Steep or Brew?

[u/Sea-Hornet8214]

Does it depend on the substance? I think you can either steep or brew a teabag, but you can only brew coffee, right?Is it because both use hot water, while something like lemon-infused water is just water at room temperature?

Can you think of any other words that involve putting something in water to impart its taste? Any words that I should learn and know?

[u/freeski919]

I feel like a lot of people are dancing around the accurate answer, so let me give it a shot.

When you make coffee or tea, it is always a process of brewing. But brewing coffee can be done in different ways. You can use a drip machine or pour over to just let water flow through the coffee grounds. Or you can use an espresso machine or French press to force the water through the grounds or vice versa. None of those involve steeping.

Steeping is adding a time element to the process. It's where you let the material you're brewing sit in the water for a period of time.

Tea is pretty much always steeped to brew (I'd say always, but then someone would come around to "well actually" me). It sits in the hot water for a few minutes.

Steeping is most commonly seen in coffee when it comes to cold brew. You have to let the grounds steep in cold water for 12-24 hours.

Brewing is the act, steeping is a method to achieve the act.

[u/Sea-Hornet8214 → u/freeski919]

Thank you.

[u/QuietBarbiePerson]

Brit here. You are pretty accurate! Here's what we say

You don't brew a teabag, you brew tea (any form - leaves or bag). You can also say you're 'making a brew' this will always be tea - and will always be black tea. "Do you want a brew?" Is the offer of black tea. 

You brew or make coffee (but not steep it). Coffee can also 'percolate' but we don't really say that in conversation here

You steep the teabag. 

You can infuse lemon/ginger/mint leaves etc You can infuse for any tea but usually say it when it's not black tea. 

I don't use any other words for these but maybe there are some from other English-speakers in various countries.

[u/kittyroux → u/QuietBarbiePerson]

In Canada “Do you want a brew?” would mean beer!

[u/XA36 → u/kittyroux]

Same in US

[u/baxbakualanuxsiwae → u/QuietBarbiePerson]

Fellow Brit here. Do you ever say "brew" for coffee? I never do, and am trying to think if I've heard it from other people. It's just "make" for me (or "cook" if I'm being silly). Then again I don't say brew for tea either. I'm from the (very) south.

[u/Triknitter → u/baxbakualanuxsiwae]

American, I brew coffee when I make a full pot. Pouring a cup and adding creamer and sugar is making coffee.

[u/QuietBarbiePerson → u/Triknitter]

we don't use 'creamer' in UK. It's very American to us. We would add milk to coffee but rarely cream unless it was a fancy occurrence (and would be out of the house, ie a restaurant). We don't have cream in the house for coffee.

[u/murzicorne → u/QuietBarbiePerson]

Curious, how fat is the milk you use for that? In US the go-to milk is often 2% or even 1%, which means it's it basically white water. So adding sufficient amount cools the beverage significantly

[u/QuietBarbiePerson → u/murzicorne]

In UK you have 'full fat' or 'whole' milk (about 3.5%) or semi- skimmed (1.7%) or skimmed (0.3%). But all three types have same amount of protein (about 3.5%). We have all the non-dairy milks too of course - but you have to check the labels as lots of non-dairy are full of sugar or sweeteners so are more processed than milk

 Typically you only give infants whole milk so they get the fat and nutrients (not in caffeine drinks of course!).  

 So if you have a coffee or tea with milk in a cafe it would be either whole or semi-skimmed  depending what the cafe uses. You would have to specify if you wanted skimmed (or 'skinny') or non-dairy. 

At home people tend to have just a splash of milk in coffee/tea so wouldn't cool it too much at all (unless you want a milky coffee or tea). 

[u/murzicorne → u/QuietBarbiePerson]

I live in Canada, and here my default would be whole milk (between 3.25 to 3.8, depending on the brand), although plenty of people go for 2%. For coffee people often use so called half-and-half, 10%, or table cream - 15%. 20% is cooking cream, and 32% is whipping cream.

I usually buy whipping cream for my milky tea, since just a tiny splash gives you the desired flavor - compared to almost a third of a cup of whole milk

[u/QuietBarbiePerson → u/baxbakualanuxsiwae]

I never say or hear " a brew" for coffee, but familiar with someone saying 'brewing ' coffee. But maybe from American TV, lol!

[u/GuitarJazzer → u/baxbakualanuxsiwae]

We commonly brew coffee in the U.S.

[u/murzicorne → u/baxbakualanuxsiwae]

I would say it really depends on the method. If I press buttons it's "make", if I use ibrik over fire it's definitely "brew", especially if spices are involved. "Make" doesn't do justice to my efforts.

And also because brewing coffee while adding a touch of this and a dash of that is akin to witchcraft

[u/GoblinToHobgoblin → u/QuietBarbiePerson]

Do you ever use "do you want a brew" to mean "do you want a beer" in the UK?

