Water temperature question (2026 Update)

Luckily, over here we have no such problem, in fact the opposite - I keep cracking cups as they are often cold (in the trailer) when the boiling water hits them.

You can steam hot water to boiling in a few seconds, so yes, I'd ask the barista to do that before adding the tea.

I doubt that many espresso machines can operate without boiling the water unless it's a twin boiler with the brew boiler below boiling, or the more usual system of mixing cold water with the boiler water before the dispenser. Could explain a lot of bad espresso though.

Might be against the local laws, but definitely impossible under the laws of thermodynamics, which are far more rigorous than any local ordinance.

Many places I've ordered tea in the USA, such as Star*ucks, use a special spigot with an orange handle to provide the hot water. With all the noise this spigot makes I've wondered if it provides water that is hotter than boiling. Is that possible given laws of physics?

The more peculiar thing I've run into is where food service people won't put the tea bags in the cup before the water. A server at a well-known breakfast chain restaurant in Tempe, Arizona said he couldn't because of Health Regulations. The counter person at a coffee shop in Rochester, NY also refused citing New York State Health Regulations. However, she passed me the empty paper cup, I took the tea bag packages from the counter display, tore them open, and put the bags in the cup. I then passed the cup back to her and she added the hot water from the orange handled spigot.

Has any> Here in the USA, due to occupational health and safety concerns,

I'd like to see either in action. I'll never use the range anymore.

Jim

PS D> Space Cowboy wrote:

I don't see why not. I routinely do this when I need a quick cup or so of boiling water for tea, or any cooking need. Hot water from my marzocco's hot water tap comes out at near boiling temp as well.

I also should note that I don't know squat about tea. I recently learned from some tea folk that boiling water is not the right call for brewing some teas. Maybe you know something about that?

-Greg

Agreed. But I go to the bookstores primarily to browse and read the books, and not for the tea or coffee. Although the tea and coffee there is better than in the standard (not specialty) restaurants. At least one can order a pot of "green tips" or "english breakfast" and not be served a bag of: Salada, Liptons, or some restaurant suppliers tea. Also the coffee is generally better, and so is the choice of pastries. Which is all meant as faint praise.

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

It's also true of subtle green teas that are completely fresh.

I'd forgotten matcha. You're right; its taste should dominate a paper cup's.

/Lew

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:

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.

What about Oolong tea, what temperature would you recommend? My local tea shop suggested using a near-boiling temperature (90 degrees C, about

Wow this was an old thread you dredged up :) but to answer yes their guidance on oolongs would be a good starting point, obviously it can be as strict or relaxed as you want and depending on the exact tea in question. As for herbal/tisanes you want full boiling water and as long as a steep as you'd like (I generally do like 3-5 minutes) to extract all you can from them. They are generally not suited to multiple steeps so you want to get it all the first time, and unlike tea there is really no reason for it to turn bitter or off with a long steep... it may get too strongly flavored for your taste but not bitter and the stronger it tastes the more successful you were extracting whatever it was you were trying for. HTH.

- Dominic