Water temperature question

Sweeter, less astringent, and if it's really good tea, there could be lots of nuances: fruity, floral, nutty.

/Lew

Thank you. I'll have to try it that way.

I thought 185 might be on the high side, but I know I used hotter than

140. I'll have to try some both ways. I still have a couple of the "flower ball" things I need to try out.

Not to discourage you from using a cooler temperature, but those display teas probably need it less than most greens simply because display teas tend to be made from big, mature leaves. You'd get dramatic results from cool brewing with green teas manufactured from tiny, early spring buds and leaves.

/Lew

The two places I have been in the US which offer properly-made tea are the Blue Talon in Williamsburg VA (which has a very limited selection but decent quality and proper brewing) and Legal Seafood (which started in Boston but is now all over and which has a wider selection).

--scott

Thanks. I really know very little about tea. I generally go to a place in Seattle's International District, and buy loose green tea in a mid or upper mid price range, and hope for the best. The display teas are a novelty that I had to check out. If you have a suggestion for what to look for when I buy green tea, I'd welcome it.

The ones I have which is a good cross section are made from bud (round). They're actually nipped when they open up. These are essentially green tea bud concentrate. I drink mine off the top in a thermal glass cup with 50% displacement. It reminds you of a liquor. They remind me of coral fauna. Delicate not course. I've never finished one off because my tastebuds gave out first. I will be the first to suggest the perfect complement for the never ending gongfu session. It's better if you judge one by the total of sight,smell,taste. They don't look appetizing when they dry out. I use boiling water for mine. It doesn't seem to hurt the interior. It cools down much faster than corresponding loose leaf.

Jim

PS I've menti> Jim writes:

I was just thinking the same thing. I think the reason we don't get black tea made with boiling water in restaurants is due to a lack of understanding on the part of the restaurant staff, as well as an unwillingness to wait until the water reaches a full boil.

Non-hot tea drinkers (of which there are many in the USA) just don't understand. I honestly think that they believe we are being too fussy when we demand boiling water and don't realize what a huge difference it really makes. Add to that the number of people in this country who have become accustomed to having tea made with less than boiling water

-- or have never known anything else. People in my office can't understand why I use a Hot Shot to make my tea instead of just using the hot water tap on the water cooler. I try to explain and inevitably, I am met with just blank stares.

She's even had an award named after her. The "Stella" Awards.

The deal, as I understand it, is that they can't bring boiling water _to the table_. They can, and in some cases are required to, use it in the kitchen.

But there are devices to get around this law.

One of them is called a "romulizer", and it securely clamps a lid onto the pot so that it can't spill even if dropped. I'm sure tea shops could do something similar with teapots.

AP

What you write is quite true. But it doesn't apply to what I wrote. First. I am not writing about a general restaurant. I am writing about the specialized cafe bars in various establishments, specifically in the Barnes & Noble and Borders bookstores, but it applies to cafe bars in other locales. The bookstore bars make a point of offering various teas and even sell tins of tea and tea brewing equipment. So one might expect, or have expected, them to be willing and able to brew a decent pot of black tea. However they all _refuse_ to bring their water to a boil. All cite employer policy, work rules. By the way, they brew the teas in glass press pots and serve with a ceramic mug, or fancy glasses, _not_ paper (of foam) cups.