Set the timer to 135 seconds

How to use the online timer

Good tea has an optimum steep, and 135 seconds is about right for a lot of black teas before they turn bitter and stewed. Set it going as soon as the water hits the leaves, wander off to do something else, and come back when it calls you rather than hovering over the pot. It's a small habit that makes the difference between a decent cuppa and a rushed, weak one.

Press Start and away it goes, counting down on its own without needing you to babysit it every few seconds. The only real rule is keeping this browser tab open, since the countdown pauses along with the page if you close it or shut the browser down entirely. Right at zero, a sound plays to let you know time's up, clear enough to hear from the next room over.

A phone timer works fine until a call comes in or a notification steals the screen at the worst moment. Running it in a browser tab keeps it separate from all that, ticking away quietly in the background of your computer or phone without competing for attention until it's done. There's nothing to install and nothing to sign up for, just a page that does one job well. If you would rather say put a timer on for 135 seconds, that works too — press Start and the page does the rest.