On Tue, 22 May 2007, 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.

Thanks to you Michael and the others who responded to my question.

I nevertheless came to some conclusion, in the sense that one should try
to keep as much oxygen in the water as possible. But, as also was pointed
out, this is not so easy because the automatic heaters switch off only
when the water has been boiling for a while.

For practical reasons it is difficult to stop the heater just before the
water starts boiling violently (I have been trying now for a few days)
but, after all, preparing tea carefully (not just drinking it afterwards) is
part of the deal ...

Btw.: I found very interesting this idea that the rule
1) first boil
2) let it cool
might have come from areas where the water wasn't safe. Gives us
a hint how prejudices may have emerged.

Bernd
>

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