How long should I steep tea — first and subsequent infusions?

Question

I'm never sure when to stop the timer — and do later steeps need more or less time?

Yurii — 931 Tea · Accepted Answer

Western steeping (1g per 50ml): green/white 1–3 min, oolong 2–4 min, black 3–5 min, pu-erh 3–5 min. Gongfu steeping (1g per 15ml): start with 10–15 seconds for the first infusion, add 5–10 seconds for each subsequent. Counter-intuitively, leaves usually need slightly LONGER on later steeps as flavor depletes — not shorter. Always stop early and taste; you can re-steep, but you can't un-over-steep.

— Yurii — 931 Tea, 931 Tea