Tea Timer
Free tea steeping timers for every type of tea. Get the perfect brew with precise timing and temperature guides. Choose your tea below.
How to use: Select your tea type below, click Start, and wait for the chime. Each timer includes the correct water temperature and steep time. Teas with gongfu mode support multiple short infusions.
About tea steeping
Steeping tea at the right temperature and time is the key to a perfect cup. Over-steeping makes tea bitter, while under-steeping leaves it weak. Each tea type has a different ideal steep time and temperature — green and white teas need cooler water and shorter times, while black teas and herbals can handle boiling water and longer steeps.
Gongfu brewing is a traditional Chinese tea preparation method that uses more tea leaves and much shorter steep times — starting at 10-15 seconds per infusion. Each successive infusion is slightly longer, and a single batch of leaves can produce 6-10 flavorful cups. Our tea timers with gongfu mode support this multi-infusion approach.
Frequently asked questions
How long should I steep my tea?
It depends on the type. Green tea: 2 minutes. Black tea: 3-5 minutes. Oolong: 3 minutes. Herbal: 5+ minutes. White tea: 4 minutes. Our timers above are pre-set with the ideal time for each type.
Does water temperature really matter for tea?
Yes! Green and white teas become bitter with boiling water — use 175°F (80°C). Black tea, herbal, and rooibos can use full boiling water at 212°F (100°C). Oolong sits in between at 195°F (90°C).
What is gongfu tea brewing?
Gongfu is a Chinese brewing style that uses more tea leaves and short, repeated steeps (10-90 seconds each). It extracts different flavors from the leaves with each infusion. Oolong, pu-erh, and some green teas are ideal for gongfu brewing.