Enjoying Some Organic Pumpkin Pie Tea While Contemplating Loose Tea Water Temperature
11:33 AM Posted by Mommy Is Green
I'm not a tea connoisseur by any means but I am learning more and more. Especially about loose tea. I didn't previously know that each kind of tea should steep at different water temperatures. All I ever knew before was how to boil water in a kettle and add a tea bag to it (fancy, I know...lol).
There's a local tea house in my area that serves a great variety of loose teas. As much as I should probably try a different tea every time I visit, I usually end up getting the Organic White Peach tea. I'm extremely fond of that one. But the last time I visited the tea house I noticed an Organic Pumpkin Pie tea on my way out. My mother graciously bought me a sample bag to try it out.
The Organic Pumpkin Pie Rooibos tea consists of rooibos, honeybush, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and natural flavor. If this sounds appealing to you there's a similar one online. The only differences are the addition of one ingredient, the water temperature required, and the steep time.
I wasn't disappointed in the tea at all. It's quite wonderful actually! It's also easier for me to heat the water for it versus my white tea because it can steep at a higher temperature (212 degrees F). I don't have any way of telling exactly how hot the water temp in my kettle is. So for white tea (around 175 degrees) I just wing it. I would really like to find a good way to make sure the water temperature isn't too high though so the white tea leaves don't burn and make the tea taste bitter.
I know there are electric kettles that heat the water to the exact temperature it should be for each tea. I haven't had a chance to research the materials they are made from yet though. And plastic inside anything I need to heat is not an option for me.
My mother has a glass kettle that lets you tell the temperature by the way the water looks as it heats and boils. She has a gas stove so it works well. But I have a fear of using glass on our electric coil stove top. Lets just say there was an unfortunate incident with a glass pie plate and one of our electric burners one time. That's a story for another day.
One thing my mother did suggest to me was to get a candy thermometer to test the water temperature. That's something that might work.
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There's a local tea house in my area that serves a great variety of loose teas. As much as I should probably try a different tea every time I visit, I usually end up getting the Organic White Peach tea. I'm extremely fond of that one. But the last time I visited the tea house I noticed an Organic Pumpkin Pie tea on my way out. My mother graciously bought me a sample bag to try it out.
The Organic Pumpkin Pie Rooibos tea consists of rooibos, honeybush, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and natural flavor. If this sounds appealing to you there's a similar one online. The only differences are the addition of one ingredient, the water temperature required, and the steep time.
I wasn't disappointed in the tea at all. It's quite wonderful actually! It's also easier for me to heat the water for it versus my white tea because it can steep at a higher temperature (212 degrees F). I don't have any way of telling exactly how hot the water temp in my kettle is. So for white tea (around 175 degrees) I just wing it. I would really like to find a good way to make sure the water temperature isn't too high though so the white tea leaves don't burn and make the tea taste bitter.
I know there are electric kettles that heat the water to the exact temperature it should be for each tea. I haven't had a chance to research the materials they are made from yet though. And plastic inside anything I need to heat is not an option for me.
My mother has a glass kettle that lets you tell the temperature by the way the water looks as it heats and boils. She has a gas stove so it works well. But I have a fear of using glass on our electric coil stove top. Lets just say there was an unfortunate incident with a glass pie plate and one of our electric burners one time. That's a story for another day.
One thing my mother did suggest to me was to get a candy thermometer to test the water temperature. That's something that might work.
What is your favorite tea and how do you check the water temperature?
I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post.
©MommyIsGreen.net - DO NOT COPY text or images without permission from the author.
October 12, 2011 3:55 PM
I've only tried tea a couple of times, but my kids really like it a lot. I love the smell of teas, and roiboos is one of my fave smells!
October 12, 2011 7:03 PM
Your description of boiling water and then adding a tea bag to it is the extent of my tea knowledge! I've never even considered that various teas would steep at different water temperatures... I guess I'll stick with my coffee to be on the safe side. ;-)
October 13, 2011 6:12 AM
I love tea and became more familiar with loose tea after i visited England. There is such a variety available and you dont have to waste the tea bag (although you can compost them) I do think it is more like an art than it first appears ;)
I think the candy thermometer might just work!!
October 13, 2011 11:31 AM
I love my tea with milk! but I have to say that I'm not very familiar with the different temperatures.. I did know that you could burn the tea, you'll see, My husband is from Argentina and they drink a loose tea called "Mate", the basically heat up the water (do not boil) and they pour the loose leaves into a container called mate too, then they pour the water (little by little) into that container and drink the tea straight from it using a straw that has a filter at the bottom. It's very interesting!
October 16, 2011 4:21 PM
Mmmmm...pumpkin pie tea. Yum! I usually have tea a few times per week and I just add purified water to a coffee mug, stick in microwave and add a green tea with lemon bag. Nothing special. Had my tea leaves read once, but the lady was way off on her predictions. Fun experience though.
October 19, 2011 2:48 AM
I enjoy tea but don't drink much, not sure why...anyway, love rooibos tea! And I would love to try the pumpkin pie one. Sounds so cozy and yummy!
October 19, 2011 11:33 AM
I have a blend from Teavana - but I'm not really sure what it is! I think it's part fruity green tea and part rose roobios. I'd love to try pumpkin pie, I'll look for that!
October 27, 2011 2:58 PM
Pumpkin pie tea?! Wow, that sounds amazing.