I realize i come late with the comment, but in this kind of binary tastings i would recommend to ad a third option (duplicating one of the 2), or our brain start to tell you you have to find differences where there may not. If you have a blind duplication, i think that would reduce this risk. Love these experiments, thanks a lot for sharing
Rule of thumb.: if you want to get around 80 Celsius degree water, the boiled-cold water ratio is 3:1. The cold water tamperature doesn't really matter because you can use the coldest tap water (~10 Celsius) and room temperature water (~25 celsius) too, the result will be between 77,7-81,4 celsius degree. I think you don't want to measure the water temperature every time :D
The very small difference might also just be a small fluctuation in leaf surface area or some small difference in leaf amount (weight) or a combination of both. Would be nice to see a series of blind tests like maybe n=20 or something for a start. So that the minor fluctiations are canceling each other out. Probably too much work but it could be fun for tea geeks.
Yes this needs a more rigorous testing to draw any reliable conclusions. We have tried a few times off camera to confirm and it seems to be consistent though which is interesting. If everyone tried it and posted their conclusions it would not be totally proven but with a large enough number of viewers it would represent a decent sample size I think.
Additionally, metal may be too reactive to use as a heating vessel; it's possible that glass or something might need to be used in order to limit water's reactivity with the vessel walls. Additionally, matcha may be a good substrate for this test since leaf size would no longer be a variable.
I agree. boiling water plus adding cold water makes the best Tee. But, according to my experience, the quality of the water is much more important than the heat. I think smooth water with less minerals should be used. PS: your cat is so cute :)
it's funny to me I just found you guys on UA-cam and like 2 years ago you gave a tea lecture in our office in Camden town and that day I bought my first brewing set. now I adore good tea and am thankful you did this corporate training :) you two are great.
As a chemistry student, I was pleased by the methodology of this test in spite of its subjectivity, though I have to make one recommendation. I would have greater faith in the significance of the results if you did another trial where you used the same method of heating water for both brewers in order to determine the precision of the brewing method.
Most Chinese people I know tell me that it is all about the temperature, because boiling water can ruin the freshness in green tea. Those people taught me knowledge about tea are all professionals, and I haven't really heard of such theory there. I went to a mountain village that my family and friends invested some money to build a tea factory (or should I use the word "workshop") there, and due to the sea level we could pour boiling water into tea bowl without worrying it destroy the freshness. Tea tasted significantly better than what you could have in other places because of the natural spring water from mountain. I can't deny this theory, but there are so many factors such as water quality, container, whether you have pre-warmed your container and etc. could all affect the taste of tea, and this one is just a small problem compare to using plastic container to brew.
I really enjoyed this one! I've not done this experiment yet, but I have experimented with the mineral content of the water. It may not come as a surprise, but soft water is almost unusable, in my opinion, as it makes the tea super flat and dull. I would love to see a video, and I apologize in advance if you've already made this, that goes over the importance of the water you use to brew the tea and maybe even do your own experiment with different water that has differing qualities such as hardness level, mineral content, source, etc. Thanks for the great content!
Chao zhou gong fu tea has small tea kettle so that they always need to add fresh water to boiled water, shia dao kettle are only good for 2 infusions, they never empty the kettle so it always has hot water to be mixed with fresh so that there is no thermal shock on the ceramic kettle. I have a glass induction boiler, a Lin's ceramic boiler and a japanese tetsubin with bronze lid from kyoto without urushi glaze, these make different tasting water, I only need to get a nilu stove and chao zhou kettle to try out that method too, and as a final thought the material and fire source also make a difference, if everything goes right I will try to save up for a silver kettle, so I can test every variable in water boiling.
Is the working theory that oxygenated water does a better job at extracting tea flavours, or is it that if the final product has more dissolved oxygen it tastes better? (oxygen = actual process benefits or independent flavour benefits)
Thank you for sharing this experiment. I have also been curious about the controversy of boiled/cooled versus water brought to temperature. Great info!
Love the information. It has been taught to me that you cannot also reboil water because it makes it dead water. I thought that was just because the water they used to use have more minerals than the ones we use now. It is nice to know that boiled water does have an effect
I have never been patient enough to let the water cool in the kettle. Thus, I used to cool it by pouring it into a glass bowl or cold cup. But for some time I had used the method of adding cold water, and it works fine. The real issue are those that boil water twice (or use hot water to start with). Especially if you also have a lot of chalk in the water. That happens a lot at work, and I try to explain; but no one listens :-|
i let my boiled water cool down during moving it between two glas-pots from a one meter distance. i believe this makes the water, which is brita filtered, more smooth, vibrand and a more tasty tea. water wants to flow!
Time for some science! The tea brewed with boiled water will have a lighter color because boiled water removes oxygen, hence there is little to no oxidation reaction with the chemicals/ enzymes in the tea, thus the tea is lighter in color. I.E : A + 0 = A The tea brewed without boiled water, still have oxygen remaining in the water, hence when brewing the oxygen within the water reacts (oxidates) with chemicals/ enzymes in the tea leaves changing its color from lighter to darker. I.E A + O = A & AB & C The tea brewed without boiled water taste better because oxidation or partial oxidation changes the chemicals in the tea creating other aromatic compounds and our taste buds are sensitive enough to taste all the various compounds. Which is why tea brewed without boiled water taste better/ different.
That's what I've been doing. I don't let it boil but if it goes a little past the desired temperature I add a splash of cooler water to bring the temperature down. I need to just get better kettle.
Thanks so much for doing this experiment. I've often wondered about the truth of this common knowledge. There's another experiment that I'd be thrilled for you to try. One that might prove very enlightening for tea fans if it goes the way I suspect it might. When I was reading the section on brewing in this lovely tea book (Tea: History, Terroirs, Varieties) a passage that struck me read something like: tea is by nature "moody"-even if you steep the same amounts using the exact same method, the taste will vary from session to session. This seemed to explain for me why even though I've been brewing a particular green tea that I love in the same manner for ages, some days I think it's just "good" while on others I am reminded why I am a fan of tea. I don't know why it had never occurred to me that a heap of dry tea could be far from chemically homogenous. While on the one hand this thought was frustrating to me because it meant I lost a rather large amount of control in the brewing process, it was also rather enchanting because it meant partaking of a certain "kind" of tea was less like sampling a token instance of a one fixed essence and more like experiencing the weather in a certain place-it takes time do this (many cups), and you could never just point at one cloud (or cup) and say that *that* is what the weather is like here... As far as experiments go, it would be exceedingly interesting for me if you brewed western style 3 or 4 small pots of tea, using the exact same method, to see just how much difference there can be depending on the leaf alone.
