Posted by Rachel | Posted in Tea and Accessories | Posted on 06-09-2008
Tags: food, health, marketing, online, tea filters bags, tips
How hot should the water be when making tea, IDEALLY?
Often I hear of people boiling water then putting it on the tea bag / tea ball. Sometimes I hear of people putting the bag or ball right into the boiling water. And yet I’ve read other places that it’s best to cool the water off from boiling temp, somewhat.
Does anyone have any exper-TEAS in this? 
Also, what’s the best and easiest method for brewing bulk tea? A tea ball? Or buy some kind of drip filter? If the latter, what kind?
Black tea should be steeped at 195F (90C)
Green/white tea should be steeped at 175F (80C)
You can boil your water and let it sit until it cools to the right temperature, but it’s hard to know when the right temperature is reached unless you have a high-temperature thermometer.
That’s why there are tea kettles and hot water dispensers for consummate tea drinkers, that can be set to shut off at 195F or 175F.
Hand-brewed coffee, by the way, should be brewed at 195F to 205F (90-95C).
A tea ball works well. The best kind are wire mesh with a swivel clip that holds the two halves of the ball together, rather than those made of a single molded piece of sheet metal full of holes. At least, that’s my experience. Tea needs to steep, unlike coffee, which does fine with just having water drip through it.
If you like your tea strong you can just pour the leaves into the pot in bulk, and then strain as you pour, but that’s less elegant.
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Keurig B40 Elite Brewing System $92.95 The Elite Brewing System is Keurig’s gourmet home brewing made affordable. The Elite Brewing System, the most affordably priced Keurig kitchen brewing system, offers K-Cup® coffee, tea and hot cocoa brewing as the elite choice to any drip coffee maker. The Elite offers two cup sizes for brewing options with the programmable feature of Auto Off. The 48-ounce removable water reservoir holds up to 6… |
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Progressive Stainless Steel Mesh Tea Ball $0.01 Rid yourself of your ties to teabags, and welcome the versatility of a tea ball. Able to handle single cups, teapots, and even stockpots, this tea ball can be used for loose leaf tea, bouquet garni, or spices for your winter mulled wine. The attached hook lets the ball hang from your teapot or panhandle and is easily removable when your herbs have fully steeped. Made of high-quality steel, the tea… |
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Hamilton Beach 40911 2-Quart Electric Iced Tea Maker $29.99 Coffee drinkers have their automatic brewers, why shouldn’t tea drinkers? Ideal for family gatherings or summer picnics, this ingenious Hamilton Beach machine brews up a pitcher full of iced tea in less than ten minutes. After the pitcher is filled with ice cubes, tea (either loose or bags) is placed in the special paperless filter, and an adjustment for mild, medium, or strong brewing is selected… |
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Distiller Charcoal Filters 12pk $13.95 Activated Carbon Filters… |
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Pond Logic Activated Carbon, 9 lbs (w/ Mesh Bag) $56.69 Activated carbon is very effective at removing dissolved organics from pond water such as stains and discoloration caused by leaves and organic debris. Activated carbon is also great at removing harmful chlorine and chloramines caused by tap water. 9 lb Bucket. included are small pallets…. |