> > I bought a digital
> > thermometer for 20 bucks and the reading it gave for freshly boiled
> > water was 96 degrees (celcius). The best thing to do if you want it
> > accurate is to add cool water to freshly boiled water. using physics
> > calculations you can get the following ratios. make sure your teapot is
> > hot otherwise it will act as a heat sink and cool the water too much.
>
> Adrian, how high are you? Off the top of my head, I'd say about 2000 meters,
> more or less. But, then it might be your thermometer's bad.

sea level! i was quite horrified by the accuracy!

>
> I think one of the most crucial elements here, with a nod to Dog Ma, is the
> thickness and density of the wall of your brewing vessel, since it is this
> wall that absorbs most of the heat. This element would vary your
> calculations above by quite a lot. My advice is to test for yourself, using
> a thermometer at first.
>
> Again, the best approach is trial and error.

yes that's a crucial factor. I agree, trial and error is the best
approach. you'll soon get a feeling for what works for each tea.

another method that is used is to observe how quickly the steam rises
from the water. for a delicate green or white tea cool the hot water
until you see moderately slow wisps of steam - it shouldn't be shooting
up. for oolongs the steam would rise faster. again, you can observe and
experiment with this method and you will soon get a feeling for how hot
the water is.

Adrian