Occasionally I brew fukamushi tea in the office. The hot water available is very hot, cannot control it, so in order not to burn the leaves, I first pour cold water on them, and then pour the hot water over. Surprisingly the brew is sweeter and rounder and it has all the complexity I am hoping for.
That's an interesting result with the tea water that was brought to boil and then its heat reduced by adding fresh water. In Japanese tea ceremony, the water is likewise brought to boil in the kettle and then a couple of scoops of fresh water is added, after which it is used to for making the thinner or thicker matcha licquer.
It make sense. The change of temperature decrease the oxygen in the water, even if it not reach the boiling point. But when you add water to a boiling one, you have oxygen from the fresh water and the temperature you need. Interesting, I am going to make my own tasting.
I experimented with the cooling of water method quite a few times and enjoy the method much better than simply using boiling water. I used it on some gunpowder green tea I have and found that the cooler water reveals more of the smoky aspects of the tea and the flavor gets released more gradually rather than the initial harsh flood of flavor that I used to get with boiling water. I really enjoy this new method much better than any other I've heard about. I still need to experiment with how much room temperature water I should add (because I always seem to make the water a bit too cool for my liking) but it's still much better than the old way to do it. Thanks for the idea! :)
If oxygen is the factor, add the cold water quickly from a distance. Just like decanting wine at a distance makes more oxygen enter the liquid. xoxo from Arizona USA
You guys seem to have a lot of fun with tea. If I weren't in the States I would come by! I'm glad you put a conclusion at the end, because this is the 5th Mei Leaf video I watched and I'm getting sleepy
I thank that Temperature is only a small part in terms of quality of the tea . oxygen is probably a smaller factor then compared to say the hardness of the water ie the amount of calcium/ limestone in the water . Also i find that in the cities with the chlorinated and fluoride and other chemicals that provide a " a safe quality for drinkable water " which is added to most large cities around the world ) vs a county well away from the cities that have little calcium carbonate ( with increase the ph of water ) making the tea taste differently . Its very strange but i have found anecdotally the i perfer City water over the country clean well water with the much lower Ph . I would love to carry out an experiment ( Blind taste testing) to prove or disprove my theory. love your passion re. Tea i wish you had a store in canada somewhere?
In brewing coffee, I learned that boiled water causes the minerals to separate from the water and sink to the bottom of the pot, similar to distilled water. Distilled water makes awful tasting coffee with the minerals removed. I wonder if the same is true with tea? Spring water has always been my favorite for brewing both coffee and tea due to the high mineral content. :)
a documentary about tea called trails to tsukiji showed a japanese educated teahead, teaching the reporter, that for the first brew you do not add boiling water directly, but first put the kettle water into the cups and only then - the water from the cups goes into the brewer. The second brew would then be from the hot kettle water. Teahead states, that you need colder water if you want the sweetness of the tea. And for a strong tea you use hot water... So it's not only about bringing the water up to temperature, but also gradually bringing the tea up to temperature. Thank you for the video, thumbs up!
So the theory is that it's the higher oxygen content in the water that makes for a better tea then. So, wouldn't you also get a similar raise in oxygen by pouring the water from a height, or by repeatedly decanting it between two carafes (as they sometimes do with wine)? Has anyone tried this? If so, what were the results? Similar oddball idea: using your espresso machine's steamer on the water. Or perhaps the easiest method of all: filling a thermos to about half full and giving it a vigorous shake. And wouldn't this also add extra "oomph" when combined with bringing up the tea to the correct temperature rather than boiling it?
@mei leaf Using your connoisseur brewer, how do we know the ration of water to leaves to use? How many grams do we typically put in the top and how much water do we fill the infuser up to?
I have tried this test and find that the difference is only perceptible with Green & white tea. And because of the type of water being used, i.e. tap, filtered, distilled, etc.
Hey , i only like tea done wright, so i am trying to learn so i can make it at home. So The lady at my teashop who knows a lot told me its better to boil water and cool it couse you need to brake the watersurface. Of course not to long or oxigen loss and always fresh soft warer
I would have to guess the difference was an outside variable. When looking into the science of water boiled or twice boiled it turns out not even the levels of dissolved oxygen really change. This would probably be why the difference was so minor in the first case and in the second I would say the amount of water that steeped was noticeably different. The one on my right as the viewer had less water. Which explains why it was stronger. It would be near impossible to conduct a completely controlled study of this anyways.
When looking into the science... "the solubility curve of the oxygen in the water has an asymptotic behaviour, so when increased the water temperature beyond 40ºC (104ºF), the curve will tend to be almost constant (= amount of the oxygen will be constant)" According to me this means that the variation of oxygen dissolved in water between 70°C and 100°C is insignificant but maybe adding some fresh water can actually change it....
Interesting! I wasn't really convinced either. Small fluctuations are to be expected as there are so many variables, Even you use the same amount of water and leaf there can still be a higher surface area of the leaves which is absolutely impossible to measure. @OrientalBeautiful Guy I would like to know where you got that from. I don't know about the whole bringing it back to lower temp part, but 70°C and 100°C should have a very high relative difference in oxygen saturation. I am currently looking at a figure from engineerintoolbox that shows 100°C -> 0mg/l and 70°C -> 4mg/l. This means that boiled water loses all of it's dissolved oxygen which needs to be reabsorbed which needs high water/air surface area in order to happen fast enough (movement helps). Saying that 4mg/l is an insignificant difference to 0mg/l isn't logical to me. Especially if ^you consider that 0°C should have a maximum saturation of about 14mg/l. It should also be noted that the outside pressure (athmosperic pressure current elevation) has an effect on the possible oxygen saturation too.
We are enjoying reading this conversation and all we can add is that we totally appreciate that this is not scientific with quite a few variables but we have tried it out afterwards a few times and we get the same pattern: Boiled water has a slightly 'flatter' taste to water brought to temperature (especially noticeable in teas brewed at 70-80 degrees) and Boiled water that has cold water added seems to extract a stronger tea than water brought to temperature. We have tried a few times so it is a tiny sample size but we would be interested to hear any of your experiences.
@@orientalbeautifulguy7257 it's likely that adding fresh water would change it but that wouldn't explain why regular 80 degree water that hasn't been boiled would be different
I've recently purchased a Whistling kettle and I can taste a difference in taste in my tea now. Rather then electric kettle the gas boiled water tatse cleaner. I've not really found any online videos of this. Tatse difference gas vs kettle boiling water for tea.
