Be Excellent To Each Other

Remember those instant-kettle things that Stu was on about?

I'd quite like one, but only if it makes water hot enough to properly make tea, if you've got a teabag in a mug and add the water directly.

Anyone use one?

They get to 90 degrees, which is more than enough to make tea. I often (completely non-scientifically) stop the kettle a bit early if I'm using a tea that is known to scorch.

Alright. Name a big shop where I can get one?

Currys do them.

Ta!

Ah - here you go, mate: http://www.tefal.co.uk/tefal/services/r ... WCWTWNFPVF

As do Argos, where I bought mine* from.

* which i eventually gave to my Mum as a birthday present as I couldn't justify spending £60 on a kettle when I only have time for one cup of coffee a day at home.

Yeah - putting it in SE++ was a mistake - it's very "cleeky". Ha ha!

They should call them 'right-angle kettles'.

That was terrible, yet inspired.

I have to boil tap water before I'd trust it

LIES! To get the full flavour out of tea the water needs to be as close to boiling as you can get it when it hits the leaves.

If by 'full flavour' you mean 'burnt flavour'.

£45 all-in at Dixons if you use the voucher code CUP:

http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/product ... uwodhCAVjg

At risk of starting a "how to make tea" war (I'm looking at you, Mr Milk In First Chris), boiling water is fine for your PG tips or whatever, but if you start using some less preserved loose teas, they will scorch.

Ordered, thank you!
It had better make normal tea properly too or certain people will be getting lynched.

Do you have milk with your tea, Kalmar? I'd worry hat reducing the temperature further with cold milk would make it too cold to be a 'proper nice cuppa'. There is always an argument with the boiling/simmering idea of making tea, and whether it really does scorch the leaves, but I remember in France many people believe that it does scorch more tender teas, so they bring the water to just under boiling, when it is at a simmer at about 98 degrees, which is a relatively small difference, but I think that there is a lot of difference between boiling at a hundred and the water only being 90 degrees.

Also, I think sometimes people think that the tea tastes flat after boiling because the oxygen being removed as it boils, which I think might account more for the taste difference than scorching of leaves.

You mean you didn't use Stu's shop-a-rama for your tea machine, Kalmar, where you could:


For shame.

I think it's unlikely there is anything magical that happens in tea between 90degC and 100degC that means it tastes worse. {citation needed}. (we need a Dimlie for that).

Connoisseurs (of which I am not one) do often say that the scorching of leaves and the de-oxidising* of the water do make a big difference, but tea tastes like tea to me as I don't drink very much of it.

*May not be a technical term as Mimi may have made this up. It does happen - that might not be what the process is called, though.

I am wary of these term in general. I've spent too much time around hi-end hifi nutcases, the target market for £1000 power leads. The subject of tasting if tea has been made with freshly drawn water or not has come up a few times in New Scientist, and has only ever been claimed by professional tea tasters; I strongly suspect ordinary people can't taste the difference.

Would someone who claims 100degC water scorches tea care to organise a double blind test? It's a Great Day For Science!

Can we get a Dimlie for "we need a Dimlie for that" too?

LOGIC FAILURE. Something magical happens to water at around 100C, so why shouldn't something wondrous occur with the tea leaves?

Shitty water makes the biggest difference to the tea. For the best flavour you need spring water freshly drawn from the ground and not bottled. Tap water is tainted and effects the flavour.

LOGIC FAILURE. Nothing magical happens to the china mug at around 100degC, so why sould something wondrous occur with the tea leaves?

You didn't specify the tea leaves, though Richard - you said to 'tea', of which water is a big part.

This page suggests brewing temperatures as low as 65degC. Now that makes more sense to me -- that's different enough from 100degC that I can believe there are different processes going on. What I am questioning is that the small difference between 90 and 100degC can critically affect the tea.

Still looking for some proper science though.

Accepted, I was unclear. I wish to discuss the possible effect of water temperature on the brewing process. I contend that using near-boiling instead of actually-boiling water seems unlikely to actually be detectable via taste. We need a double blind test.

TEA WARS! RUN FOR COVER OMG XOMGEGG!

