Water Memory

Rational types make like to fun of homeopathists who insist water retains a memory for substances it once held, even after dilution to the extent that no molecules of the non-water contaminant remain.

This came to mind a few minutes ago while I was making tea.

Tea purists insist you must start with cold water. You cannot make tea with near-boiling water, and you cannot take water, such as that out of my 'hot tap' that is near-boiling, and boil it. No, you have to start with cold water and bring it to a full roiling boil.

I suppose this would make sense if you were on a dirty well or something, where contaminants might accumulate in water held at near-boiling for any length of time.

But tap water? That's "water memory" silliness.

Well now, it seems there's a fairly well-accepted variance in DO (dissolved oxygen) between cold and warm water.  So I guess the question remains, does boiling hi-DO water make it low-DO?

Ah, apparently my hot water tap is okay.

Still, it seems boiling should make all water equal, no?

Quote :

Tea loves oxygen – it helps the flavour develop, so always use freshly drawn cold water in the kettle.
Make sure your pot is clean.
Warm the pot by swirling a small amount of boiled water in it.
For black tea, only pour on freshly boiled water and do not over-boil it.
For green tea, always use the water just at the boil.
One teaspoon of loose tea per person and one teaspoon for the pot is about right, but add as much or as little to make it to the strength you like....

Well, once one begins thinking about the rationale for the best quality tea drinking experience, alot of it seems to be a little odd, or pretentious.

I keep my loose, dry tea leaves in an airtight jar, assuming it will stay fresh that way. But really, why should that make any difference? The ingredients which give tea it's flavour don't leech into the atmosphere. They stay in the tea until the water is poured on it.

Tea loves oxygen? Really? How do they know that? Does cold water actually have more oxygen than luke warm water, or water at room temp?

Keeping your teapot clean does make sense, as we don't want any residue polluting or tainting our tea. But what about all the chlorine and whatever else is in the water that filters miss? I'm not buying distilled water just for my tea.

Why warm the pot with a small amount of warm water first?

Freshly boiled, but not over boiled? How can something be over-boiled? Once it comes to a boil, it's boiling. Over boiling means you'll have less water due to evaporation, but that won't change the taste or quality of the water. In fact, if there are impurities in the water that don't evaporate away, the impurities will become increasingly more concentrated as the water evaporates, leaving you with a bitter taste.

Use water just at the boil? What on earth does that mean? Is being just at the boil any less boiling than having been at the boil for a minute or two?

Add more tea or less? Sure. Add more water or less. Same difference.

Not quite the same as 'water memory' - but getting there. Tea is not wine. But even wine tasting can be pretentious as all hell. Is it red? Give it to me baby. (... but not chilled. Room temperature or fuck off.)

I've found that the best way, in my opinion, to resolve the water-boiling issue with tea, is to drink espresso rather than tea. Works every time.

As water boils, the H2O changes state from liquid to gas. I don't believe it breaks down the hydrogen bonds.

In other words, bringing water to a boil shouldn't affect the dissolved oxygen level, unless there is free oxygen (O2) that is lurking in amongst the H2O molecules, and boiling brings these to the surface. At some point -- probably as soon as water starts boiling? -- all the free oxygen should be already released.

Therefore starting with cold water is bunkum.

NoCoPilot wrote:

As water boils, the H2O changes state from liquid to gas.  I don't believe it breaks down the hydrogen bonds.

In other words, bringing water to a boil shouldn't affect the dissolved oxygen level, unless there is free oxygen (O2) that is lurking in amongst the H2O molecules, and boiling brings these to the surface.  At some point -- probably as soon as water starts boiling? -- all the free oxygen should be already released.

Therefore starting with cold water is bunkum.

Frankly, you're talking through your ass. While hardly a great authority, wiki seems to have much more of a clue.

wikipedia wrote:

The best temperature for brewing tea depends on its type. Teas that have little or no oxidation period, such as a green or white tea, are best brewed at lower temperatures, between 65 and 85 °C (149 and 185 °F), while teas with longer oxidation periods should be brewed at higher temperatures around 100 °C (212 °F). The higher temperatures are required to extract the large, complex, flavourful phenolic molecules found in fermented tea. In addition, boiling reduces the dissolved oxygen content of water. Dissolved oxygen would otherwise react with phenolic molecules to turn them brown and reduce their potency as antioxidants. To preserve the antioxidant potency, especially for green and white teas brewed at a lower temperature, water should be boiled vigorously to boil off any dissolved oxygen and then allowed to cool to the appropriate temperature before adding to the tea. An additional health benefit of boiling water before brewing tea is the sterilisation of the water and reduction of any dissolved VOCs, chemicals which are often harmful.[67][68]

As well as changing the potency of the antioxidants, the steep`s temperature and time greatly effects the taste, especially with white and green teas. Camellia sinensis naturally contains tannins, which are brought out in higher quantities with the tea's exposure to hot water for longer periods. In black teas, the tannins are part of the natural flavour, as they tend to be rich and bolder. However in white and green teas, which tend to be more delicate, the tannins frequently give the tea a bitter taste which is commonly thought of as unpleasant.

