Tea drinkers... chime in

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

There is a wide variety of tea available. I use loose leaf tea, rather than tea bags. A company like Teavana

http://www.teavana.com/

can get you started, both with basic teas and a variety of flavored teas chai/rooibos/herbal teas. I've usually got between 6 and 12 different teas on hand at any one time, since I don't drink coffee and tea is my hot beverage of choice.

Preparation is important, but there's no sense in you going crazy about it unless you find you really like teas.

The general temperatures are:

175 degrees for White Tea
175 degrees for Green Tea
195 degrees for Oolong Tea
195 degrees for Black Tea
208 degrees for Herbal Tea
208 degrees for Rooibos Tea
208 degrees for Mate Tea

How to brew loose leaf tea

Wait...I need a thermometer to make tea? Sounds complicated, like making hard candy.

[Just Passin' By]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

Wait...I need a thermometer to make tea? Sounds complicated, like making hard candy.

They recommend a temperature range for coffee, too.

Your brewer should maintain a water temperature between 195 - 205 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal extraction. Colder water will result in flat, underextracted coffee while water that is too hot will also cause a loss of quality in the taste of the coffee. If you are brewing the coffee manually, let the water come to a full boil, but do not overboil. Turn off the heat source and allow the water to rest a minute before pouring it over the grounds....

Pour it into a warmed mug or coffee cup so that it will maintain its temperature as long as possible. Brewed coffee begins to lose its optimal taste moments after brewing so only brew as much coffee as will be consumed immediately. If it will be a few minutes before it will be served, the temperature should be maintained at 180 - 185 degrees Fahrenheit. It should never be left on an electric burner for longer than 15 minutes because it will begin to develop a burned taste. If the coffee is not to be served immediately after brewing, it should be poured into a warmed, insulated thermos and used within the next 45 minutes.

http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=71

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

They recommend a temperature range for coffee, too.



http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=71

I just let my coffee maker figure it all out. Then again mine never seems to make it quite hot enough.