steeping time, matcha is the least affected. This Japanese green tea is made by grinding tea leaves into a fine powder, and this fine powder is then mixed directly into water. Because of this, the tea doesn't "steep" like a traditional green tea.That being said, we have noticed that the tea can actually develop a richer flavor if it is left in the water for longer. 1 minute is a good amount of time to let the matcha "steep" but don't let it sit too long or it will get cold!
Chinese Green Tea Steep Time
We've covered the Japanese green tea steep time, but what about the Chinese green tea steep time? Chinese green teas are traditionally prepared using the "gongfu" method.
This means you add 4-5 grams of leaves to the teapot or gaiwan, pour in 100ml of water and let the tea brew for 25 seconds. You can add 5 seconds for each additional infusion of the leaves, but you won't need a very long green tea steeping time because there is such a high leaf to water ratio.
Indian Green Tea Steep Time
The best green tea steep time for an Indian green tea like darjeeling is 3 minutes. You can use the same temperature as you would for Japanese green tea (60-70 degrees Celsius) but the leaves are tougher, so they can stand up to a longer steeping time.
So the best green tea steep time for Indian green tea like darjeeling is around 3 minutes, which will ensure that you extract a rich, full-bodied flavor.
Temperature to steep green tea
So now that we have covered how long green tea steep, let’s talk about the right temperature to steep green tea. We usually recommend a temperature of between 140-175 degrees fahrenheit.
Just like with the green tea steep time, the temperature to steep green tea depends on the type, so let’s go through the 3 basic levels here.
Low temperature
You want to steep green tea at a lower temperature if it is a gyokuro. This is a long shaded tea, meant to be a celebration of these rich sweet and savory flavors. These flavors come from the theanine in a tea, which can be extracted at a lower temperature.
We recommend to steep gyokuro at a temperature of 140 degrees fahrenheit. If you use a lower temperature to steep green tea like gyokuro, you extract less bitterness and leave plenty of space for the sweet and savory flavor to play.
To learn more about the best temperature for green tea like gyokuro, you can read this article here 👉 Learn what is the Best Gyokuro Brewing Temperature
Medium temperature
You want to use a medium temperature to steep green tea like sencha, kamairicha and fukamushi sencha. For these, you will want to use a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
High temperature
You can use a higher temperature to steep green tea like bancha, hojicha, kukicha and genmaicha. These teas are made from the older leaves and stems of the tea plant, and they tend to be less sensitive to high temperatures.
We recommend to use a temperature to steep green tea this so that you can bring out the flavor. 175 degrees fahrenheit works well, and you can even use a longer steeping time for green tea like this if you want the taste to be stronger.
How to steep green tea in a teapot
The steeping time for green tea is the same whether you brew it in a teapot or a tea strainer. That being said, we recommend you prepare the tea in a clay kyusu teapot, as this will bring out the best flavor.
All you have to do is add 5 grams of tea leaves into the teapot, pour in 150ml of hot water and start steeping green tea for 1 minute. Once this minute is up, you can pour the tea out and the teapot will automatically filter out the leaves so they don’t end up in your cup.
If you want to pick out the perfect teapot for your tea, you may want to red this guide 👉 The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Teapots
How long should green tea steep for the second infusion?
While the best steeping time for green tea is one minute in the first infusion, the best steeping time for green tea is much shorter in the second infusion.
This is because the leaves have already been opened up by the water. They don’t need a very long green tea steep time. 20 seconds should be more than enough time to get a good flavor in the second infusion!
How long to let green tea steep on the third infusion?
For the third and fourth infusion, you can use the same brewing time as the second infusion. Just brew the tea for 20 seconds for each subsequent infusion, until you no longer enjoy the flavor.
Typically, a Japanese green tea will last 3-4 infusions but if you like the taste, keep brewing!
Steeping green tea in cold water
You can also steep green tea in cold water. This is called “cold brewing” or “mizudashi”. When you brew with cold water, you not only end up with a cold, refreshing cup of green tea, but the flavor can actually be smoother and sweeter.
As we mentioned before, the cooler water releases less bitterness, so you may even prefer the flavor of the cold brew. In the case of the Yamaga no Sato, the cooler water can even bring out a pleasant fruity taste in the tea.
Steeping time for green tea in cold water
How long should green tea steep in cold water? We typically recommend a steeping time of 3 hours when you are using cold or room temperature water. You can always test out the cold brew tea and let it sit longer if it’s not flavorful enough.
How long to steep green tea - the final verdict
When it comes to how long to steep green tea, there are a few different factors to consider. Of course you need to look at what type of tea you are preparing and the temperature of the water.
Finally, when it comes to how long steep green tea, you will also want to consider your own personal tastes. With each steep time green tea can take on completely different flavors, so try experimenting and see what you like most!