So long boiling and then cool a little for green or white tea, but just pour on the water as soon as it boils for black tea.

richard09 wrote:

Frankly, you're talking through your ass.

It seems I'm not the only one.

Twinings of London wrote:

Tea loves oxygen – it helps the flavour develop, so always use freshly drawn cold water in the kettle.

wikipedia wrote:

...water should be boiled vigorously to boil off any dissolved oxygen and then allowed to cool to the appropriate temperature before adding to the tea.

Two diametrically-opposed instructions from two tea "experts."

I'm quite sure nobody cares, but I have a few more observations from a lifetime of tea drinking (never liked the taste of coffee):

• Best teapots are the thin brass teapots you see in Chinese restaurants. I have owned several ceramic teapots of all sizes and shapes -- clay, china, even stainless steel -- but always come back to the brass one I bought in a restaurant supply store many years ago. Ceramic wicks away too much of the heat. The brass one stays hot 10x longer.
  
• Best teacup is a Japanese handleless teacup, glazed ceramic. In a pinch I'll drink out of a coffee cup, but the extra volume means the tea takes forever to reach 'drinking temperature' and then when it does, the whole cup has to be drunk immediately. Little teacups allow you to cool a comfortable 2-3 swallows at once, and with no handle you use the temperature of the outside shell to gauge it's 'drinkability.' I've tried clay and other materials but I've heard they can leech lead.
  
• I've tried all sorts of expensive and specialty teas. My sister brought back some real ceremonial green tea from Japan -- very unlike what sells as 'green tea' in this country -- and it was pretty near undrinkable. Most of the fancy black tea blends are full of dead flowers and taste like those sachets you're supposed to put in old ladies' underwear drawers. I keep coming back to good old Constant Comment.
  
• Instructions usually say to steep for 3-7 minutes but I find 2 minutes is the max for me. The tea changes flavor substantially between 2-4 minutes, with tannins or something bitter leeching out only at the tail end. Early bag removal gives a nice flavorful mellow cup with no bitter aftertaste. The whole pot tastes the same if the bag is removed early.
  
• A teapot cannot be kept warm on the stove. Boiling made tea ruins it completely. I have a 'coffee cup warmer' with a big heavy metal fender washer sitting on it. I set my teapot on top of the washer. The warmer gets hot to the touch but not too hot to touch. The teapot still cools, sitting on it, but it takes an hour instead of 15 minutes, giving me time to enjoy a whole pot.
  
• After a number of pots have been prepared the inside of your teapot will develop a thin layer of dark stuff. This does not deprecate the taste of tea -- it's equivalent to seasoning a cast iron grill. However, I discovered by accident that preparing a pot of hot apple cider in the teapot instantly removes all of this discoloration, without introducing any 'cleanser aftertaste' which all coffeepot cleaners do.

SAI2 wrote:

Why warm the pot with a small amount of warm water first?

So it doesn't suck all the warmth out of the tea when you pour hot water into a cold teapot (but see my comment above).

NoCoPilot wrote:

Twinings of London wrote:

Tea loves oxygen – it helps the flavour develop, so always use freshly drawn cold water in the kettle.

wikipedia wrote:

...water should be boiled vigorously to boil off any dissolved oxygen and then allowed to cool to the appropriate temperature before adding to the tea.

Two diametrically-opposed instructions from two tea "experts."

Twinings instruction is appropriate for black tea. The wikipedia instruction is for green or white tea (you lifted it out of its context).

What???  How can "boiling the water vigorously to remove any dissolved oxygen" be in any way compatible with "always start with fresh cold water to ensure maximum dissolved oxygen"?

Unless, ummm, you're making 'sun tea'?

The difference in preparation is explained here:

Quote :

White & green are steeped at a lower temp (160&190F respectively) where oolong is @ 200F and black should be steeped in boiling water (212F).

This is also interesting:

Quote :

They are all from the same plant, there are actually 4 types of tea:
White: Just steamed & dried (mild, almost tasteless)
Green: Withered, heated, rolled & dried (grassy taste)
Oolong: Withered, bruise edges, short fermentation, dried (richer flavor)
Black: Withered, rolled, full fermentation, fired (strongest flavor)

NoCoPilot wrote:

What???  How can "boiling the water vigorously to remove any dissolved oxygen" be in any way compatible with "always start with fresh cold water to ensure maximum dissolved oxygen"?

For black tea, you want dissolved oxygen, so you start with cold water, heat it as fast as you can, and pour it on the tea as soon as it boils. For green or white tea, you don't want oxygen, so you boil it away. But you also don't steep the tea in boiling water, meaning you have to let the water cool a little before pouring it on the tea.

I guess you just make all your tea the same way.

richard09 wrote:

I guess you just make all your tea the same way.

I don't go in for all that poppycock.