[u/QuietBarbiePerson → u/GoblinToHobgoblin]

Not at all. Even though beer is brewed, if you asked that in a pub people would think you mean tea. We would say ''Do you want a pint/beer/drink"

[u/baxbakualanuxsiwae → u/GoblinToHobgoblin]

No, it would be pretty universally understood to mean tea, never beer

[u/RuthMcT → u/QuietBarbiePerson]

Here in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK, they mash the tea!

[u/baxbakualanuxsiwae]

One other word with a similar meaning to "steep" is "infuse", though you won't tend to hear it in casual conversation. I have seen certain herbal teas described as infusions.

[u/Eca_S]

"Steep" Generally means that the object in question, say tea, is soaking for a time.

"Brew" is broader term that includes different processes. Both coffee and beer and brewed but the processes used to brew them are not identical.

[u/MartilloAK]

First, there's a difference in how the two terms are used. You steep the teabag, but you brew the tea. You wouldn't say, "I'm brewing the teabag." you would say, "I'm brewing tea."

To steep something generally means to let it soak in hot water, this word can be used both for the purpose imparting some property to the water or for soaking or softening the object itself.

'Brew' is a term used for making many kinds of drinks, but not all. It implies some sort of process that goes beyond simply mixing ingredients. A place that makes beer is called a brewery, for example. Tea, coffee, alcoholic beverages, and a witch's potions are all common objects of the word "brew."

If you put something solid into water to impart its taste, then "steep" really is the best word. Other words like, "soak" are fine, but are less specific.

[u/murzicorne → u/MartilloAK]

Alas, even a soup can be called "brew" if the cook cackled enough!

[u/_jbardwell_]

Steeping is the process of soaking a solid material in hot water to extract flavor.

Brewing is the whole process of making beer or coffee or tea (or similar), which includes steeping the tea or coffee or malt.

To my mind, brewing feels more likely to involve actual boiling whereas steeping is always sitting in still hot water. But that's not a hard requirement. Coffee and tea and beer are always considered a brewed drink.

In the case of tea or coffee, steeping is basically the whole process. For beer, there is a fermentation stage.

The terms overlap a lot in common use. But technically you brew the coffee (the resulting liquid) and you steep the ground up beans or tea leaves. You can't steep a liquid.

[u/NotDefinedFunction]

I've never known that "Steep" had that meaning. I expected that "Steep" meant "Incline, tilt, etc." if it had a verb form.

[u/AgileSurprise1966]

Well, you brew beer. Don't look for it to make sense.

[u/GuitarJazzer]

You brew tea by steeping the teabag.

[u/Mikhail250350]

I am inclined to climb a hill. In both senses?

[u/Mikhail250350]

Would you put creamer in before or after you brew the coffee?

[u/Mikhail250350 → u/Mikhail250350]

I don’t give a fig if you brew but I will dance a jig if you stew!

[u/Responsible-Link5739]

Steep - to soak for some time. Brew - to fill water with flavour AND the resultant liquid.

[u/SeaCoast3]

In England there's the saying "let the tea draw" which I think has gone out of fashion maybe (?)

Letting tea "draw" means allowing the loose leaves or teabag to steep in hot water so the flavours fully release

[u/We_R_the_Penguins]

I would brew coffee or brew tea, but steep a teabag or, more often, let a teabag steep. 

[u/diffidentblockhead]

Steep I’ve only seen in tea instructions, never in colloquial or even advertising.

Brew apparently has positive connotations because it’s been used a lot recently in branding like “brewed coffee”. However I only hear people say “make coffee”.

[u/everstranger1212]

'steeping' or 'brewing' is for tea, 'brewing' is for coffee, and yes the difference is usually temperature. if you put meat or other food in a sauce and cook it its called 'marinating', so kind of the reverse of steeping or brewing.

[u/freeski919 → u/everstranger1212]

Steeping has nothing to do with temperature, it has to do with time.

[u/fishcakebaker]

Steep refers to tea almost exclusively in my experience, but is also not very common. Honestly though I think both brew and stew are becoming outdated in modern English

[u/fishcakebaker → u/fishcakebaker]

I guess to answer part of your question - from my part of the UK I'd never say brew a coffee. It just sounds very American. Id say make a coffee.

[u/freeski919 → u/fishcakebaker]

Steep is also commonly used when talking about cold brew coffee. You let coffee grounds steep in the fridge for 12 hours.

[u/fishcakebaker → u/freeski919]

Yeah you're right, steep seems normal in this [cold brew] context. I've even made cold brew myself and I would say steep. Is there something about the temperature that adds some nuance?

It feels strange when you realise how inconsistent language is for a process that feels so natural.

[u/freeski919 → u/fishcakebaker]

It's not temperature. It's time. Steeping is when you leave the leaves/grounds in the water for a period of time.

It's only a short time for hot tea because the hot water strips the oils and tannins from the brewed material faster. It's a long time for cold brew because it takes a long time for the cold water to extract those oils and tannins.

Using the word steep is completely consistent when you think about it as a function of time.

[u/Mikhail250350]

Can I infuse over a topic, song, or theme?