Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to making tea, whether it's how long it takes to steep or whether to add milk before or after boiling the water. However, you could ruin your perfect cup of coffee because of one of these stages, and it all has to do with the kettle. Experts say you should never use boiling water to make tea. but why?
This has to do with how tea leaves react to temperature. As professional food and drink taster Martin Isark told the Daily Mail , boiling water to 100 degrees "takes away the pleasant nuances" of the tea, leaving it "dry and astringent" Strong flavors of tannins”. According to Healthline, tannins are compounds that give tea a "dry, slightly bitter taste" and also affect its color.
Plus leaving the tea bags in the water for too long makes the brew taste worse and, as Isaac puts it, "no better than cabbage water." nausea. Jingtea founder Edward Eisler agreed, telling the paper, "Many teas taste better when brewed with cooler water."
Instead, Isark recommends that you boil the water and cool it to 80 degrees. This can be achieved by adding about 20% cold water to the tea, as experts say that "boiling water will cool down by about 10 degrees for every 10% cold water added". Even better if you have a fancy kettle with temperature control.
To get the most out of your tea's flavor, Twinings recommends using fresh water when boiling the kettle. Try not to reboil water that's already left in the kettle, they say, as "it will lose all the oxygen," which will leave you with "a very bland cup of tea."
Tea makers agree with Isaac and Eisler, adding "never pour boiling water over tea bags or loose tea." This is due to the heat burning the tea and preventing "all the maximum flavor" from being released. They recommend letting the water sit for two to three minutes before pouring it. After all, this is advice from the Queen's official tea supplier.
