Choose the leaf and method. You get a starting window for temperature and first infusion — then taste and adjust.
Water
75–85 °C
Time
1 min – 2 min (first infusion)
Adjust ±15–30 seconds to taste. Cooler water softens greens; hotter opens black and pu-erh.
Tips
- Greens and whites punish boiling water more than under-steeping.
- Gongfu: more leaf, shorter time; lengthen on later pours.
- Vessel choice still matters — see teaware and brewing.