Tea time helper

Tea Steeping Timer

Pick a tea type for a sensible default steep time and temperature, tweak it if you like, then start a visual countdown with an audible alert when it's ready.

Select a tea type above, or just set a custom time below and start.
: min : sec
03:00Ready

Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is saved or uploaded.

Why time your tea steep

Avoid bitterness

Oversteeped tea, especially green and white varieties, quickly turns bitter and astringent.

Consistent cups

Using the same steep time every time gives you a reliable, repeatable brew.

Hands-free alert

Start the timer and walk away — a visual ring, flash and beep let you know when it's ready.

How to use the timer

  1. Pick a tea typeChoose green, black, white, oolong or herbal to prefill a default steep time and temperature.
  2. Adjust if you likeEdit the minutes and seconds fields to set any custom steep time.
  3. Start the countdownWatch the ring fill down and pause or resume anytime.
  4. Get alertedA flashing ring, a toast message and an audible beep let you know it's ready.

General steeping guidelines

Steep time and water temperature both affect how a tea tastes, and different tea types have different sweet spots. Green tea is usually steeped briefly at a lower temperature, around 2 to 3 minutes at roughly 175°F (80°C), since hotter water or longer steeping tends to pull out excess bitterness. Black tea is more forgiving and typically steeped 3 to 5 minutes closer to boiling, around 200 to 212°F (93 to 100°C). White tea, despite being delicate, is often steeped a little longer than green — about 4 to 5 minutes — but at a similarly gentle temperature around 175°F (80°C). Oolong sits in between, commonly steeped 3 to 4 minutes around 195°F (90°C), while herbal teas and tisanes, which contain no true tea leaf, are usually steeped longer, 5 to 7 minutes, at a full boil since there's no tannin bitterness to worry about. Matcha is a special case: it's a fine powder whisked directly into hot water rather than steeped as loose leaf or a bag, so it gets a note instead of a timer preset. These are general starting points, not fixed rules — leaf size, brand and your own taste can all shift the ideal time.

5 tea presets

Green, black, white, oolong and herbal, each with a typical time and temperature range.

Fully editable

Override any preset's minutes and seconds before you start the countdown.

Drift-free countdown

The timer tracks actual clock time, so it stays accurate even if the tab is backgrounded.

Tea steeping timer FAQ

Are these steep times exact?

They're general guidelines based on widely used starting points for each tea type. Actual ideal steep time varies by brand, leaf size and personal taste, so feel free to override the preset with your own time.

Why is matcha handled differently?

Matcha is a powdered tea that's whisked into water rather than steeped as loose leaves or a bag, so there's no steep time to count down. The tool notes this instead of giving a preset timer for it.

Will the timer alert me if I switch tabs?

Yes, as long as this tab stays open. The countdown is based on the actual clock time, not just a tick counter, so it stays accurate even if the browser slows background tabs down, and it will show the flashing alert, a toast and a beep when it finishes.

Can I set a fully custom steep time?

Yes. Pick any tea type to prefill a starting point, then edit the minutes and seconds fields directly before starting, or leave the default and just adjust to taste next time.

What happens if I start the timer twice?

Nothing breaks. Starting clears any previous countdown first, so only one timer ever runs at a time.

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