Not all leaves and beans are created equal,
and different types prefer different degrees. So, what’s the perfect
temperature for your favourite cuppa?
Us Brits love a hot drink
Our taste buds are triggered by hot
temperatures. And there’s nothing quite like a decent fresh brew to set them to
work. However, routinely pouring boiling water over any old type of tea or
coffee may be depriving your highly sensitive taste buds of the true treat they
deserve. Serving all the more reason to find the perfect temperature for tea and coffee.
If you tend to splash out on top notch leaves
and beans, then you definitely should know the correct temperature to brew them
at, which might be different to the correct temperature to drink them
at. Either way, if your water’s too hot, you could be ruining the
flavour.
So, here’s our guide to getting the best
temperature for your tea or coffee.
Oxidation & over extraction
Let’s get the science bit out of the way. When tea
leaves are baked, rolled, or cut, they are exposed to oxygen. The longer they
are exposed, the darker the leaves turn. Hence black tea is fully oxidised,
whereas white tea is barely oxidised. At the lighter end of this scale are your
delicate green teas. In the middle are your oolongs, while rooibos and herbal
tea sit alongside the black stuff.
Why is this important?
Every different type of tea has an ideal
temperature at which it should be brewed, according to its level of oxidation
because hot water releases all the lovely flavour of your tea. A more oxidised
tea will benefit from being brewed at a higher temperature, but adding boiling
water to tea that’s hardly oxidised will make it taste bitter.
The same goes for coffee grounds. Adding water
that’s too hot will extract the flavour and aroma of your coffee much too
quickly, leaving it bitter. So, if you’re a coffee lover not averse to spending
£165 on a kilo of kopi luwak, then you’ll do anything to avoid the evils of
over extraction. Hence why you need to know what the perfect temperature for coffee and tea is,
to avoid any sharp taste.
Brewing temp vs drinking temp
Proper connoisseurs will tell you that it’s
better to only bring the water up to the right temperature for brewing rather
than letting it boil then waiting for it to cool.
Most of the dissolved oxygen in water escapes
when it’s boiled, and less oxygen in your brew means less flavour. Re-boiling
the water in your kettle is therefore considered a double crime.
The
perfect temperature for tea and coffee can
be too hot to drink. So, unless you want to burn your mouth and throat, you
should practice restraint until your tea dips to a soothing 60℃ (which it should reach after about six minutes or so
from when you started to brew).
If you’re seeking to sample the rounded, sweet
or bitter notes of a quality coffee, then a discerning sip at 70-80℃ should suit. If a bright, sharp, acidic sensation is more
your cup, then wait until it dips to around 50-60℃.
Whatever you do, never ever reheat your drink
in the microwave. This kills off all the fresh flavours you’ve been trying so
hard to preserve. Serious brewers will get the perfect temperature for tea and coffee
right by having a thermometer to hand.
Perfect beverage
temperatures*
93-100℃
Herbal tea (brew for 5-10 minutes)
Rooibos tea (brew for 5-7 minutes)
90-98℃
Black tea (brew for 2-3 minutes)
90-96℃
Ground coffee (brew in a cafetière
for 3-4 minutes)
90℃
Pu-erh tea (brew for 2-4 minutes)
88℃
Oolong tea (brew for 2-3 minutes)
80℃
Instant coffee (according to Nescafé)
70-80℃
Green tea (brew for 1-3 minutes)
*All of these are highly debatable. Ask three different tea or coffee experts
about brewing times and temperatures and you’ll get eight different answers.
We’ve rounded up according to the most common answers. We did this after a good
strong cup of coffee, brewed at exactly 96℃.
How to get the
perfect temperature for tea and coffee
Your poor old kettle probably can’t cope with all of
those different demands but, if you want to get the best out of your beverage,
there is a solution. Yes, you could try switching your kettle off before it
boils, but how do you effortlessly achieve the exact 88℃ for your favourite oolong without all the faffing around
with a thermometer?
To avoid all the hassle, guess work and criminal re-boiling you could simply
place your trust in a home water
system that respects your
wishes and heats your water up to whatever temperature you desire. We can even
point you in the direction of such a system that’ll let you save up to 50
different temperatures, which should satisfy even the most conscientious of
connoisseurs...
Does the perfect
water temperature for tea really matter?
If you notice an inconsistent taste in your teas, this may
be because you aren’t using the perfect water temperature for tea. Tea isn’t just as simple
as letting the leaves steep in hot water for a few minutes. There are actually
several types of teas that each need a different water temperature to bring out
their best qualities. Each tea has its own attributes and needs a certain water
temperature to make them distinctive. When you have the perfect water temperature for tea,
all the compounds are released to make a well-balanced and delicious cup of
tea.
Does the perfect
water temperature for coffee really matter?
Water temperature is essential in the brewing process,
because it affects the rate of extraction. Extraction refers to the flavours
and substances that are dissolved from the coffee beans into your cup. The
hotter the water, the quicker the extraction of substances, such as oils, acids
and caffeine. Each of these compounds has a different impact on the coffee’s
flavour, and at a higher temperature, it is tougher to control the rate of
extraction. Which can lead to your coffee tasting bitter. When you have the perfect water
temperature for coffee, all the compounds are released to make a
well-balanced and delicious cup of tea.
Next, explore our facts about caffeine and take a look at the coolest gadgets you can have in your kitchen.
Bob Fear joined Virgin back in 2007 as part of the Global Brand Team looking after virgin.com. Prior to that he was producing content for Jamie Oliver and the BBC.
Since going freelance he’s helped out a few businesses more local to him in the South West, including The Eden Project. But he’s never strayed far from the Virgin family and keeps his writing hand in.
Sources:
https://www.letsdrinktea.com/
https://tealovers.com/
https://www.homegrounds.co/
https://www.roastycoffee.com/
https://www.nescafe.com/
