Tea Brewing and Pouring

WindSock

I was in a lovely tea shop in the czech republic a few years ago. There was a big menu of various Chinese and Japanese teas to choose from. The most interesting thing was watching how it was brewed then poured from a height. I have often wondered why this is done and what is the best way to brew tea properly? Also, are there any tea shops in Dublin that would be like this?

rubadub

Pouring high aerates the tea (introduces oxygen). If you think this is overkill or bull**** then try boiling some water then chilling and drinking it- rotten.

Some teas should be brewed/infused at particular temperatures, standard tea here should be with water as hot as possible, also the receptacle should be hot so as not to cool the water.

If I am making a standard cup of tea and want it pretty good I will pour water in a cup and microwave it until boiling, then drop in the teabag. This way the cup is heated too, it is heated quickly so doesnt overboil and loose oxygen, it is also not in contact with a metal or limey kettle that can taint the water taste. With tea the water quality is more important than with coffee, due to the overpowering flavour of the coffee.

WindSock

Thanks for the tip, I think I'll try microwaving from now on
Can you do the same for loose tea? ie Green Tea leaves and Gunpowder Green tea and how long should you leave the bag/leaves in the water for?

a5y

rubadub wrote:

If I am making a standard cup of tea and want it pretty good I will pour water in a cup and microwave it until boiling, then drop in the teabag.

You might want to check this out. I saw it on Mythbusters on the Discovery Channel

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_(season_1)#Episode_4_.E2.80.94_.22Penny_Drop.2C_Deadly_Microwaves.2C_Radio_Tooth_Fillings.22

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_(season_1)#Episode_4_.E2.80.94_.22Penny_Drop.2C_Deadly_Microwaves.2C_Radio_Tooth_Fillings.22 wrote:

If a glass of water is microwaved, removed, and an additive placed in it, it will explode due to superheating.

Status: Confirmed

If the water had no impurities in it at the time of superheating (for instance, distilled water), then any sort of additive placed within will make the water explode. A full explanation of the process can be found here.

I've microwaved tap water before and it was fine, I think the important thing is DO NOT MICROWAVE DISTILLED WATER. Also I don't know how save water that was put through a water filter is.

r3nu4l

Good advice from rubadub there. It is important to heat the cup/mug first. Also, if you are going to use a teapot then this should be heated with hot water first. That's when you really notice the difference!

I've always poured from a height as well. There is something very satisfying about the sound the water makes in the cup and the aroma that rises from it when you pour this way.

The microwaving is a very good idea especially for me as I live in an area of England that suffers from very hard water.

rubadub

a5y wrote:

You might want to check this out. I saw it on Mythbusters on the Discovery Channel

I've microwaved tap water before and it was fine, I think the important thing is DO NOT MICROWAVE DISTILLED WATER. Also I don't know how save water that was put through a water filter is.

Mythbusters get some stuff a bit off sometimes. Water can explode in microwaves, I have had it happen several times, on purpose for sterilization reasons I wanted to overboil. Once it blew the door open on it.

Aerated water will form bubbles so the water will boil. If straight out of the tap it will boil. If you boil water and allow it to cool it looses its "aeration", now if you boil this up (even with additives) it can superheat and explode when you put a spoon in. I boil my water up until I can see it boiling in the cup, when you add the teabag you will also see a surge of bubbles.

Distilled water will have had the air driven out by distillation, you could simply pour from a height or shake up the bottle to reaerate. But I would not recommend distilled water for taste reasons.

If you try reheating cold tea you can get the same risk of exploding water. It is more likely to happen in smooth containers, like a new glass or smooth ceramic mug. Bubbles for better on little imperfections on surfaces.

Microwaving uses a little more energy than a kettle, but since you only heat what you want it is usually more economical to heat on cup than the minimum amount a kettle can take.