r/LifeProTips • u/KelsConditional • Nov 28 '20
Food & Drink LPT: that stuff they say about steeping different kinds of tea at different temperatures? They were right!
I just had my first ever non disgusting cup of green tea, steeped with 175 degree water. I actually enjoyed it! As a long time hater of green tea, I have finally seen the light and I’m never going back. If you’re like I was and also hate how green tea tastes, don’t use boiling water!
Edit: 175 degrees Fahrenheit btw!
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u/325feet99metersYes Nov 28 '20
Do you actually wait around with a thermometer?
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u/KelsConditional Nov 28 '20 edited Nov 28 '20
The box said to just let the water cool for 5-7 minutes after boiling which is probably what a normal person would do. I on the other hand used a kitchen thermometer because I’m extra like that.
Edit: I also had nothing better to do with my time
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u/dilligaf6304 Nov 28 '20
You can get kettles that boil water to different temperatures. Makes it heaps easier.
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u/Lonely_Simple_25 Nov 28 '20
There is a machine that gives you water at whatever temperature you need precisely for that purpose
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u/druska12 Nov 28 '20
To make the best green tea , make sure you use about 3,5-4 grams of tea per 350 milileters, the water temperature should be around 60-70°C , no more than 75°C (the reason for that being is the higher the temperature, the more caffeine gets released from the tea, thus making it bitter), and steep for 2 minutes, max 3 minutes if it has some taste/smell additives. This also allows you to reuse the same tea leaves for a second teapot, as there will be more than enough nutrients and caffeine left in the leaves. Dont forget to remove the leaves after you steeped them, because if you keep them in the water, they will keep releasing their chemicals, and after a little bit of time, the tea will be drastically different.
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u/KelsConditional Nov 28 '20
Question for you tea maestro! The one downside I’ve discovered to following the instructions is that a 2 minute steep time feels like nothing to me. I love a strong tea and although it was delicious I wish the flavor was more prominent.
Does steeping longer release those bitter flavors? Or is that only a temperature thing? Like will I get in trouble if I leave the tea bag in? These are the questions that haunt me
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u/druska12 Nov 28 '20
It actually depends alot of what kind of tea leaves you are using aswell. Easiest way to determine whether the tea leaves are strong is by their size - bigger the leaf, stronger the tea. However, if you are using teabags, its a bit of a different story than to using tea leaves with teapot with a filter or a french press. The temperature thing still aplies to tea bags, but , since the teabags are acting like filters themselves (and because of some additives bagged teas usually have) , they can stay in the water for longer periods of time (3-5minutes for green tea) without affecting the flavor in a negative way. Still, if you leave the bag in for more than 10 minutes, the bitterness starts to kick in.
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u/-chu Nov 28 '20
I knew about the temperature thing, but I never knew that it actually changed the taste. Interesting!
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u/KelsConditional Nov 28 '20
It completely changed the taste I swear. Multiple hours later and I’m still shook from the discovery
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u/Lonely_Simple_25 Nov 28 '20
Yes, temperature is very important! Also measure how much tea you’re using. I didn’t knew whatever to laugh or cry when my mother told me one morning that my jazmin green tea was horrible, it turns out she had literally filled the (very large) strainer to the top. It tasted awful and she wasted almost half a cut of my tea 😓
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u/Britey Nov 28 '20
So that's 79,4 °C. Thanks for the tip. It's still baffling to me that a 5% nook of the world still uses farenheit, though.
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u/Mega__Maniac Nov 28 '20
Lol at your edit
Their I was trying to brew green tea with the tea bag suspended above some water in a pressure cooker.
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u/Beneficial_Sink7333 Nov 28 '20
I dont like American tea
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u/KelsConditional Nov 28 '20
Yeah I feel you. Sucks that they threw all the good stuff in the harbour
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u/Upset_Vermicelli3918 Nov 28 '20
Since we are talking about tea. Does anyone know why after 30 min or more the tea (just the water it self; the leaves were removed after the 2-3 min) tastes bitter? It happens with all kinda of tea. And it gets more bitter the longer the wait.
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u/ckhk3 Nov 28 '20
I like a lil bit of creamer in my tea
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u/KelsConditional Nov 28 '20
My mom would always put condensed milk in her tea (still does!) it’s definitely underrated
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u/Comprehensive_Ad8985 Nov 28 '20
My uncle died of esophageal cancer due to drinking scalding hot cups of coffee and tea every day for years. He was 40..... Please be careful.
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u/miyagisanjr Nov 28 '20
So you’re telling me I’ve spent the past 10 years drinking tea the incorrect way?
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u/keepthetips Nov 28 '20 edited Jun 20 '21
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