This seems worthy of its own thread. Any disagreements?

I reckon I could easily tell the difference between the two brews.















One would be hotter than the other.

INTERPRETATION FAILURE. "so why shouldn't something wondrous occur with the tea leaves?" does not imply that something wondrous should happen, merely that the possibility is not ruled out.
Man, I'm feeling pedantic today.

Also, you brew your tea in a mug?? etc.

* slumps down into the Coffee Trench, holding perculator *
"It's okay Colonel Starbucks, the enemy are arguing about whether a cup changes at 100 degrees"
"Right lads, this is our chance. Remember the day when they argued about milk in first? This will be another great victory. Order the Latte squad to attack full on while the Mochas flank to the right"
*blows whistle*
"Over the top lads! FOR INSTANT VICTORY!"

Does this tea thing need it's own thread?

[edit]You dull buggers?

"Good God! The Coffee squad are attacking! Where's our air support?"
"It's no good sir! They're getting a brew on and won't be ready for a least half an hour!"
"It's a massacre out here!"
* yells into radio *
"We need digestives! Repeat, digestives!"

You're slow.

Yes, it's what I was concerned about. I use soya milk, but I will probably use this kettle at work and I don't use milk there (too much hassle). However I have been used to scorching hot tea for a long time so the prospect of change is worrying.


This sounds logical. Perhaps the 90 degrees will be a problem. Of course it could be mitigated by pre-heating the cup, but that does away with the advantages of instantaneousness and energy saving that were the point in the first place.


Not sure about this, again I'm used to it being pretty hot.


Oh I didn't realise he actually sold them! I tried to do a quick search on his forum for the relevant discussion but it doesn't seem to be working.
Oh well, sorry Stu.

Yes you can split the thread if you like, mods. Think of a witty title for me.

MILK IN FIRST? IS HE MAD?

Hey Kalmar, why do you use soya milk?
I know somebody who uses soya milk. They don't like it, but they use it anyway. They're not allergic to cows milk, either.

When the Tea Wars come he'll be first against the wall.

It is nicer. If I didn't like it I wouldn't use it Plus, I don't really like to support dairy farming so avoid dairy products in general.

Anyway, you can keep a massive stock of it in your cupboard and it never goes off, and then lasts over a week in the fridge. Bearing that in mind I might start using it at work too but this brings the possible temperature problem even more critically to the fore.

*PULLS PIN ON CADDY GRENADE AND LOBS IT IN GENERAL DIRECTION OF HATED COFFIENDS*

'Tis OK - it was a link to Amazon and you would have ended up paying a far deal more for it. you could always bung him a couple of quid from the saving you had to make it up to him. Or, you know, not.

I've often wondered what would happen if you made tea with the frothy milky steamer thing attached to the office coffee machine. I imagine it may well be foul, but I might try it in the name of science.

I'm not sure he's earned it tbh. I had heard of them before the discussion on WoS.

Tea should be made with freshly drawn water, boiling. Reboiled water will be lacking in oxygen, and so will not draw the flavour from the leaves properly. There is no way immersing the leaves in water of any temperature could "scorch" them, that doesn't even make sense. Hot liquid scalds, which is a different thing. There have been enough tests, both chemical and taste based, for this to be stated as fact, rather than opinion.

As for milk, just don't. Tea is nicer without. If yours isn't, buy better tea. If you must have milk, the only absolute no-no is putting it in while the tea is brewing in the mug.

If anyone even so much as mentions sugar, I shall be forced to surgically remove their tastebuds, on the grounds that they are irreversibly broken.

/me backs slowly out of the room whistling innocently, not hiding anything from Tate & Lyle behind his back, oh no siree

* A dark Figure looks down on the battlefield from a nearby mountain top *

*A Hugely deep gutteral voice booms out*
"Foolish mortals... release the bovril legions"

I prefer hot chocolate.

Really?

Where you from?

If you want to cut sugar out, it's really, really easy - when I were a nipper, it was the norm to have sugar in tea. One day we decided just to cut it out on the grounds that it's not really good for you. It took about two cups to get used to it. After that it's impossible to go back. Same goes for coffee.