Water Temperature and Quality
The Basics
When it comes to brewing a good cup of tea, water is the most important part. If the water temperature is wrong or the water is contaminated, even the highest quality tea will not live up to its fullest potential. To bring out the best flavors, it is important to regulate the water you put in.
Variables
Temperature
Water temperatures can change the way tea tastes drastically. There is no temperature that fits every tea perfectly, and the right temperature can vary by type, or even the specific tea. If the tea is less oxidized, like a green tea for example, you will want a lower temperature water to help keep bitterness and astringency down, while allowing the full flavors to infuse. On the opposite end, black teas are much more oxidized which means they can and should be usually brewed at higher temperatures, around the boiling point.
This is a result of how quickly different temperatures will extract the flavors from tea. Hot water will extract faster than cooler water.
There are many ways to heat your water; we recommend variable temperature kettles for the most control, however heating it in a pot over the stove does the job as well. If using a pot, we do recommend using a thermometer to make sure the water is at the appropriate temperature. Do not overboil water.Â
Steep Time
In addition to temperatures, different teas also require different amounts of time to steep, as well as different ratios of tea to water that will get the most out of an infusion. We have a brewing guide to get you started. Together temperature, time, and ratio are the main ways to control the flavor of your tea. Although our guide is what we believe to be the best parameters to start off with, ultimately the best way to brew your tea is up to your own personal taste and preferences.Â
Quality
Water quality might be the most important factor in making a good cup of tea, although sometimes it may be harder to adjust. Chlorine, pH, mineral content, as well as many other contaminants could result in dull tea at the best of times and an unsafe drink at the worst. Hard water is a prime example of this, dulling the flavors out and giving off a strange color as well. If your tea ever has a metallic taste to it, hard water is likely the culprit.
Despite hard water being a hard no, that does not mean that you should be using pure distilled water. Having some mineral content does bring out the flavors in tea, meaning distilled water can end up making your cup quite bland as well. Even if your local tap water is safe to drink, often it can still contain enough contaminants that it can negatively affect the flavor of your tea. The best option is to have some form of filtered water. Whether you filter your own tap water or use pre-filtered water from bottles, this is the best way to get the most out of your tea.
Oxygen
One often overlooked aspect of water quality that is easy to control is the oxygen levels. As water boils, it releases some of its oxygen content. For the full depth of flavor, water that is freshly boiling or heated will be best. If water has been at a boil for a while, it is best to add fresh water or not to use it entirely, as it will not get the most out of your leaves.
Methods
Filtering
In order to insure consistent high quality water we recommend using some for of filtration. Something simple such as a pitcher filter works perfectly, although filters that are built into your refrigerator or faucet also work and may require less hassle. If you get your tap water from a well, chances are you are already using a more industrial filter which would do the job. Be sure to get your water tested if you are using a well and are unsure if it is filtered or clean.
Heating
There are many ways to heat water, so we might not be able to cover every option here.
To start there is kettles, which are the most recommended of the options. Especially variable temperature kettles will be able to give you precise control over how hot it gets, which is a perfect option for tea which requires many different temperatures depending on the type. Stove top kettles still work well and will be efficient, but for these you will need to keep more of an eye on it to tell when the water is the perfect temperature.
In this vein, pots on the stove also work. We recommend pots that are small enough to handle precisely as well as those which have a pour spout. Be sure to cover the pot when heating to heat faster and therefore more efficiently.
Using water heaters in an office setting can work, but often these will end up nowhere near the correct temperature. Coffee makers can work in a pinch, just without putting in any insert or coffee of course. Simple drip coffee machines will always put out water at a boil, and most other coffee makers will be similar. You might need to run a rinse before using the coffee maker, however.
Finally there is the microwave. Water temperature is hard to control with the microwave, and all will heat at slightly different rates. Water in microwaves does not always roll or bubble as it boils, meaning that the water can be much hotter than it may appear. To combat this, you can put a wooden utensil, something as simple as a stirring stick can work well for this. Doing this allows the water to bubble as it heats, which can help prevent superheating your water - superheating water can result in scalding water bursting out of the cup when you insert a tea bag. It is important to note that water will not heat evenly in the microwave, so be sure to give it a good stir as well. Also important is to insert your teabag after heating the water.
How to tell when water is the right temperature
Although thermometers work great and can be relatively inexpensive, there is not always one handy. Luckily there are a few tricks to figuring out what temperature the water is at as its heating.
When heating water in a pot or kettle, there is an age old trick that is very common in China. They go based off of the size of the bubble as it gets hot:
At first there is shrimp eyes, which is when the bottom of the vessel is covered in very tiny bubbles. This is right after the first bubbles start to appear. In this stage, water will be around 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
The next stage is called crab eyes. Here you will start to notice the bubbles getting bigger than before, as well as a small amount of steam coming off. At this point the water should be around 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
After crab eyes comes fish eyes. This is when the bubbles start to become much bigger, like little pearls. There will also be a steady steam of steam at this point, and maybe an occasional bubble starting to rise. Now the water will be around 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rope of Pearls comes next, which as the name suggests is when these bubbles are starting to all rise up together. Steam will start to rise pretty thick at this point, and the water will be around 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Finally there is raging torrent. As the name suggests this will be a fully rolling boil, where the water will be at 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
In kettles where it is harder to see the bubbles on the inside, you can use the sound as an indicator. Kettles will start to make a slight rumble around 185 degrees. This will go down a little bit as it gets higher until it will be making a noticeable bubbling sound around the boiling point at 212 degrees. Please note that for kettles that whistle, they will only do so around boiling point.