Jura Capresso Coffee, Tea and Espresso

[mkdr]

@radi0j0hn

Let us logic this one out. I spent years developing film in little tanks, and time and temp were critical factors. Applying that to tea, this is my opinion.

If you don’t pre-heat your cup, you lose quite a few degrees when you pour in the hot water. This will vary with the time of year and how hot or cold the room is, as well as the kind of mug being used…thick, thin, etc.
So an in-kettle thermometer of dubious quality is pretty useless.

If you are really serious, you need to search for a laboratory equipment supplier and get a stainless steel dial thermometer to place in the cup. A photo one will not do, as no developing was done at those high temps and they don’t go that high.

You may also find a digital one with a SS probe.

But in the end, just do trial and error. Always start with water that came to a rolling boil, wait a few seconds and work from there. Be consistent. It it tastes right to you, it is right.

Excellent points. I have been using a SS kitchen probe thermometer, but not always warming my cup in the same fashion each time. Everything is warmer for the 2nd and 3rd cup, so I should account for that if I want to be precise, but it is coming out pretty good now. The guy at the tea shop actually said “boil the water then add X ice cubes” and varied X depending on the type of tea…that seemed less scientific than my current method!