The steep timer
Set a timer. Always.
The leaf doesn't know you got a phone call. Pick the leaf, pick the style, start the clock. Water temperature on screen, every gongfu infusion counted, a chime when it's time to pour.
Leaf
Style
Steep 1
3:00
Ready.
- Water
- 212°F / 100°C
- Leaf
- 1 tsp / 8oz
The muscatel lives in the first three minutes. Past that it goes tannic.
Keep it by the kettle: add this page to your home screen and it opens like an app, offline.
One leaf at a time
A timer for every tin on the shelf.
Black
Black tea timer
212°F · 3:00
Green
Green tea timer
175°F · 2:00 · 3 steps
Oolong
Oolong tea timer
195°F · 0:30 · 11 steps
White
White tea timer
170°F · 5:00 · 3 steps
Pu-erh
Pu-erh tea timer
212°F · 0:15 · 12 steps
Matcha
Matcha tea timer
175°F · Whisk 0:20 · 2 steps
Herbal
Herbal tea timer
212°F · 5:00
Rooibos
Rooibos tea timer
212°F · 6:00
Chai
Chai tea timer
Gentle simmer · 8:00 total · 3 steps
The numbers
Every preset, written down.
The same times the timer runs, from our brewing guides. Minutes and seconds per infusion, in order.
| Leaf | Style | Water | Steeps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | Darjeeling | 212°F / 100°C | 3:00 |
| Assam & breakfast | 212°F / 100°C | 4:00 | |
| Earl Grey | 212°F / 100°C | 3:30 | |
| Keemun, Yunnan, Lapsang | 212°F / 100°C | 5:00 | |
| Pyramid bag | 212°F / 100°C | 3:00 | |
| Green | Japanese sencha | 175°F / 79°C | 2:00, 2:30, 3:00 |
| Chinese green | 180°F / 82°C | 3:00, 3:30, 4:00 | |
| Gyokuro | 140°F / 60°C | 1:30 | |
| Hojicha & genmaicha | 195°F / 91°C | 3:00 | |
| Oolong | Gongfu | 195°F / 91°C | 0:05, 0:30, 0:40, 0:55, 1:10, 1:30 … |
| Dark roast gongfu | 212°F / 100°C | 0:05, 0:40, 0:50, 1:05, 1:20, 1:40 … | |
| Western | 195°F / 91°C | 4:00, 6:00 | |
| White | Silver needle | 170°F / 77°C | 5:00, 6:00, 7:00 |
| White peony | 180°F / 82°C | 3:30, 4:30, 5:30 | |
| Jasmine silver needle | 175°F / 79°C | 4:00, 5:00, 6:00 | |
| Pu-erh | Gongfu | 212°F / 100°C | 0:03, 0:08, 0:15, 0:10, 0:15, 0:25 … |
| Matcha | Usucha | 175°F / 79°C | 1:30, 0:20 |
| Herbal | Flowers | 212°F / 100°C | 5:00 |
| Leaves | 212°F / 100°C | 7:00 | |
| Roots, seeds, bark | 212°F / 100°C | 8:30 | |
| Rooibos | Pure rooibos | 212°F / 100°C | 6:00 |
| Vanilla & flavoured | 212°F / 100°C | 6:00 | |
| Rooibos chai | 212°F / 100°C | 8:30 | |
| Chai | Stovetop | Gentle simmer | 3:00, 2:00, 3:00 |
The method behind each number is in the brewing guide. For the short-pour method itself, read gongfu cha.
FAQ
The timer, answered.
How long should you steep tea?+
Black tea three to five minutes at a boil. Green tea two to three minutes at 175 to 180°F. White tea four to five minutes at about 175°F. Oolong three to five minutes Western style, or 30 seconds and up per infusion gongfu style. Herbal and rooibos five to ten minutes at a boil.
Why does the timer stop between infusions?+
Because the pour is yours. Each infusion ends with a chime and waits; when you have decanted the cup and refilled the vessel, start the next one. The schedule lengthens each steep for you.
Does the tea timer work offline?+
Yes. Open it once and add it to your home screen (Share, then Add to Home Screen on iPhone; Install in the browser menu on Android and desktop). It keeps working without a connection.
Will the timer keep my screen on?+
On browsers that support the Screen Wake Lock API, the screen stays awake while a steep is running and is released when it ends or you hold the timer.
What is gongfu steeping?+
A Chinese method that uses a small vessel, a lot of leaf and many very short infusions, usually starting around 15 to 30 seconds and getting longer each round. It suits oolong and pu-erh, which can give eight to twelve cups from one dose.