Michael Plant wrote:

>
>
> On 05/22/2007 06:01:42 Bernd Pollermann >
> wrote:
>
> there was recently a discussion about the two methods of making tea
> with
>
> > let's say 80 centigrade water.
>
> > 1) let the water boil and then let it cool down
>
> > 2) heat the water up to 80 centigrade only
>
> > Unfortunately I was cut off the news group for a while, and now the
> > discussion has disappeared.
>
> > Could anybody give me the result of this discussion? Or wasn't
> > there any definite conclusion?
>
> > Thanks in advance,
>
> > Bernd
>
>
> Bernd, there is never a definitive conclusion for these issues. Some
> go one way, some go the other. That was the gist of the end of the
> discussion. Rationale behind the boil and let the water cool down
> solution is thought to derive from areas and times where and when
> water was bad and needed to be boiled. Some people said that in China
> "fish eye" water is considered bad water and full roiling water is
> considered good -- whatever that means. Personally, I often boil the
> water and let it cool, although our water here in New York City is
> just fine and quite healthy -- whatever that means. This is all from
> memory, so it might be less than perfect, as am I. Michael

"Fish-eye water" is good and full boiling water is NOT considered to be
good! As always in real life, there's not only black and white,
different shades of gray fill out most of the middle ground. In the
case of heating water for tea, there are 3 main stages based on the
appearance of the water. The first stage is called "crab-eye water",
referring to the size of bubbles that form at this particular stage.
According to my random measurements, that's usually somewhere between
85° and 90°C. It is considered to be unhealthy water by the Chinese.
The next stage is called "fish-eye water", this time forming a bit
larger bubbles that break through to the surface in a semi-steady
stream. This stage is considered to be the ideal for making tea. If you
don't stop the heating process, you'll end up with "old man water" (a
full rolling boil) which is considered to be worthless for making tea.
There are other methods like judging the stage by the sound of the
kettle (you'll probably have noticed that the kettle ramps up to a the
maximum noise level at about the 2/3 mark, then slowly decreasing until
boiling) or the appearence of the emitted steam. You can find a very
good introduction to this subject in Master Lam Kam Chuen's book "The
way of tea".
Traditionally, water is always brought to (the right level of) a boil,
then cooled down. As we discussed previously, this is probably related
to health concerns (killing off bacteria). But I haven't read any
conclusive explanation of this. On the other hand, the oxygen-holding
capacity of water decreases with temperature. Therefore, bringing the
water just to the desired temperature should result in a higher oxygen
concentration in the water and a better tasting tea.
I think everyone concerned with this issue should make some tea both
ways and try them side by side. Then judge for yourself (and possibly
post on RFDT) if there is a difference in taste.

BTW, the level of boiling when a regular electric kettle cuts itself
off would be considered "old man water", so it's worth paying attention
and shutting it off before the rolling boil.

The old discussion that Bernd refered to can be found at
http://groups.google.co.nz/group/rec..._thread/thread
/a7019978841cd19c/7b634e2aa29bc550?lnk=gst&q=cooling&rnum=9&hl=en#7b 634e
2aa29bc550
--