Normally I heat the water a little past steeping temperature, heat my cup, and steep once the water has cooled to the appropriate temperature. I've been experimenting with Long Jing using the boil and dilute method for about a month now and it does seem to taste different to me. Heating to temperature and then steeping seems to yield a stronger but more focused tea. Boiling and then diluting to temperature seems to produce a weaker tea with a broader (though not muddy) flavor profile. I steep the Long Jing I am using to 175F (according to my kettle). Heating to temperature seems to give me 175F Long Jing. Boiling and diluting feels more like drinking 170F to 180F Long Jing blended together -- I have the normal taste I am used to with some sweeter notes I might expect at lower temperature and a little edge/ bitterness that I might expect at higher temperature. It almost feels like I can taste the water I am using as well and it seems to help with the contrast. Think of it like light strips of purple, orange, and yellow on a white sheet of paper as opposed to looking into a bucket of orange paint. Hard to say what is going on but I suspect that when diluting the boiling water in my kettle to 175F that this is just the average temperature being picked up by the heat sensor. I don't let the kettle sit for very long after dilution so maybe the water temperature is not uniform? My guess is that boiling and diluting the water then immediately steeping results in hot and cool spots in the water and that the convection that would then occur during steeping might also produce currents that gently agitate the tea. This might be why the flavor profile seems to 'open' up when using this method. So if heating to temperature produces say: 12 oz @ 175F for 1.5 minutes --> chemicals extracted under these conditions >> (call this amount 1) Maybe boil and dilute averages out to something like: 4 oz @ 180F for 1.5 minutes --> chemicals extracted under these conditions >> ( 0.33 concentration relative to above) 4 oz @ 175F for 1.5 minutes --> chemicals extracted under these conditions >> ( 0.33 concentration relative to above) 4 oz @ 170F for 1.5 minutes --> chemicals extracted under these conditions >> ( 0.33 concentration relative to above) + some gentle agitation/ water circulation from convection So if the above is a reasonable approximation of what is happening that would explain the difference. Might be interesting to try raising the steeping temperature just a little to see if a stronger flavored tea with a broad profile can be produced this way. Might ruin the nice contrast I seem to taste now though. Hard to say I really prefer one way over the other. For now it seems boil and dilute might give you a better overall representation of the tea while heating to temperature might allow you to focus on specific aspects of it.
Recently my kettle with temperature control broke, so I had to switch to pouring boiling water back and forth between the tea pot and the tea glass to bring it down to 70°C (Sencha). Much to my surprise I found the tea to be better tasting, than when using non-fully-boiled water at 70°C. Is it possible that the pouring back and forth of the water increases the amount of oxygen in it, maybe even to a level above the non-fully-boiled water? Has anyone compared these methods or experience with both?
actually in my opinion the stronger flavor is due to oxidazation which is not desirable in my opinion. in fact in japan people always cool the water from boilling using a yuzamashi
You guys are now one of the main motivating factors for me to fly across the pond! I'll definitely come buy and try your wares when I finally get to Camden! Greetings from Napa Valley California! (Currently in flames) ... I was going to go back and edit the autocorrect error of "buy" but then decided it was quite apt! Any idea what the US customs limits are? 😎
Hello Don & Celine, What water do you use when brewing tea? Often I use Buxton bottled or similar or I use pure distilled zero ppm, which I am about to taste my Chiswick Tea Co Organic Assan (Chardwar Estate) Loose Leaf Premium Black Tea . Not the level of tea you are using, but nice all the same. I used boiled and cooled for my first test. Thank you for getting me on the road to great tea understanding. I am a newbie.
Try taking water from your aquarium. - There should be a lot of oxygen in it.-) But joking aside, this is quite an interesting field for experiments, I must say. I live in Vienna, Austria, and the tap water here is a nearly unprocessed spring water from the Alps. It even arrives in the city under its own weigt, just flowing downhill from the mountains. But somehow it never came to my mind trying warmed-up water instead of boiled and cooled down for tea-making. Thank you!
Shall I send you a water sample? By the way, today I made AliShan with warmed up viennese water. Somehow I could taste raw water behind the bouquet of the tea. I don't know, for me it is kind of disturbing.
I find I need to reheat my water after a couple infusions, during sessions with puerhs and oolongs. Based on your experience, would you recommend starting with new water at that point, or just turning the kettle back on and re-boiling what you used for the previous infusions?
Loved this video. I've always heard that boiling water has a bad influence on the tea taste, but I always wondered if that was true. I'm looking for a good kettle that keeps the water in the desired temperature. Any recommendations?
We are going to call up a few kettle manufacturers to try to do a review. We did this before but one out of five agreed so there was no point doing a comparative review.
Sorry if you've already found one; been using a Cosori electric kettle for about a year now that gives you about 5 preset temps ranging from 170 fahrenheit to boiling. It also can hold the temperature for an hour before automatically shutting down.
Interesting video! I had read that "over boiled" water affects in the flavor due to the oxygen. It would had be interesting if you also would had brew some tea with over boiled water (boiled more than 1 time). There are times where some people boil 2 liters but just use one, and then boil again that leftover but just use 1/2 liter and so on... I think the bad flavour is directly proportional to the times you have over boiled the water. (now i always throw the water in the kettle before boil me for some tea). Greetings!
If i use boiled water for green tea, i put cold water to the boiling water. For 80c i use 1/4 from the amount i boiled. And the tea is better (for my taste) than the tea i used cooled down water.
Hello, I'm wondering on how to optimize the water use when brewing black tea gong fu style. How are you infusing it after the first time? The water in the kettle is cooled down a bit in the meantime and I'm guessing just keeping it boiling all the time is also not a good idea same as reheating it and making it boil again for every infusion. (At least according to your finds in the video) But constantly boiling new water doesn't really seem to be the way either.
Hi guys, thanks for the interesting video, keep'em coming, please. This may be a silly question - but I'm curious to know what kind of water you use for brewing tea? As London tap water in my experience tastes distinctly of chlorine at best (sorry, I'm Norwegian), I assume you brew with some kind of neutral tasting bottled water? I know you don't like mentioning brands, but what kind of water do you normally go for when it comes to ph value and mineral content? I suppose that would hugely affect the flavour of the tea. Thanks again.
Hi Ann, We use tap water which has been filtered (Pentek filter) and then revitalised (Grander System). We have tested pH as very slightly alkaline but we do not know the mineral content but I will be doing a video on bottled water for tea. Thanks!
where are you located? it looked like thailand in the video where you were riding the moped and talking about tea. i just use my water kettle and get the water to where it barely starts to bubble and use it that way. a little cooler than full boil.
