Making Tea with reboiled water - Can you taste the difference?

I have heard many times that one should not make tea with water which is brought to a second boil. That there will be less air bubbles or less dissolved oxygen that affect the steeping and result in poor flavor. My question is can you tell the difference?

I cannot give an opinion myself, as the process I use to make tea rarely leaves any leftover water to reheat. But I am suspicious of this claim, as it would seem that the initial boiling of aerated water would do the same thing that a second boiling would do. Perhaps if one is making green tea and never overheats the water in the first place there is a difference, but if the water reaches boil in preparation for black tea can there be any actual difference? And if there is, why are those instant hot water dispensers popular?

This question pays homage to the Lady tasting tea experiment

I have an aerating faucet head, and I can taste a world of difference between a glass of water that is fresh and one that has sat overnight. For delicate teas, this difference is just as easily tasted.

If you take the water off the stove as soon as it starts to boil, not much aeration is lost, and reboiling that 10 minutes later is very different than reboiling water that has sat for a few hours, or water that has been allowed to boil for a couple minutes. In the poll, the first option doesn't account for these different possibilities.

The instant hot water dispensers are popular because they're convenient, not because they're the best method to use.

FWIW, many municipal water supplies don't make the best tea (or beer, for those who brew) anyway, so it may be harder to tell with some than with others.

It depends on the total time boiling, if for too long the water will begin to taste flat. However most of the teas I drink wouldn't take water right off the boil. Many recommend boiling and then cooling to temp, but I don't follow this practice. I typically take the kettle off the heat when it hits the temp I require. I then keep it in a yixing pot over small burner to maintain temp for the session. I can taste a distinct difference in the type of pot used to boil/keep the water even more so than how long the water is boiled at least up to a point.

Sometimes it tastes flat if the water's boiled too long. Sometimes tap water is worse when it's not boiled at all--sometimes not. I don't boil spring water. Sometimes, I think. Sometimes, I don't.

I can't taste a difference, but I wonder if there is a difference in 'texture'/sensation that other people are influenced by?

jwhite said:

However most of the teas I drink wouldn't take water right off the boil. Many recommend boiling and then cooling to temp, but I don't follow this practice. I typically take the kettle off the heat when it hits the temp I require.

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I used to do this, because it seemed to make more sense, but I realized that the temperature that way is very uneven, and it's very difficult to judge the temperature accurately, even with a thermometer (and who wants to hover over a kettle doing temperature readings?). I've noticed a big difference in quality and consistency since I started bringing it to a boil and then taking it off immediately and letting it cool to the right temperature. I can judge the temp of the cooling water by sight to within about 5-10 degrees, which is also part of the art and skill of making good tea.

Hmm... Slowing down and taking time for a better quality experience, where have I heard that idea before?

You should certainly do whats right for your experience, but I'm not sure how you would detect cooling water by sight, by time perhaps if your very consistent with volume and ambient temperatures. Water as it heats up will change in sound and micro bubble formation as it increases in temp knowing these signs and familiarity with your equipment can offer great accuracy and repeatability. Once removed from the heat source it is still. I don't require the use of thermometers in making tea.

You can detect the rough temperature of hot water by observing the steam coming off of it. It takes practice, but I've learned through experience (like you said, familiarity with your process and equipment) what it looks like when it's at the perfect temperature for different types of tea, all the way down to the most delicate white teas. If you have a clear or open vessel, you can detect the temperature of heating water by the visible characteristics of the bubbles as well, but this is impractical when using a closed kettle.

To clarify my earlier post, the problem I had with your method was mostly the unevenness of the temperature. You should always start with fresh, cold water, and with larger quantities of water (more than a couple cups), I've found that the temperature throughout the kettle was uneven enough to make my results inconsistent.

Edit: The way I do it is also slower and more forgiving, which I prefer most of the time, since I'm often reading or otherwise occupied. If you're dedicating your attention solely to making tea, or even if you just don't want to wait that long, then the method you use may be more ideal since it's quicker, but different strokes, right?

I'm of the mind that the principle makes sense, but has little actual impact for me. I tend to reboil mostly with pu'erh, though aside from the initial rinse, I've taken to heating only to 205. I can't tell much of a difference.

I may be becoming a believer in this 'don't brew with reboiled water' rule. I have a digitally temp controlled kettle, a precise scale, etc but it seemed that every once in a while I'd brew a great tasting cup of coffee but most of the time the cups I'd brew were unpleasant. I couldn't figure it out because I control all the variables pretty tightly.

I got a little frustrated with coffee one day and decided to brew some oolong in a gaiwan. But even that tasted bitter and unpleasant.

