This Is The Best Temperature For Brewing Black Tea

In the world of hot beverages, it's hard to dispute that tea is an all-time classic. With origins stretching back to prehistoric China, according to Brittanica, tea is made from the brewed leaves and buds of the Camellia sinensis plant and is available in a range of options, from fermented to nonfermented, from green to white to oolong, and more (via TeaSource). Perhaps due to its versatility and its range of flavors and characteristics, tea is the most widely consumed drink in the world besides plain water and is found in nearly 80% of American homes, according to the Tea Association of the U.S.A., which also notes that on any given day of the week more than 50% of Americans drink tea.

The Tea Association states that in 2019, a staggering majority of the tea sipped in America was black tea, accounting for about 84% of the tea consumed. Black teas, which include popular varieties like English breakfast, Earl Grey, and Darjeeling, are typically bold and tannic in their flavor, and also contain quite a bit of caffeine (via Revolution Tea). And if you regularly brew black tea at home, you'll want to read on to find out the best temperature for steeping this potent beverage.

If you're used to just boiling water and dumping it over your tea — no matter what type of tea you're drinking — then you might be surprised to learn that different water temperatures are recommended for different types of teas. According to Artful Tea, it's imperative to brew different teas at different temperatures in order to coax out the best flavor from each type of tea: lower temperatures for delicate white and green teas and higher temperatures for sturdier varieties like pu-erh, oolong, and black teas.

Black tea can tolerate the highest temperature for brewing and should be brewed with water that's around 212 degrees or fully boiling (via Artful Tea). The Spruce Eats points out that nearly boiling is a perfectly fine temperature as well. To brew black tea, place your loose tea or tea bag in a mug or teapot, bring your water to a boil (or close to it), and then pour the water over it, allowing it to steep for two to six minutes, depending on how strong you like your tea. The Spruce Eats recommends using about a teaspoon of tea leaves per cup of hot water.