When it comes to using water for tea, a lot is left unsaid, leaving room for curiosity as to what type or temperature of water is best for tea preparation. Earlier in our post titled “How to Choose The Best Milk For Tea,” we deep-dived into exploring the various options of milk that you can choose to prepare milk tea (chai).
Now in this post, let’s explore the possibilities and best options for water and tea to elevate your black tea, green tea, and herbal tea preparation.
What is The Best Type of Water for Tea?
Filtered/purified water is the best type of water for tea. The main reason for this is that filtered or purified water is soft. And since soft water has a low pH level, it does not make the tea bitter, regardless of the type of tea you plan to prepare, such as:
- Black tea
- Green tea
- Herbal tea
- Milk tea
You can use the water you filter/purify at home. If you aren’t home and don’t have access to filtered/purified water, you can use bottled mineral water.
How Does Water and Tea Blend?
Tea blends with water in ways similar to other types of greens, such as herbs. When added to hot water, the tea leaves start absorbing water. And as they become rehydrated, the steeping process begins, and more chemical compounds start getting infused into the water.
The longer you let the tea leaves steep, the stronger the tea becomes. This is because a longer steeping time allows for more compounds to get released and infused into the hot water. But having said that, creating the perfect balance of water and tea may not be simple and can take some amount of practice and experience to get it right.
Tea blending professionals have the expertise to create the perfect blends of all types of teas.
At Naturolled, our team of tea blending experts crafts some of the best blends of CTC tea, loose-leaf tea, and green tea. The blends have a natural flavour that represents the high quality of the tea leaves used. Explore our tea products.
Water Temperature for Preparing Tea
The right water temperature for tea depends on the type of tea you want to prepare. This is because different types of teas blend differently with hot water, some infuse fast while others infuse slowly.
For Black Tea
The right water temperature for preparing black tea is between 93° C to 100° C if you are using blended CTC tea. Compared to loose-leaf tea, CTC tea varieties take some time to get infused in hot water.
However, if you are planning to prepare black tea with fine loose-leaf tea varieties, such as Darjeeling leaf tea, then the ideal water temperature would be from 82° C to 87° C.
For Green Tea
Similar to loose-leaf tea, green tea gets infused quickly in hot water and therefore it’s best to brew below the boiling temperature. Water temperature between 65° C to 75° C is ideal for green tea.
Also, it is best to avoid steeping green tea in hot water for too long to avoid a bitter taste.
For Milk Tea
If you are trying to prepare milk tea with CTC tea, an optimum boiling temperature of 100° C is ideal for a strong tea. However, it is best to bring the water with tea to a rolling boil only a couple of times.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is boiling water for green tea good?
It’s best not to use boiling water when it comes to preparing green tea. Temperature ranges below the boiling point, such as from 65° C to 75° C are the best for preparing flavourful green tea.
2. Is using electric hot water for tea ideal?
Yes, you can use the water you boil in your electric kettles or other electric water heating devices to prepare the type of tea you want.
3. What is the best water for green tea?
As mentioned earlier in the post, soft water with low pH levels is best for green tea and all other types of tea.
4. Is it okay to drink water after tea?
There are no concrete conclusions as to whether you should drink water before and after tea. However, many theories claim that it is best to drink water before tea to lower the risk of acidity.