Rinse the chamber with some soapy water. Come people use the wet leaf as deodorisers for a day leaving them to dry out in an area that you want to remove unwanted smells, others put leaves on their skin but we don't use them after our sessions.
From a physical point of view would it be possible/make any sense whatsoever? I mean, why would oxygen dissolve less in the same aggregation state just because the water boiled earlier? wouldn't a rather higher energetic aggregate state bind/mix quicker? Yet ... the rabbit hole..
No it is by a company called Kamjove but they are not legally sold outside China because they do not have electrical certification (although my house has not blown up so nothing wrong with them).
wow great video! I was about to ask to do a try with boiled water + fresh water but you did it--- great! very very interesting highlights: - meow! - friend calling - Celine shirt: RIP American Apparel :-(
I use a kettle and add fresh water. I think I can 'hear/feel' the temp. while shaking the kettle (but maybe this is just 'Spinnerei'; i am a tea rookie)
Hi Don, ever since I saw one of your videos with that kettle, I've been on the hunt to figure out who made it and the model, etc. I finally figured it out and really wanted to get one of those Kamjove T-22A variable kettles, but since I live in the US I'd need a step up converter ($100) and of course the kettle ($60 online), however since nobody on the internet has anything to say on this kettle, and there is no one to ask, I decided to just make things easier and get a Bonavita BV382510V variable electric kettle for around $70 (just incase I wasn't happy with the Kamjove due to the lack of information and high priced setup.) Only thing is that the Bonavita is not 100% stainless inside, as there's a silicone ring around the temperature sensor as well as where the handle is attached...bummer, so still on the hunt. Well, if you could please help me with a question about your kettle Don, I'd really appreciate it! I'm wondering if there is any plastic or silicone inside your Kamjove T-22A electric variable kettle? Perhaps when you do your kettle review video, you could show the inside views of the kettle or mention this info for anyone else out there seeking a healthy electric variable temp kettle. (It's impossible to get a variable electric kettle in the US without any plastic or silicone, glue, etc...and I'm willing to use a step up converter if that's what it takes!) Thank you, and I love watching all your guy's tea videos!!! Torrell
Don't know what they're using exactly, but I've been eyeing up this one made by Bonavita on Amazon. 80 USD if you have prime (100 without), 1L (so it's a little bit small), per degree variable temperature, gooseneck spout for a laminar pour... Can't say I have any personal experience with it, but it's 4/5 stars in the reviews and it's the cheapest I've seen a kettle with that many features. Should be the first one that pops up if you search "bonavita kettle"
This is kettle made by Kamjove and it is good but they don't sell abroad because of electrical certification. The bonavita is meant to be good although some people say that the gooseneck cools the water a little too much but I have never tested this one.
I was pleasantly surprised this wasn't a video bluntly slamming the boiled water variation. I drink tea multiple times a day and I do always find that wether I re-boil and cool, or boil up to the temperature desired, There isn't a huge difference for me either. Moreso, I find it is about using good tea and the proper temperature of water. The fact that there's a difference at all is baffling to me, especially with this science considered: ua-cam.com/video/MXYDJ-F3938/v-deo.htmlm53s (tl;dw: When water cools back down it will re-absorb oxygen at the same rate) I've personally noticed that just the particular bunch of tealeaves from the same pack can render bigger differences than the state of the water, and vary greatly at a pretty random rate. Still I am curious how you both came to the conclusion that they were different, and I find this whole discussion fascinating :)
Make sure the water is filtered but for the best results use mineral water ( = bottled water ) without gas ( no Pellegrino) . Mineral water is the best .
I realize i come late with the comment, but in this kind of binary tastings i would recommend to ad a third option (duplicating one of the 2), or our brain start to tell you you have to find differences where there may not. If you have a blind duplication, i think that would reduce this risk.
Love these experiments, thanks a lot for sharing
I think your cat needs to feature more on this channel. :)
I think that this is the most thumbed up comment we have received so clearly we have to get him on camera!
+Mei Leaf Nice video!, would like to hear your beautiful wife's comments and opinions too.. :-)
@The oil is Burning That is fucking weird. Can’t stand freaks like that.
Rule of thumb.: if you want to get around 80 Celsius degree water, the boiled-cold water ratio is 3:1. The cold water tamperature doesn't really matter because you can use the coldest tap water (~10 Celsius) and room temperature water (~25 celsius) too, the result will be between 77,7-81,4 celsius degree. I think you don't want to measure the water temperature every time :D
Your attention to detail is fully appreciated.
The very small difference might also just be a small fluctuation in leaf surface area or some small difference in leaf amount (weight) or a combination of both. Would be nice to see a series of blind tests like maybe n=20 or something for a start. So that the minor fluctiations are canceling each other out. Probably too much work but it could be fun for tea geeks.
Also you would need to factor in the tea drunkeness after like n = 5 and onwards =D
Yes this needs a more rigorous testing to draw any reliable conclusions. We have tried a few times off camera to confirm and it seems to be consistent though which is interesting. If everyone tried it and posted their conclusions it would not be totally proven but with a large enough number of viewers it would represent a decent sample size I think.
Additionally, metal may be too reactive to use as a heating vessel; it's possible that glass or something might need to be used in order to limit water's reactivity with the vessel walls. Additionally, matcha may be a good substrate for this test since leaf size would no longer be a variable.
@@MeiLeaf Thanks for this testing too!
I agree. boiling water plus adding cold water makes the best Tee. But, according to my experience, the quality of the water is much more important than the heat. I think smooth water with less minerals should be used.
PS: your cat is so cute :)
it's funny to me I just found you guys on UA-cam and like 2 years ago you gave a tea lecture in our office in Camden town and that day I bought my first brewing set. now I adore good tea and am thankful you did this corporate training :) you two are great.
Thanks fellow Camdenite, I remember that session!
As a chemistry student, I was pleased by the methodology of this test in spite of its subjectivity, though I have to make one recommendation. I would have greater faith in the significance of the results if you did another trial where you used the same method of heating water for both brewers in order to determine the precision of the brewing method.
Most Chinese people I know tell me that it is all about the temperature, because boiling water can ruin the freshness in green tea. Those people taught me knowledge about tea are all professionals, and I haven't really heard of such theory there.
