Tea Preparation 101: Are You Heating Your Tea Water Properly?
Tea drinking should be taken seriously because apart from the various health benefits brought about by this delightful beverage, tea drinking is an experience unlike no other. In drinking tea, preparation is crucial to have an incredible experience. Numerous factors such as the kind and quality of your tea leaves, your water’s temperature, the tea to water ratio, your steeping time, and the like should always be considered. In tea preparation, a lot of things come into play. To illustrate, Tony Gebely writes about Tea Preparation from the point of view of an engineer. Read his blog here: https://teaepicure.com/engineers-guide-to-tea-preparation/.
Apart from these, however, what you use to boil your tea water could have a massive impact on your tea drinking experience. In this blog, different tea water heating methods will be discussed so you could consider your options, and ultimately, you could find which way suits you best.
Metal teapots
Metal teapots get the job done, don’t they? Because metals are terrific heat conductors, you can conveniently heat yourself enough water for your tea in just under minutes. This is understandably any person’s go-to when making a cup of tea. And besides, metal teapots are usually very cheap! Unfortunately, however, metal teapots eventually wear out. In the process, unwanted mercury, rust, and other unnecessary particles mix into your tea water. Essentially, these different particles could affect how your tea tastes. Your tea could become bitter or more metallic to the taste. Most people wouldn’t be bothered by these unnecessary particles because they sometimes aren’t even noticeable. However, in the worst-case scenario, these particles could potentially ruin your favorite tea! You wouldn’t want to waste your tea, now, would you?
Electric boiler/kettle
Electric boilers, on the other hand, are very straightforward to use. You just pour enough water into the kettle and just plug it in! Different electric kettles are also available in the market. It is entirely up to you to choose what kind of electric kettle you prefer because plastic, glass, or stainless steel electric kettles are available. No matter which electric kettle you use, these won’t affect your tea water in any way whatsoever. This is because plastic and glass don’t shed particles when they wear out, and stainless steel is more durable than most metal teapots that are commercially available. However, the downside to these electric kettles is that they are usually more expensive than the regular metal teapot. Additionally, its use relies on the availability of electricity.
Microwaving
This may come as a surprise, but many people heat their tea water in the microwave. What’s more surprising, even, is that people reheat their tea in the microwave. To all avid tea drinkers, we know that this is a huge NO. This is because if you wanted to drink warm tea, why let it go cold in the first place? But hey, to each their own, right? Microwaving is a very convenient way to heat tea water. However, the temperature of your tea water will become inconsistent throughout the entire cup. To learn more about this, Emeric Harney discusses the difference between using a kettle and a microwave for heating tea water in this blog: https://www.harney.com/blogs/news/kettle-vs-microwave-what-s-the-best-way-to-heat-water-for-your-tea.
The bottom line
Tea drinking done correctly is such a marvelous experience. Tea drinking should be an experience. If you drink tea just to say that you drink tea, then you should reconsider. Apart from thinking about life, pondering on your thoughts, and just meditating while drinking tea, you could also catch up with your friends over tea. The possibilities are endless! This is why we stress the importance of considering all the factors there are in tea preparation. When choosing a water heating method, consider what best suits your budget and your sensitivity to your tea’s taste. Ultimately, still, all of these boil down to you and your preference. Witty Koi just wants you to experience tea drinking to the fullest!