To make tea, you need to boil water and use that water to brew the tea. It's perfectly obvious, isn't it?

Yes… but not always. A traditional kettle will bring your water to a boil, and that's perfectly fine. Well, it's fine, but only for a few specific types of tea and herbal infusions. Because at 100 degrees Celsius (the boiling point of water), many more delicate teas lose their flavor. So reserve boiling water for black teas, fruit teas, and rooibos teas!

For other teas, use water heated to the following temperatures to better develop their subtle aromas:

Probably the finest and most delicate of teas, white tea therefore requires a gentler infusion. The temperature of your water should ideally be between 75 and 80 degrees Celsius.

Green teas vary greatly – and so do their brewing temperatures! Gyokuro tea requires the lowest temperatures, between 60 and 70 degrees Celsius, followed by sencha, which best releases its aromas between 65 and 75 degrees Celsius. Genmaicha and matcha, on the other hand, benefit most from water heated to 88 degrees Celsius (or even slightly cooler for genmaicha).

Regardless of the brewing method you prefer for oolong, your water temperature should be around 88 degrees.
Generally, the higher the quality of your tea, the lower the temperature it will require. It's all about producing the best possible cup of tea—a bit like cooking a roast at a low temperature, with love and patience! In any case, using the right water temperature when brewing your tea enhances the flavor of your infusions. Give it a try!