I went to a mountain village that my family and friends invested some money to build a tea factory (or should I use the word "workshop") there, and due to the sea level we could pour boiling water into tea bowl without worrying it destroy the freshness. Tea tasted significantly better than what you could have in other places because of the natural spring water from mountain.
I can't deny this theory, but there are so many factors such as water quality, container, whether you have pre-warmed your container and etc. could all affect the taste of tea, and this one is just a small problem compare to using plastic container to brew.
Finally i found a reason to visit London! : ) Thanks for sharing your passion
Welcome!
I really enjoyed this one! I've not done this experiment yet, but I have experimented with the mineral content of the water. It may not come as a surprise, but soft water is almost unusable, in my opinion, as it makes the tea super flat and dull. I would love to see a video, and I apologize in advance if you've already made this, that goes over the importance of the water you use to brew the tea and maybe even do your own experiment with different water that has differing qualities such as hardness level, mineral content, source, etc. Thanks for the great content!
Extra 👍🏻 for the 🐈
re watching this video and realised poor Mishkin startles when Celine jumps into the video 😂
I love this channel! I have always wondered about this. Keep up the good work.
Chao zhou gong fu tea has small tea kettle so that they always need to add fresh water to boiled water, shia dao kettle are only good for 2 infusions, they never empty the kettle so it always has hot water to be mixed with fresh so that there is no thermal shock on the ceramic kettle. I have a glass induction boiler, a Lin's ceramic boiler and a japanese tetsubin with bronze lid from kyoto without urushi glaze, these make different tasting water, I only need to get a nilu stove and chao zhou kettle to try out that method too, and as a final thought the material and fire source also make a difference, if everything goes right I will try to save up for a silver kettle, so I can test every variable in water boiling.
WOW! Go Nagy! Let us know your water testing experiments please.
I have Lipton tea bags, 100 for 5 bucks, and a microwave oven.
@@YEAGERMACH100 LOL
Is the working theory that oxygenated water does a better job at extracting tea flavours, or is it that if the final product has more dissolved oxygen it tastes better? (oxygen = actual process benefits or independent flavour benefits)
Thank you for sharing this experiment. I have also been curious about the controversy of boiled/cooled versus water brought to temperature. Great info!
Love the information. It has been taught to me that you cannot also reboil water because it makes it dead water. I thought that was just because the water they used to use have more minerals than the ones we use now. It is nice to know that boiled water does have an effect
I have never been patient enough to let the water cool in the kettle. Thus, I used to cool it by pouring it into a glass bowl or cold cup. But for some time I had used the method of adding cold water, and it works fine. The real issue are those that boil water twice (or use hot water to start with). Especially if you also have a lot of chalk in the water. That happens a lot at work, and I try to explain; but no one listens :-|
i let my boiled water cool down during moving it between two glas-pots from a one meter distance. i believe this makes the water, which is brita filtered, more smooth, vibrand and a more tasty tea. water wants to flow!
Time for some science!
The tea brewed with boiled water will have a lighter color because boiled water removes oxygen, hence there is little to no oxidation reaction with the chemicals/ enzymes in the tea, thus the tea is lighter in color. I.E : A + 0 = A
The tea brewed without boiled water, still have oxygen remaining in the water, hence when brewing the oxygen within the water reacts (oxidates) with chemicals/ enzymes in the tea leaves changing its color from lighter to darker. I.E A + O = A & AB & C
The tea brewed without boiled water taste better because oxidation or partial oxidation changes the chemicals in the tea creating other aromatic compounds and our taste buds are sensitive enough to taste all the various compounds. Which is why tea brewed without boiled water taste better/ different.
SCIENCE!!!
Seeing this vid after seeing your recent milk and tea taste test vid, I can't say i'm surprised that the tea duo tasted correctly! 🤯
That's what I've been doing. I don't let it boil but if it goes a little past the desired temperature I add a splash of cooler water to bring the temperature down. I need to just get better kettle.
Thanks so much for doing this experiment. I've often wondered about the truth of this common knowledge.
There's another experiment that I'd be thrilled for you to try. One that might prove very enlightening for tea fans if it goes the way I suspect it might. When I was reading the section on brewing in this lovely tea book (Tea: History, Terroirs, Varieties) a passage that struck me read something like: tea is by nature "moody"-even if you steep the same amounts using the exact same method, the taste will vary from session to session. This seemed to explain for me why even though I've been brewing a particular green tea that I love in the same manner for ages, some days I think it's just "good" while on others I am reminded why I am a fan of tea. I don't know why it had never occurred to me that a heap of dry tea could be far from chemically homogenous. While on the one hand this thought was frustrating to me because it meant I lost a rather large amount of control in the brewing process, it was also rather enchanting because it meant partaking of a certain "kind" of tea was less like sampling a token instance of a one fixed essence and more like experiencing the weather in a certain place-it takes time do this (many cups), and you could never just point at one cloud (or cup) and say that *that* is what the weather is like here...
As far as experiments go, it would be exceedingly interesting for me if you brewed western style 3 or 4 small pots of tea, using the exact same method, to see just how much difference there can be depending on the leaf alone.
Occasionally I brew fukamushi tea in the office. The hot water available is very hot, cannot control it, so in order not to burn the leaves, I first pour cold water on them, and then pour the hot water over. Surprisingly the brew is sweeter and rounder and it has all the complexity I am hoping for.
That's an interesting result with the tea water that was brought to boil and then its heat reduced by adding fresh water. In Japanese tea ceremony, the water is likewise brought to boil in the kettle and then a couple of scoops of fresh water is added, after which it is used to for making the thinner or thicker matcha licquer.
It make sense. The change of temperature decrease the oxygen in the water, even if it not reach the boiling point. But when you add water to a boiling one, you have oxygen from the fresh water and the temperature you need. Interesting, I am going to make my own tasting.
Definitely an unexpected conclusion, nice find. Gotta try this test out, like you guys suggested.
Give us your results please, we are interested in collecting viewer conclusions!
I experimented with the cooling of water method quite a few times and enjoy the method much better than simply using boiling water. I used it on some gunpowder green tea I have and found that the cooler water reveals more of the smoky aspects of the tea and the flavor gets released more gradually rather than the initial harsh flood of flavor that I used to get with boiling water. I really enjoy this new method much better than any other I've heard about. I still need to experiment with how much room temperature water I should add (because I always seem to make the water a bit too cool for my liking) but it's still much better than the old way to do it. Thanks for the idea! :)
Thanks for trying and giving us your feedback.
