Tea leaves causing bubbles, wtf?

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Lifted

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2004
5,748
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0
Obviously the teas leaves have been contaminated with avian flu.

Nice knowing you janas. :(
 
OutHouse

OutHouse

Lifer
Jun 5, 2000
36,410
616
126
Slew Foot said:
The boiling action is caused by the temperature difference between the tea leaves and the water. I learned that in college.
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so if a ice cube is thrown in it would erupt like a volcano?

i think were asleep in that class and dreamed it up.
 
preslove

preslove

Lifer
Sep 10, 2003
16,754
63
91
1. You used WAY too hot water. Green tea should be infused at 170-180 degrees. Or, when small bubbles form (way before actual boiling).

2. You pour the water on top of the leaves, not put the leaves in the water. This is a pretty big deal.
 
S

seepy83

Platinum Member
Nov 12, 2003
2,132
3
71
the DRIZZLE said:
You shouldn't make tea, especially green tea, with boiling water.
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What?! Yes you should make most teas with boiling water. They do not steep properly without boiling water. Green Tea is one of the few exceptions to that but you still want the water to be around 180°F (almost boiling).
 
T

torpid

Lifer
Sep 14, 2003
11,631
11
76
seepy83 said:
What?! Yes you should make most teas with boiling water. They do not steep properly without boiling water. Green Tea is one of the few exceptions to that but you still want the water to be around 180°F (almost boiling).
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White tea and oolong are also best below boiling. Many black teas will contain some delicate leaves that are less processed and therefore using boiling water may make them bitter as well.
 
B

bobdole369

Diamond Member
Dec 15, 2004
4,504
2
0
Green tea should not be brewed just off the boil. Treat the green tea right, brew at 180f (or 80ish C).
 
NikolaeVarius

NikolaeVarius

Lifer
Oct 25, 2006
11,036
11
91
preslove said:
1. You used WAY too hot water. Green tea should be infused at 170-180 degrees. Or, when small bubbles form (way before actual boiling).

2. You pour the water on top of the leaves, not put the leaves in the water. This is a pretty big deal.
Click to expand...

Isn't there also something about making the cup warm prior to pouring in the water to spread the flavor more evenly?
 
B

bobdole369

Diamond Member
Dec 15, 2004
4,504
2
0
God so much fail in this thread. Were you microwaving the water?

sounds like the water may have been superheated
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Exactly, and the energy added + the nucleation site added by the tea leaves caused the water to boil furiously.

To repeat and see if this is the case, heat the water in the same manner, and take the mug or whatever and rap it on a desk, or add a room temp fork. If it also does the same - definitely the superheated water reaction.
 
T

the DRIZZLE

Platinum Member
Sep 6, 2007
2,956
1
81
seepy83 said:
What?! Yes you should make most teas with boiling water. They do not steep properly without boiling water. Green Tea is one of the few exceptions to that but you still want the water to be around 180°F (almost boiling).
Click to expand...

I'd say 180 is the upper limit for green tea, some people brew it much lower. That's 30 degrees away from a full boil. IMO black tea should be brewed around 190.
 
LiuKangBakinPie

LiuKangBakinPie

Diamond Member
Jan 31, 2011
3,903
0
0
Golgatha said:
Only if the tea leaves are hotter than the water. Also, the heat needed to boil water is very high and I'm sure the heat capacity of tea leaves is quite low.
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Sound like you know a lot about chemistry.
Need help.
Meth lab
Will pay handsome
 
crashtestdummy

crashtestdummy

Platinum Member
Feb 18, 2010
2,893
0
0
LiuKangBakinPie said:
Sound like you know a lot about chemistry.
Need help.
Meth lab
Will pay handsome
Click to expand...

One of my professors decided to show us how to make meth one day in class. One of the students asked him if he ever made it himself. His response: "I was a grad student in the 60s, we all made meth." :eek:
 
Fritzo

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,908
2,141
126
I'm not telling you why this happened...not for all the tea leaves in China.
 
J

janas19

Platinum Member
Nov 10, 2011
2,313
1
0
crashtestdummy said:
One of my professors decided to show us how to make meth one day in class. One of the students asked him if he ever made it himself. His response: "I was a grad student in the 60s, we all made meth." :eek:
Click to expand...

Yeah man. LSD was studied by professors at Harvard. They gave it out to their subjects. Lol.
 
crashtestdummy

crashtestdummy

Platinum Member
Feb 18, 2010
2,893
0
0
janas19 said:
Yeah man. LSD was studied by professors at Harvard. They gave it out to their subjects. Lol.
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That's a little different. LSD was being examined for therapeutic uses. I'm pretty sure my prof was just using it for fun/working late.
 
preslove

preslove

Lifer
Sep 10, 2003
16,754
63
91
Phoenix86 said:
Interesting, why?
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Whenever you want to impart properties of a solid (ice, tea, powder, etc) you pour the water over it, not pour it into the water.

For tea, you want as big an infuser area as possible. The chinese often just put the tea in a glass tumbler and pour the water over, and drink from that. You want the tea to swirl around and get all their surface area exposed to as much moving water as possible. The swirling is called "The agony of the leaves." I use this for green teas: http://www.amazon.com/Adagio-Teas-16-Ounce-Ingenuitea-Teapot/dp/B000FPN8TK

NikolaeVarius said:
Isn't there also something about making the cup warm prior to pouring in the water to spread the flavor more evenly?
Click to expand...

Gung fu style, you're supposed to. I don't really know the reasoning behind it, beyond tradition. I don't know if it actually affects the taste.
 
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