Water Temperature for Tea: A Chart by Class

Green tea is brewed with water at 75–85°C, white at 85–90°C, yellow at 80–85°C, oolongs at 90–99°C, red tea at 90–95°C, and sheng and shu pu-erhs and heicha at 95–100°C. The more heavily processed and oxidized the leaf, the hotter the water it needs.

Temperature is the second most important brewing parameter after the leaf-to-water ratio. Water that is too hot pulls bitterness and a "stewed" taste out of delicate leaf; water that is too cool fails to open dense leaf at all, leaving the liquor empty.

Green and yellow tea: 75–85°C

Boiling water literally scalds the tender buds and young leaves of Longjing, Biluochun, or the yellow Junshan Yinzhen: the liquor turns bitter and the subtle sweetness vanishes. The optimum is 75–85°C for greens and 80–85°C for yellows. Without a thermometer, let boiled water stand 3–5 minutes in an open kettle — it cools to roughly 80–85°C.

White tea: 85–90°C

White teas are deceptively delicate. Bud-only Baihao Yinzhen likes 85°C and gentle brewing, but Bai Mu Dan and aged Lao Shou Mei calmly take 90°C and even simmering: the leaf has a dense structure and cool water won't open it. The general rule: the more mature leaf in a white tea, the hotter the water.

Oolongs: 90–99°C

Oolongs need near-boiling water. Light Tieguanyin and high-mountain Alishan open up at 90–95°C; dark rock teas like Da Hong Pao and Rou Gui at 95–99°C. Ball-rolled leaf unfurls only in very hot water; lukewarm water gives a grassy, half-empty liquor.

Red tea: 90–95°C

Fully oxidized red teas — Dian Hong, Qimen (Keemun), Jin Jun Mei — are brewed at 90–95°C. A rolling boil is acceptable but emphasizes astringency; at 90–92°C bud-heavy red teas sound noticeably sweeter and more honeyed. This is the class most forgiving of temperature errors.

Pu-erh and heicha: 95–100°C

Sheng and shu pu-erhs, Liu Bao, and other heicha need a full boil. Pressed, aged leaf opens only at 95–100°C, and aged shu can even be simmered. The exception is young sheng pu-erh: at 90–95°C it is less bitter and shows its fruity tartness more brightly.

How to hit the temperature without a thermometer

The easiest option is a variable-temperature kettle. Without one, two tricks work: let boiled water cool in an open vessel (roughly 5°C per minute in a kettle, faster when poured) or pour the water through an intermediate vessel — each transfer sheds 5–7°C. An accuracy of ±5°C is quite enough for tea.

Tips

Always bring water to a boil and then cool it to the target temperature: some of the dissolved chlorine escapes and the water becomes softer.
Don't re-brew with cooled water: from the second or third infusion it's better to raise the temperature slightly — the leaf is already open and releases more slowly.
When in doubt, start at the bottom of the range: an under-brewed tea can steep longer, an over-brewed one can't be fixed.