Soooo, I'm thinking it doesn't actually matter. It probably depends on the leaves
If oxygen is the factor, add the cold water quickly from a distance. Just like decanting wine at a distance makes more oxygen enter the liquid. xoxo from Arizona USA
You guys seem to have a lot of fun with tea. If I weren't in the States I would come by! I'm glad you put a conclusion at the end, because this is the 5th Mei Leaf video I watched and I'm getting sleepy
I thank that Temperature is only a small part in terms of quality of the tea . oxygen is probably a smaller factor then compared to say the hardness of the water ie the amount of calcium/ limestone in the water . Also i find that in the cities with the chlorinated and fluoride and other chemicals that provide a " a safe quality for drinkable water " which is added to most large cities around the world ) vs a county well away from the cities that have little calcium carbonate ( with increase the ph of water ) making the tea taste differently .
Its very strange but i have found anecdotally the i perfer City water over the country clean well water with the much lower Ph .
I would love to carry out an experiment ( Blind taste testing) to prove or disprove my theory.
love your passion re. Tea i wish you had a store in canada somewhere?
In brewing coffee, I learned that boiled water causes the minerals to separate from the water and sink to the bottom of the pot, similar to distilled water. Distilled water makes awful tasting coffee with the minerals removed. I wonder if the same is true with tea? Spring water has always been my favorite for brewing both coffee and tea due to the high mineral content. :)
a documentary about tea called trails to tsukiji showed a japanese educated teahead, teaching the reporter, that for the first brew you do not add boiling water directly, but first put the kettle water into the cups and only then - the water from the cups goes into the brewer. The second brew would then be from the hot kettle water. Teahead states, that you need colder water if you want the sweetness of the tea. And for a strong tea you use hot water... So it's not only about bringing the water up to temperature, but also gradually bringing the tea up to temperature. Thank you for the video, thumbs up!
Great tip! I kinda felt it during my brewings(I experiment a lot with the brewing process!), thank you for Expressing it! :)
Great testing, these are great and, fun tea experiments.
Excellent channel. Very nice well done experiment!
good work Don, very intresting this video. Love your channel
It's a great video you did here. Very good!
Wow! I never add tap water to my boiled water... I thought that was a huge no-no. This is amazingly helpful.
Make sure it is filtered tap water!
Wow! You ara amazing guys! You are saving me so much time doing tests! Thank you very much!
glad your speaking up in this one
great critical thinking , dont even need to try for myself because you are just so on point :)
So the theory is that it's the higher oxygen content in the water that makes for a better tea then. So, wouldn't you also get a similar raise in oxygen by pouring the water from a height, or by repeatedly decanting it between two carafes (as they sometimes do with wine)? Has anyone tried this? If so, what were the results? Similar oddball idea: using your espresso machine's steamer on the water. Or perhaps the easiest method of all: filling a thermos to about half full and giving it a vigorous shake. And wouldn't this also add extra "oomph" when combined with bringing up the tea to the correct temperature rather than boiling it?
@mei leaf Using your connoisseur brewer, how do we know the ration of water to leaves to use? How many grams do we typically put in the top and how much water do we fill the infuser up to?
these are fun videos! keep them coming!!
I have tried this test and find that the difference is only perceptible with Green & white tea. And because of the type of water being used, i.e. tap, filtered, distilled, etc.
Outstanding!
Hey , i only like tea done wright, so i am trying to learn so i can make it at home. So The lady at my teashop who knows a lot told me its better to boil water and cool it couse you need to brake the watersurface. Of course not to long or oxigen loss and always fresh soft warer
Very interesting results, thanks for the experiment
I love the video such an interesting topic that will also help me make better tea thanks so much have a great holiday. Hope you sell lots of tea
I would have to guess the difference was an outside variable. When looking into the science of water boiled or twice boiled it turns out not even the levels of dissolved oxygen really change. This would probably be why the difference was so minor in the first case and in the second I would say the amount of water that steeped was noticeably different. The one on my right as the viewer had less water. Which explains why it was stronger. It would be near impossible to conduct a completely controlled study of this anyways.
When looking into the science... "the solubility curve of the oxygen in the water has an asymptotic behaviour, so when increased the water temperature beyond 40ºC (104ºF), the curve will tend to be almost constant (= amount of the oxygen will be constant)"
According to me this means that the variation of oxygen dissolved in water between 70°C and 100°C is insignificant but maybe adding some fresh water can actually change it....
Interesting! I wasn't really convinced either. Small fluctuations are to be expected as there are so many variables, Even you use the same amount of water and leaf there can still be a higher surface area of the leaves which is absolutely impossible to measure.
@OrientalBeautiful Guy I would like to know where you got that from. I don't know about the whole bringing it back to lower temp part, but 70°C and 100°C should have a very high relative difference in oxygen saturation. I am currently looking at a figure from engineerintoolbox that shows 100°C -> 0mg/l and 70°C -> 4mg/l. This means that boiled water loses all of it's dissolved oxygen which needs to be reabsorbed which needs high water/air surface area in order to happen fast enough (movement helps). Saying that 4mg/l is an insignificant difference to 0mg/l isn't logical to me. Especially if ^you consider that 0°C should have a maximum saturation of about 14mg/l. It should also be noted that the outside pressure (athmosperic pressure current elevation) has an effect on the possible oxygen saturation too.
OrientalBeautiful Guy That's a relief, because I drink puer and boil the hell out of my water.
We are enjoying reading this conversation and all we can add is that we totally appreciate that this is not scientific with quite a few variables but we have tried it out afterwards a few times and we get the same pattern: Boiled water has a slightly 'flatter' taste to water brought to temperature (especially noticeable in teas brewed at 70-80 degrees) and Boiled water that has cold water added seems to extract a stronger tea than water brought to temperature. We have tried a few times so it is a tiny sample size but we would be interested to hear any of your experiences.
@@orientalbeautifulguy7257 it's likely that adding fresh water would change it but that wouldn't explain why regular 80 degree water that hasn't been boiled would be different
I've recently purchased a Whistling kettle and I can taste a difference in taste in my tea now. Rather then electric kettle the gas boiled water tatse cleaner. I've not really found any online videos of this. Tatse difference gas vs kettle boiling water for tea.
Normally I heat the water a little past steeping temperature, heat my cup, and steep once the water has cooled to the appropriate temperature. I've been experimenting with Long Jing using the boil and dilute method for about a month now and it does seem to taste different to me.
