Bring out the flavor of green tea! Why does the way you boil water affect the taste?

Introduction

In recent years, boiling water has become easy thanks to the ease of using an electric kettle.

However, the way water is boiled has long been considered an important factor in determining the quality of tea.

In particular, the Chinese tea book "Daguan Cha Lun" describes in great detail the boiling process as an important element in bringing out the flavor of the tea.

At Taikan Tea Theory, the purpose of boiling is to bring out the maximum flavor of the tea leaves. Rather than simply boiling the water, we consider various factors such as heat, time, and container to pursue a deeper flavor.

What is the perfect boiling point?

When boiling water, the state when continuous bubbles resembling the eyes of a fish or crab rise vigorously is considered the optimal boiling state for bringing out the flavor of the tea leaves.

This state means that the water temperature is just right, and the umami components can be extracted efficiently without destroying the cells of the tea leaves. It's like tiny bubbles full of life dancing inside the teapot.

Boiling is also mentioned in the "Book of Agriculture" by Wang Zhen of the Yuan Dynasty.

Wang Zhen described the process of water boiling by describing the small bubbles that first appear as "crab eyes," the slightly larger bubbles that appear later as "fish eyes," and the sound of the large bubbles bubbling in succession as "pine forest wind." He determined that the water had reached the right temperature when it reached this "pine forest wind" state.

This method is still used today as the basic idea behind boiling water.

Boiling time changes the taste

During the process of boiling water, the air and carbon dioxide dissolved in the water gradually escapes.

In particular, for teas like Sencha, which emphasize a refreshing taste, this carbon dioxide is an important factor in enriching the flavor. Therefore, if the tea is boiled for too long, the carbon dioxide escapes and the tea loses its inherent refreshing taste.

Furthermore, as the boiling time increases, more water evaporates, increasing the ion concentration and hardness of the remaining water.

This change affects the taste of the tea, and in the case of sencha in particular, it is known that the flavor becomes dull and the original umami flavor becomes difficult to sense.

On the other hand, in the case of matcha, it is said that even if the hardness increases, it has little effect on the taste.

This is thought to be because matcha has a rich flavor and a complex balance with other ingredients, so the effect of changes in hardness is felt relatively small.

Tips for making tap water taste better

There are a few points to keep in mind to ensure that water boiled with tap water tastes delicious.

First, once the water has boiled, remove the lid from the kettle or move it slightly away from the lid and continue boiling for about 5 minutes. This will evaporate the chlorine that causes the chlorine smell and remove the dissolved air, resulting in a smoother taste.

If you need to cool water, it is important to first boil the water and then cool it to the desired temperature.

When boiling water is poured directly into a teapot, the tea leaves expand rapidly, forming tiny bubbles on the surface. These bubbles envelop the tea leaves, preventing the hot water from reaching all of the tea leaves, and preventing the full flavor of the tea leaves from being extracted. As a result, the brewed tea becomes watery.

summary

How was it?

Most people probably think that the appearance of bubbles means the tea is boiling, but there is actually a lot of insight into boiling, and simply boiling the water is not enough to bring out the full flavor of the tea.

The taste of tea is affected by a complex combination of factors, such as when the water starts to boil, how long it is boiled afterwards, and even the cooling method.

The world of tea is vast and deep, beyond anything I could have ever imagined until I first stepped into it. Even just boiling the tea has many different aspects to it.

The temperature and time of the water, and even the type of vessel and water, all of these elements are intricately intertwined to provide us with a rich flavor. The world of tea is truly profound, and it is something we would like to continue exploring for the rest of our lives.