Keeping tea (not too) hot

funny - I could have written your post a while ago. I tried the thermos method - no good. The tea suffered. I found the answer when I discovered these nifty little tea warmers. They work great, and I've come to really appreciate having the presence of a small flame on my computer desk. Couldn't do without one now. Cheap and efficient. You can see and buy them here:

no affiliation, happy customer

forgot to mention - you may need to adjust the height of the tealight candle for the desired heat....I place two of the tealights one on top of another to raise the flame a bit. Tealights, if you look around a little, are really cheap. I get them for about six bucks for a box of 100. make sure to get _unscented_ ones.

I'd recommend a good all stainless steel thermos from an outdoor store. Stay away from any plastic parts such as cap and cup. However if it goes in hot it'll come out hot. I'd brew the night before and let cool to room temperature. Then heat up in a microwave. Another option is an immersible heating coil. Beware they will blow breakers but it can warmup a cup in seconds. You can get the pot/cup warmer which works if desired less than hot. Nothing wrong with a tea bag and hot water brewed in the pot and poured in a cup. Tea in the office is a compromise. I nuked the same chinese teapot with bamboo handle for decades.

Jim

You can slightly microwave tea without much harm. About 45 seconds to a minute should be enough.

Also, a thermal carafe or thermos works fine.

Every now and again, we read people died suddenly from pulmonary embolism. Sitting for hours on end without breaks to *exercise one's legs* is courting for trouble.

"Point 2. Make sure you stand up and walk away from your computer on a regular basis. Just walk around for a few minutes, stretch, and relax. This should be done at least every hour. For my patients I recommend that they use a timer and get away from their computer every 20 to 30 minutes."

If you are contemplating importing these gadgets as a commercial undertaking, it is advisable to append a warning label.

Looking at the price, I won't blame you: it is less than a (McDonald's) Big Mac's!

Bee.

magnulusE_Ohd.15957$ snipped-for-privacy@bignews6.bellsouth.net11/2/04

11: snipped-for-privacy@bellsouth.net

I agree about the thermal carafe or thermos, but be aware that the little unseen tea particles will continue to change the taste of the tea over time. So, the tea will not be as fine after two hours let's say as it would be upon first steeping. However, we all gotta do what we gotta do in this imperfect world.

Michael

I too like to sip tea at the office/lab and have a narrow temperature preference.

I have easy access to a microwave at work so I just heat water in my teacup and use a teaball with loose tea. The trick is that my tea "cup" is really a one-pint mug with a lid. (My fiancee had a set of them custom-made to my specs by a local potter as a birthday gift a while back). In addition, I use an electric mug warmer, similar to the following:

That's not the actual model I have - just do a google search for "mug warmer" and you'll find a number of different brands and vendors.

I like my tea pretty hot, so I still go back for a touch-up in the microwave every now and then, but between the mug warmer and the lid, it stays pretty close to my desired temperature. I don't know if that's the ideal solution for you, but it works for me.

Bon chance, Jason Blank

A cup of tea should be made fresh every time. NEVER microwave your tea. When you microwave tea, it changes the chemical composition of the tea and thus, the taste and purity. You are performing a grave injustice when you reheat or microwave tea. Brewing a pot of tea and keeping it hot "for the rest of the day" is also not good for the taste and quality of your tea.

I suggest brewing a fresh cup each time you get a craving. It gives you a break from the computer and ensures you get a quality cup of tea each time.

Best regards,

Darren

Exactly what changes occur to the chemical composition?

-- PC: HP Omnibook 6000 OS: Win 2K SP-4 (5.00.2195) LAN: P2P with an HP Vectra workstation Email: Usenet-20031220 at spamex.com (11/03/04)

Research could be done on the precise changes that tea undergoes when microwaved. I do not have the equipment or expertise to carry out such a study. I will, however, quote you what I have found from a well regarded professional Tea taster:

"Tea should be made in a lidded vessel to contain the volatile and vital aromatics it contains, not in an open cup. And, further, the teapot or lidded cup should be appropriate in every respect to the tea which is being infused inside of it."

"Volatilization or degree of evaporation (retro-nasally) is dependent on many factors. The temperature of the tea and the surface area of the cup or spoon changes both volatility and evaporation rate. If I cup a tea using a cup with a surface diameter of 9 cm and an exact tea cupper's spoon and at a temperature of 200 degrees, and if you, at home, use a cup with a surface diameter of 7 or 11 cm, a tablespoon and at a temperature of 130 degrees, are we then cupping the same tea? Obviously, we are not. Can you understand how the dynamics of the flavor profile will change?"

"Volatile flavor components can be generated in a number of ways. Fermentation causes one type of flavor, as esters, as well as alcohols, and trace sulfur and other components are formed. Oxidation is another avenue of flavor component generation. Heating, cooking or browning causes yet other flavor components to be generated..."

source:

Again i tell you, Tea is very delicate. My own experience with tea tells me that a microwaved cup of tea or tea thats been sitting on a slow burner all day, is a much different tasting and LOWER quality tea than a freshly prepared cup.

Tea preparation should be considered an art form. Subtle changes in the way we brew tea lead to better tasting, more enjoyable cups. Americans especially, where tea drinking is gaining in popularity, need to make sure we arent treating tea as something to be consumed carelessly.

Darren

I think that you also need to look at the quality of the tea: Some of my teas become cloudy (opaque) after a while and those do not keep long at an elevated temperature. Cloudiness is always connected to fine dust in the liquor and this dust seems to influence the quality. On the other hand, I have used very clean Oolongs many times and kept them in a thermos for 5 or more hours, without a significant change in taste. Discarding the first few seconds of a brew might possibly help, it may remove particulate material.

JB

Always? I've read that various tea components (e.g. tannins and caffeine) react over a few minutes to form sparingly soluble complexes that precipitate out as a fine floc. My own results with dust-free teas are consistent with this. In addition, the temperature-solubility profile of some other components is so steep that a few degrees' drop, especially in stronger brews, brings on cloudiness.

-DM

I am not a chemist but only a simple physicist and hence try to reduce phenomena to their simplest cause. I use a Pyrex glass beaker (from a laboratory) to drink tea and can therefore see the opacity quite clearly. On a number of Assams I see cloudiness quickly, hence they are not used in a thermos anymore. However, a few Oolongs and a Turkish tea (low in tannin) hold up very well and even after 6 hours I cannot see cloudiness. The taste holds up pretty well too, especially with the Oolongs. I brew my teas well below boiling, at about 80-90 centigrade, Assams are doused with boiling water. Maybe it is time for a chemist to speak now ;-)

JB

My experience with microwave and with prolonged (hours) steeping has taught me never to use these techniques: the change in quality is slight but perceptible with the first, but considerable and unacceptable with the second. This concurs with Darren's observation.

On the other hand, if you drink tea specifically, or additionally, for its medicinal properties, and the enjoyment of its flavour and its aroma is low down in priority, then prolonged steeping may be the preferred procedure.

Black, Green Tea May Slow Alzheimer's Disease

"The scientists steeped the green tea for 45 minutes in freshly boiled water and prepared the black tea in boiled water for 30 minutes." in the last but one paragraph.

Bee.