Brew or Steep?

Do you brew your tea or steep it? How about your coffee? Brewed or steeped? Hmmm…
 
Brew
 
Originally, to brew something meant to boil it. The word brew seems almost unchanged from its origins in the Proto-Indo-European root (PIE) bhreu (to boil, bubble, effervesce, burn) and Proto-Germanic breuwan (to brew), the source of Old Norse brugga, Middle Dutch brouwen, Old High German briuwan, and German brauen.
 
The word brew (to produce a beverage by fermentation; to prepare by mixing and boiling) comes to English from these ancient sources via Old English breowan.
 
A first step in the brewing of beer is the steeping of a starch source, such as barley, before yeast is added to start the fermentation process. Following this, these and other ingredients are brewed (i.e., boiled) and at the end of the process, you’ve got beer.
 
By the way, in the past, a female brewer was known as a brewster.
 
The use of ‘brew’ in the sense of, for example, ‘trouble brewing’ is from around 1300.
 
Steep
 
On the other hand, to steep something means to soak it. Hopefully, no one boils their tea or coffee even though we often use the phrase ‘brew a pot of tea’ or ‘brew some coffee’. When you make tea, the water temperature for steeping depends on the type of tea—some types require steeping in water which is just off the boil, other teas require a milder temperature so that the leaves do not burn (e.g., green teas). Similarly, when making coffee, boiling water can burn the coffee and give it a bitter taste.
 
The word steep (to soak in a liquid) comes to English in the early 14th century and is of uncertain origin, perhaps from Old Norse steypa or Proto-Germanic staupijanan (to pour out).
 
In brief
 
Do you boil your tea or soak it? Beer is brewed. Tea and coffee are steeped!
 
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
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