Ian,

FWIW, I usually brew black teas (red teas, if you will) at around 195. That
is quite sufficiently hot and produces a tastier cup of tea. JMHO. No magic.

Michael




Ian /17/04


snip

> I was thinking of a post I read earlier in the year when someone
> was wondering why 212 deg F exactly is good for black tea, as if
> it were some sort of magic number, whereas it's just the highest
> temp you can achieve when boiling water. IOW, why not 205 or 200?
> Why does the perfect steeping temp for water happen to be the
> upper temperature limit? If you say black tea tastes bad with
> water at higher temps, than 212 must be some sort of mystical
> number in to black tea.
>
> Sorry, I'm philosophizing over a mug of lapsang. :-)
>
> Ian