Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Water Temperature – Crucial for that perfect cup of Tea


Some teas suffer from being infused in water that is too hot. On this subject, its a fact that you cannot make a good cup of tea if the water has been boiled, even if it is then left to cool down. In fact, when water boils too much, the oxygen evaporates, and the tea leaves need this oxygen during infusion to release all their flavours and aromas.

Water temperature is absolutely critical for making the perfect cup of tea. Correct water temperature has always been the “Holy Grail” of making the perfect cup of tea. Each type of tea needs a different temperature for best results. For example, for black tea, fully boiling water (about 212°F/100°C) is ideal. For the delicate types of tea, such as green tea or white tea, cooler water is preferable. Water that is steaming rather than boiling (about 175°F/80°C) is more suited to such delicate teas to avoid the tea leaves from being burnt and muddying the brew.

Water that is too hot can burn the leaves and can produce a muddy tasting green tea which people would not like to drink. Some very delicate Japanese Green tea does best when the water is as cool as 145°F/63°C. Partially oxidized Oolongs which are between Black and Green tea in oxidization levels, require water temperature that are in-between the optimum water temperature required by Black tea and Green tea. Since there is such a variation in the oxidization levels , the optimal steeping temperature can vary as well. Some most lightly oxidized oolong can respond well to steeping temperatures like green tea and requiring cooler water. A light to medium oxidized oolong will require a slightly hotter water at around 185°F/85°C while a medium to strongly oxidized oolong requires a lightly boiling water at around 190°F/88°C.to 195°F/91°C.


So you see, some things which we take for granted while making our tea are not so insignificant in fact.


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