Steeps

Steeps is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb to steep, meaning to soak a solid in a liquid to extract flavors, colors, or other soluble components. The term is used across cooking, beverage preparation, and dyeing, where immersion times and temperatures influence the resulting strength and coloration of the infused material.

In beverage and culinary contexts, steeping is a diffusion process that draws aromatic compounds and solubles from solids into a liquid. Tea is the most common example: the flavor, color, and strength of the brew depend on factors such as the type of leaves, water temperature, and duration. Typical tea ranges vary by variety—white and green teas usually steep at roughly 70–85°C for about 1–3 minutes, while black and dark teas often steep near boiling for 3–5 minutes. Over-steeping can release bitter compounds and tannins.

Steeps as a noun refer to steep slopes or gradients. A steep is a slope that rises at a sharp angle, and steeps describe terrain with abrupt elevation changes. The term appears in geology, geography, and outdoor recreation to characterize cliffs, escarpments, or mountain faces and can influence drainage, erosion, and travel difficulty.

Other uses of steeping appear in textiles, dyeing, and food processing, where soaking fibers, grains, or plant materials in liquid facilitates color uptake or flavor extraction. In historical or technical writing, steeping may denote soaking for flavor or chemical extraction, with time, temperature, and solvent playing critical roles.