Heating to temperature and then steeping seems to yield a stronger but more focused tea. Boiling and then diluting to temperature seems to produce a weaker tea with a broader (though not muddy) flavor profile. I steep the Long Jing I am using to 175F (according to my kettle). Heating to temperature seems to give me 175F Long Jing. Boiling and diluting feels more like drinking 170F to 180F Long Jing blended together -- I have the normal taste I am used to with some sweeter notes I might expect at lower temperature and a little edge/ bitterness that I might expect at higher temperature. It almost feels like I can taste the water I am using as well and it seems to help with the contrast. Think of it like light strips of purple, orange, and yellow on a white sheet of paper as opposed to looking into a bucket of orange paint.
Hard to say what is going on but I suspect that when diluting the boiling water in my kettle to 175F that this is just the average temperature being picked up by the heat sensor. I don't let the kettle sit for very long after dilution so maybe the water temperature is not uniform? My guess is that boiling and diluting the water then immediately steeping results in hot and cool spots in the water and that the convection that would then occur during steeping might also produce currents that gently agitate the tea. This might be why the flavor profile seems to 'open' up when using this method.
So if heating to temperature produces say:
12 oz @ 175F for 1.5 minutes --> chemicals extracted under these conditions >> (call this amount 1)
Maybe boil and dilute averages out to something like:
4 oz @ 180F for 1.5 minutes --> chemicals extracted under these conditions >> ( 0.33 concentration relative to above)
4 oz @ 175F for 1.5 minutes --> chemicals extracted under these conditions >> ( 0.33 concentration relative to above)
4 oz @ 170F for 1.5 minutes --> chemicals extracted under these conditions >> ( 0.33 concentration relative to above)
+ some gentle agitation/ water circulation from convection
So if the above is a reasonable approximation of what is happening that would explain the difference. Might be interesting to try raising the steeping temperature just a little to see if a stronger flavored tea with a broad profile can be produced this way. Might ruin the nice contrast I seem to taste now though.
Hard to say I really prefer one way over the other. For now it seems boil and dilute might give you a better overall representation of the tea while heating to temperature might allow you to focus on specific aspects of it.
Couldnt any difference be better explained by the natural variation in each of the individual leaves in the tea?
Always learning something new. Txs guys.
Because the strainer is plastic, do you think it is safe for everyday use?? The glass is a nice feature.
+Carmelle Lapointe the strainer is stainless steel.
Recently my kettle with temperature control broke, so I had to switch to pouring boiling water back and forth between the tea pot and the tea glass to bring it down to 70°C (Sencha). Much to my surprise I found the tea to be better tasting, than when using non-fully-boiled water at 70°C. Is it possible that the pouring back and forth of the water increases the amount of oxygen in it, maybe even to a level above the non-fully-boiled water? Has anyone compared these methods or experience with both?
actually in my opinion the stronger flavor is due to oxidazation which is not desirable in my opinion. in fact in japan people always cool the water from boilling using a yuzamashi
You guys are now one of the main motivating factors for me to fly across the pond! I'll definitely come buy and try your wares when I finally get to Camden! Greetings from Napa Valley California! (Currently in flames) ... I was going to go back and edit the autocorrect error of "buy" but then decided it was quite apt! Any idea what the US customs limits are? 😎
Hello Don & Celine, What water do you use when brewing tea? Often I use Buxton bottled or similar or I use pure distilled zero ppm, which I am about to taste my Chiswick Tea Co Organic Assan (Chardwar Estate) Loose Leaf Premium Black Tea . Not the level of tea you are using, but nice all the same. I used boiled and cooled for my first test. Thank you for getting me on the road to great tea understanding. I am a newbie.
Are we talking about boiling water normally or water that’s been boiled cooed down and re boiled?
Try taking water from your aquarium. - There should be a lot of oxygen in it.-)
But joking aside, this is quite an interesting field for experiments, I must say. I live in Vienna, Austria, and the tap water here is a nearly unprocessed spring water from the Alps. It even arrives in the city under its own weigt, just flowing downhill from the mountains. But somehow it never came to my mind trying warmed-up water instead of boiled and cooled down for tea-making. Thank you!
That Vienna water sounds delicious and perfect for brewing.
Shall I send you a water sample?
By the way, today I made AliShan with warmed up viennese water. Somehow I could taste raw water behind the bouquet of the tea. I don't know, for me it is kind of disturbing.
Out of interest what kettles are those? I'm looking for a new kettle with thermometer. Thanks
Bonavita :)
Interesting find. On a SLIGHTLY different note, are you using ground water or top water? Have you compared them before?
I find I need to reheat my water after a couple infusions, during sessions with puerhs and oolongs. Based on your experience, would you recommend starting with new water at that point, or just turning the kettle back on and re-boiling what you used for the previous infusions?
We usually add a bit of fresh water before reboiling.
Mei Leaf tried that today and it worked well, thanks!
can I ask You what kind of hot plate are You using to control the temperature of the kettle please?
Loved this video. I've always heard that boiling water has a bad influence on the tea taste, but I always wondered if that was true. I'm looking for a good kettle that keeps the water in the desired temperature. Any recommendations?
We are going to call up a few kettle manufacturers to try to do a review. We did this before but one out of five agreed so there was no point doing a comparative review.
I'd really like to see a kettle review if you guys get the chance!
Sorry if you've already found one; been using a Cosori electric kettle for about a year now that gives you about 5 preset temps ranging from 170 fahrenheit to boiling. It also can hold the temperature for an hour before automatically shutting down.
What would happen if you manipulated the water further to infuse much more 02?
Interesting video! I had read that "over boiled" water affects in the flavor due to the oxygen. It would had be interesting if you also would had brew some tea with over boiled water (boiled more than 1 time). There are times where some people boil 2 liters but just use one, and then boil again that leftover but just use 1/2 liter and so on... I think the bad flavour is directly proportional to the times you have over boiled the water. (now i always throw the water in the kettle before boil me for some tea). Greetings!
What type of water was it? Mineral? Distilled? Tap?
Solution: I put a fish tank bubbler in my tea kettle. My fish is unhappy and my tea tastes like fish waste, but my water is well oxigenated!
Id be interested to know if you could oxygenate your water to beneficial effect.
If i use boiled water for green tea, i put cold water to the boiling water. For 80c i use 1/4 from the amount i boiled. And the tea is better (for my taste) than the tea i used cooled down water.
What is the make of the kettle? I've seen it featured several times so I assume it's quite good!
It's a Bonavita!
It is actually a Kamjove but Bonavita's are meant to be good too.
Try Indian masala Tea,,with or with out milk,,,
Very interesting
I can't help but wonder if you picked Yabukita Sencha because of my comment on your last video or if it's just a coincidence...
