I've been drinking tea wrong for years. Boiling water, dunking a bag, waiting "a while." Turns out the difference between a bitter green tea and a sweet, smooth one is about 20°F and 60 seconds.
I built 10 free tea tools that run entirely in your browser — no app, no account, no data collected. Whether you're into matcha, loose leaf, or just trying to figure out how much caffeine is in your afternoon Earl Grey, there's something here.
Steeping and Temperature — The Two Things That Matter Most
The biggest mistake most tea drinkers make is using boiling water for everything. Green tea at 212°F? Bitter. White tea steeped for 5 minutes? Astringent. Each tea type has an ideal temperature and steep time.
Tea Steeping Timer — preset timers for 8 tea types: green, black, white, oolong, herbal, pu-erh, rooibos, and matcha. Pick your tea, hit start, and it counts down with a sound alert when it's done. Also tracks multiple infusions — oolongs and pu-erhs can be re-steeped 3-5 times, with each infusion getting slightly longer.
Tea Brewing Temperature Guide — an interactive reference for 9 tea types with sub-varieties (like Sencha vs. Gyokuro under green tea). Shows the ideal temperature, steep time, leaf amount, and even how long to let boiling water cool to reach the right temp. Toggle between °F and °C. If you don't have a variable temperature kettle, the cooling tips are genuinely useful.
Know Your Tea Ratios
Getting the ratio of tea to water right is just as important as temperature. And it changes dramatically between Western brewing (big teapot, one steep) and Gongfu style (small vessel, many short steeps).
Tea to Water Ratio Calculator — covers 8 tea types with both Western and Gongfu ratios. Western green tea is about 2-3g per 240ml. Gongfu is 5-8g per 100ml. Enter how much tea or water you have, and it calculates everything else including temperature and steep time.
Matcha Ratio Calculator — matcha is its own world. This calculator handles four preparation styles: Usucha (thin, everyday), Koicha (thick, ceremonial), matcha latte, and iced matcha. Adjust servings from 1-6, pick your milk type for lattes, and it gives you exact gram measurements plus whisking technique tips.
Caffeine — It's Not Just Coffee
Tea has caffeine too, and the amount varies wildly depending on the type, steeping time, and number of infusions.
- Tea Caffeine Calculator — covers 8 types including matcha (60-70mg per serving) and yerba mate. Uses a logarithmic steeping curve for realistic extraction modeling — a 1-minute steep extracts less than a 5-minute steep, but it's not linear. Compares your daily total against the FDA's 400mg limit and shows a visual comparison against coffee, espresso, Red Bull, and soda.
Calories — Because Bubble Tea Isn't "Just Tea"
A plain cup of tea has essentially zero calories. A large taro bubble tea with tapioca pearls and condensed milk? Over 500.
Tea Calorie Calculator — covers plain tea, milk tea, chai latte, bubble tea/boba, matcha latte, Thai tea, London Fog, and sweet tea. Add milk type, sweetener, tapioca pearls, whipped cream — each add-on shows its calorie contribution. Also shows how many minutes of walking it would take to burn it off.
Matcha Latte Calorie Calculator — a deep dive specifically for matcha lattes. Choose your matcha amount, milk type (7 options including oat and coconut), sweetener, size, and extras. Shows a full macro breakdown (protein, fat, carbs) plus a comparison table against a Starbucks Grande matcha latte. The "healthier swap" suggestions are actually useful.
Iced Tea and Herbal Blends
Iced Tea Dilution Calculator — three methods: flash chill (brew hot, pour over ice), cold steep (cold water, 8-12 hours), and concentrate dilute (brew strong, add water/ice). Each method gives you a step-by-step recipe with exact amounts so your iced tea isn't watery or too strong. Pro tip: add sweetener to the hot tea before chilling — it dissolves better.
Herbal Tea Blend Builder — create custom herbal blends from 25 ingredients across 6 categories: base herbs, floral, spices, fruits, roots, and functional ingredients. Has 5 preset blends (Sleepy Time, Immune Boost, Digestive, Energizing, Relaxation) or build your own with percentage sliders. Calculates a batch recipe you can copy or print.
Track Your Collection
- Tea Collection Tracker — if you have more than 5 teas at home (and let's be honest, most tea people have 15+), this helps you keep track. Add teas with type, origin, rating, price, and tasting notes. Filter, sort, search, and see stats like your total collection weight and average rating. Everything saved locally in your browser.
Why Browser-Based?
All 10 tools run 100% client-side. No login, no data collection, no app to install. They work on your phone too — which is where you'll probably use the steeping timer while standing in your kitchen.
All tools are at tool.teamzlab.com/tea.
Start with the steeping timer or the temperature guide. Getting those two things right will immediately improve every cup you make.
Originally published at https://tool.teamzlab.com
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