Then I considered it might be the water. What I usually do is fill my kettle all the way to the top and then I only end up using half or so and I keep the unused water in there for the next day. I figured previously that keeping the kettle full would do a better job of holding the temperature vs only filling the kettle halfway and using all the water.

Last night I filled the kettle with all fresh bottled water and even poured it in from a high arc to make sure it was aerated. I brewed the same oolong again, tasted great. Then this morning I brewed a cup of coffee (starbucks, don't judge it's all I had on hand) and it tasted and smelled great. It's still early but I'm starting to believe this rule.

The lighter the tea, the lower the temperature of the water that I use. The darker, the higher the temperature of the water. In saying that, I almost never re-boil the water. Always fresh. The American indians say that good water is alive, moving, fresh. I don't know about being able to taste the difference. This is just what I do. I don't really know why. Habit?


Mike

I'm usually drinking tea in the afternoon at work and I'll often re-steep 1-2 times afterwards. I usually use the same water to reboil and can't say I've noticed a big difference between the first and second steep with the reboiled water. I'd say how long I let it infuse for the second steep has much more more impact. I'll need to try and see if I see a difference using new water...

StillShaving said:

That there will be less air bubbles or less dissolved oxygen that affect the steeping and result in poor flavor

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Chemically that doesn't make sense. Water is two hydrogen atom and one oxygen atom. When the bond is broken, in this instance via heat, then the atoms separate, hence the steam. The stuff left over is still H20

I drink herbal teas, such as Yerba Mate' and can't really tell, but that tea has a naturally bitter taste that might mask the flavor of re-boiled water...or it could be that my water tastes so bad to begin with that....haha

oc_in_fw said:

Chemically that doesn't make sense. Water is two hydrogen atom and one oxygen atom. When the bond is broken, in this instance via heat, then the atoms separate, hence the steam. The stuff left over is still H20

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I am far from being an expert on the Chemistry/Physics, but there is more dissolved oxygen in cold water than warm. Heating increases thermal motion releasing some of it. But how much is the question, and more importantly whether anyone could taste the difference in their tea cup? I might also expect any difference to be less noticeable when using pure water like that produced through distillation.

StillShaving said:

I am far from being an expert on the Chemistry/Physics, but there is more dissolved oxygen in cold water than warm. Heating increases thermal motion releasing some of it. But how much is the question, and more importantly whether anyone could taste the difference in their tea cup? I might also expect any difference to be less noticeable when using pure water like that produced through distillation.

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I could probably see the taste change if it were tap water. When you boil the water, some is lost to steam so the concentration of minerals will be higher. Maybe that is part of it.

I wish I had a source to quote but I was told decades ago that the taste boiled water is improved by beating air into it.

Use filtered water if your water taste funny, and just don't bring to a full boil.

Tea used with over-heated water will "burn". And this is 1000x more responsible for the flavour of your teas being off than the whole oxygen thing. You should never use boiling hot right out of the kettle or pot.

This is why water distributors are popular. Their standard temperature is normally around 89 degree, and you can get some that has an extra-heat button to bring that to about 95 degrees. These are the better range of temperature that are for most teas.

If you want to "oxygenate" your water, two technique (both similar):

1) get a pot that has a thin spout, boil your water and pour it from as far as you can into the container with the tea...this will both cool the water down and it will absorb the oxygen as it flows.

2) get your water as hot as the type of tea allows, (still shouldn't be boiling hot), steep for the time that you like for strength, and pour with distance to the cup. Then both the water and the tannins will oxidize.

The main thing is to not burn/cook your tea.

(yeah, I'm a bit of a tea person, I've read up on it quite a lot and I have probably over a hundred different teas in my kitchen right now.. a full cupboard dedicated just for teas, and have at last 10 different teapots and other devices.)

oc_in_fw said:

Chemically that doesn't make sense. Water is two hydrogen atom and one oxygen atom. When the bond is broken, in this instance via heat, then the atoms separate, hence the steam. The stuff left over is still H20

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Just a minor point, and I'm sure that's what you meant, the atoms don't separate, the molecules separate. Steam is molecular H2O in gaseous form. If the atoms were separating, then there would be a lot of explosions happening in kitchens as hydrogen is fairly flammable, as well as pure oxygen.

-jim

gearchow said:

Just a minor point, and I'm sure that's what you meant, the atoms don't separate, the molecules separate. Steam is molecular H2O in gaseous form. If the atoms were separating, then there would be a lot of explosions happening in kitchens as hydrogen is fairly flammable, as well as pure oxygen.

-jim

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Hey, you've never seen ME boil water