There are no coincidences :) and we figured it would be the best tea to use because of its low brewing temperature.
How about bring up to temp, 2400w vs 1200w jug. I'm guessing slower heating would allow more time for oxygen to evaporate out?
Hello, I'm wondering on how to optimize the water use when brewing black tea gong fu style.
How are you infusing it after the first time? The water in the kettle is cooled down a bit in the meantime and I'm guessing just keeping it boiling all the time is also not a good idea same as reheating it and making it boil again for every infusion. (At least according to your finds in the video)
But constantly boiling new water doesn't really seem to be the way either.
Thank you for the video. What about the type of water, i.e. bottled, purified , etc.
Hi guys, thanks for the interesting video, keep'em coming, please. This may be a silly question - but I'm curious to know what kind of water you use for brewing tea? As London tap water in my experience tastes distinctly of chlorine at best (sorry, I'm Norwegian), I assume you brew with some kind of neutral tasting bottled water? I know you don't like mentioning brands, but what kind of water do you normally go for when it comes to ph value and mineral content? I suppose that would hugely affect the flavour of the tea. Thanks again.
Hi Ann, We use tap water which has been filtered (Pentek filter) and then revitalised (Grander System). We have tested pH as very slightly alkaline but we do not know the mineral content but I will be doing a video on bottled water for tea. Thanks!
@@MeiLeaf what difference has the Grander system made to your tea ? Thanks
where are you located? it looked like thailand in the video where you were riding the moped and talking about tea. i just use my water kettle and get the water to where it barely starts to bubble and use it that way. a little cooler than full boil.
But were both the amounts of tea and water identical? Looked like a bit more non boiled water
I would have naturally thought that the aerated water would be tasting better, i.e. not brought to boiled. Nothing is more stale than flat water.
What is the best way to clean the chamber? What do with the used leaf? Keep up the great videos and Thank you.
Jerry
Rinse the chamber with some soapy water. Come people use the wet leaf as deodorisers for a day leaving them to dry out in an area that you want to remove unwanted smells, others put leaves on their skin but we don't use them after our sessions.
Mei Leaf Thank you
Jerry
Do you rinse with boiling water, or on which temperature are you rinsing? I may overheard it, so sorry if i'm unnecessarily asking :)
From a physical point of view would it be possible/make any sense whatsoever? I mean, why would oxygen dissolve less in the same aggregation state just because the water boiled earlier? wouldn't a rather higher energetic aggregate state bind/mix quicker? Yet ... the rabbit hole..
is there a difference if you use tap water or purified water?
Bonavita kettle set? and where can that be purchased with the Hot plate with temp?
No it is by a company called Kamjove but they are not legally sold outside China because they do not have electrical certification (although my house has not blown up so nothing wrong with them).
wow great video! I was about to ask to do a try with boiled water + fresh water but you did it--- great!
very very interesting
highlights:
- meow!
- friend calling
- Celine shirt: RIP American Apparel :-(
:) Mishkin steals the show, I had no idea he was there!
I have to figure out a way to block calls while we are filming!
I use a kettle and add fresh water. I think I can 'hear/feel' the temp. while shaking the kettle (but maybe this is just 'Spinnerei'; i am a tea rookie)
I mean, if you taste cooled boiled water you can taste a difference it tastes, "cooked."
I really love your kettles, i love that they have so much control over temperature, where can I get some?
Kettle reviews are being filmed for you!
Awesome! Can't wait :)
Hi Don, ever since I saw one of your videos with that kettle, I've been on the hunt to figure out who made it and the model, etc. I finally figured it out and really wanted to get one of those Kamjove T-22A variable kettles, but since I live in the US I'd need a step up converter ($100) and of course the kettle ($60 online), however since nobody on the internet has anything to say on this kettle, and there is no one to ask, I decided to just make things easier and get a Bonavita BV382510V variable electric kettle for around $70 (just incase I wasn't happy with the Kamjove due to the lack of information and high priced setup.) Only thing is that the Bonavita is not 100% stainless inside, as there's a silicone ring around the temperature sensor as well as where the handle is attached...bummer, so still on the hunt.
Well, if you could please help me with a question about your kettle Don, I'd really appreciate it! I'm wondering if there is any plastic or silicone inside your Kamjove T-22A electric variable kettle? Perhaps when you do your kettle review video, you could show the inside views of the kettle or mention this info for anyone else out there seeking a healthy electric variable temp kettle. (It's impossible to get a variable electric kettle in the US without any plastic or silicone, glue, etc...and I'm willing to use a step up converter if that's what it takes!)
Thank you, and I love watching all your guy's tea videos!!!
Torrell
hi great video. i was just wondering what kettles are you using?
Morgan Yee-king Yes I have never been able to find a temperature controllable kettle like that.
Don't know what they're using exactly, but I've been eyeing up this one made by Bonavita on Amazon. 80 USD if you have prime (100 without), 1L (so it's a little bit small), per degree variable temperature, gooseneck spout for a laminar pour... Can't say I have any personal experience with it, but it's 4/5 stars in the reviews and it's the cheapest I've seen a kettle with that many features. Should be the first one that pops up if you search "bonavita kettle"
Miles Welbourn ok thanks I'll have to have a look
This is kettle made by Kamjove and it is good but they don't sell abroad because of electrical certification. The bonavita is meant to be good although some people say that the gooseneck cools the water a little too much but I have never tested this one.
Mei Leaf ok thanks
Good video
great video. cat lady here, love your kitty !
I was pleasantly surprised this wasn't a video bluntly slamming the boiled water variation.
I drink tea multiple times a day and I do always find that wether I re-boil and cool, or boil up to the temperature desired, There isn't a huge difference for me either. Moreso, I find it is about using good tea and the proper temperature of water.
The fact that there's a difference at all is baffling to me, especially with this science considered: ua-cam.com/video/MXYDJ-F3938/v-deo.htmlm53s
(tl;dw: When water cools back down it will re-absorb oxygen at the same rate)
I've personally noticed that just the particular bunch of tealeaves from the same pack can render bigger differences than the state of the water, and vary greatly at a pretty random rate. Still I am curious how you both came to the conclusion that they were different, and I find this whole discussion fascinating :)
what if I'm using tap water that has bad chemicals and stuff in it???
Make sure the water is filtered but for the best results use mineral water ( = bottled water ) without gas ( no Pellegrino) . Mineral water is the best .
My thought was the "Boiled Tea" was deader. Not as vibrant.?
Wich tea prefers cat?