Last Updated on 06/08/2020 by Desmond
People who love tea may know the leaves can not be steep too many times. The tea steeped a long time, not only lost the flavor. Even the taste will turn terrible, which breaks the delicious impression the previous rounds brought. But sometimes we saw people boil tea in the kettle directly. Are they wasting tea?
In fact, boil tea is also an effective way of extracting the tea’s flavor and nutrition facts. Of course, not all kinds of tea suitable for this. So, what is different between boil tea and steep tea?
CONTENT
Why Tea Can’t Be Steep For A Long Time
All we know the teas contain a lot of beneficial facts. Such as the powerful antioxidant-tea polyphenol, the tea polysaccharide which can help reduce the blood sugar, and the caffeine for refreshing. Brewing tea is for making them into the infusion. These ingredients are not the same form in different types of tea, also the dissolved time they need.
Typically, the more complete the leaves, the slow time it dissolved, and the tea which been cut into fine pieces, such as CTC black tea, got a fast dissolve time. However, the ingredients contained in tea have a limited, usually gone after three rounds brewing. Keep brewing, the fragrance and taste will turn light. And due to the caffeine and tannin in tea dissolved later than tea polyphenol and amino acid, so the taste of tea will get bitter.
Besides, if place the steeped tea for a long time, the color will turn dark because of the polyphenol been oxidation. It often happens on light-fermented tea such as green tea, yellow tea, and white tea. As the time flow, some bacteria may grow, that’s harmful to the body. So, it’s better to finish drinking as quickly as possible.
Why Boil Tea
To boil tea is put the tea leaves into the kettle and heating directly, for extracting the flavor. Tea is not suitable for a long time steeped, but to some types, it needs to make in a boiling way; only that can get better taste and benefits. Wait, am I making a paradox?
Typically, boil the tea, such as dark tea, which is past-fermented, may taste better, also some old-age white tea and oolong tea. All of them have been a depth fermentation. So the flavonoid in their tea polyphenol changed, needs more high temperature, and longer steeping time to make the ingredients dissolve. According to this, to them are better to prepare in a boiling way.
At some plateau such as Tibet, people make a kind of drink named butter tea. In every traditional family, there is a pot keep boiling the dark tea brick all day. Of course, it’s has a lot to do with their live environment and lifestyle. And we know, the water’s boiling point can not reach to 100℃ in the high altitude region. So when we are going to boil tea, we can not do it like them.
Notes On Boil Tea
Choose The Proper Tea
Like the green tea and white tea, we call it tender tea, which hasn’t been fermented or just a little; all of them are not suitable for boil tea, even can not brew at a high-temperature or a long time. And in the boil black tea case, the strong and bitter taste may make you hard to drink. So the dark tea and oolong tea is what we usually choose.
Water Temperature
When you are going to try boil tea, remember to wait for the water boiled before you put the tea into the kettle. Never put the tea in when the water still cold.
Amount Of Tea
Lasting heating will speed up the extract of tea flavor. So, in the beginning, we should not add too much tea to avoid making the tea a high concentration. If you think the taste is too light, you can add more later.
Time
In the 100℃ water case, only needs 3-5 mins to boil tea. If you keep cooking too long, the scent of tea will be lost, and taste no longer mellow. Besides, the leaves have been boiled once not recommended to boil again, the taste and color will make you disappointed.
