Water Temperature – Don’t Scald the Leaves

/ / Published in Brewing, Lessons on Tea, Tea

While the ideal water temperature for different types of tea varies, the practical reality is that in everyday situations such a level of perfection may be hard to achieve.

However, as general rule, whatever the tea being infused, the temperature should never be more than the immediate point of boiling (approx. 95C).

Water temperature that is higher than this will scald the leaves, destroy the aroma and the tea will taste bitter. So do not overboil the water.

Conversely if the water is not hot enough it will prevent the leaves from releasing their full flavour.

Green and white teas are best infused with water that is just before the point of boiling.

Almost 40 years ago I realised that the quality of teas being imported into Australia were of poor quality. The proliferation of teabags and a pricing regime enforced by the major supermarket chains had led to a noticeable drop in quality. Elmstock Tea Company was born out of this background in 1979. I had started my working life at 17 in the Tea Plantation/Accounts Department of a large company in Colombo. My family had connections to the tea trade and prior to that coffee and sugar plantations in Ceylon since the 1840s – an unbroken and direct link of over six generations. Many of the plantations started by or managed by my great grandparents still produce some of the teas we buy today! After migrating to Australia in 1972 I graduated from Curtin University and qualified as an accountant (CPA). I worked and managed large public companies involved in the wool trade for many years and was also involved with the listing of public companies on the ASX. Elmstock have been wholesaling premium quality teas and herbal infusions sourced from the best plantations for almost 40 years. We decided over twenty five years ago not to deal with the major supermarket chains as we did not want to compromise tea quality and revert to the ‘mediocrity of the pack’ which is entirely price driven.

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