The Theory of Tea-Making
 

"I have made a number of experiments in the art of making good tea. We
consistently hear that some people are good and others bad tea-makers;
that it takes a long time to understand the behaviour of a new teapot,
and so forth; and, lastly, that good tea cannot be made except with boiling
water. Now, this latter assertion is assuredly untrue, because, if tea is
actually boiled in water, an emetic and partly poisonous drink is the
certain result. I had a tin lid made to my teapot, a short tube passed
through the lid, and in the tube was a cork, through a hole in which a
thermometer was fitted, that enabled me to learn the temperature of the
water in the teapot, at each moment. Thus provided, I continued to make
my tea as usual, and to note down what I observed. In the first place,
after warming the teapot in the usual way, the fresh boiling water that
was poured into it, sank invariably to under 200' Fahr. It was usually
180', so great was the amount of heat abstracted by the teapot. I also
found that my teapot-- it was a crockery one-- allowed the water within
it to cool down at the rate of about 2' per minute. When the pot was
filled afresh, of course, the temperature of its contents rose afresh,
and by the addition of water two or three times repeated, I obtained a
perfect mastery over the temperature of the water in the pot, within
reasonable limits. Now, after numerous days in which I made tea according
to my usual method, but measuring strictly the quantity of leaves, and
recording the times and temperature, and noting the character of the
tea produced; then, taking as my type of excellence, tea that was full bodied,
full tasted, and in no way bitter or flat, I found that this was only
produced when water in the teapot had remained between 180' and 190' Fahr.,
and had stood eight minutes on the leaves. It was only necessary for me
to add water once to the tea, to ensure the temperature. Bitterness was
the certain result of greater heat or of longer standing, and flatness
was the result of colder water. If the tea did not stand for so long
a time as eight minutes, it was not ripe, it was not full bodied enough."
-- The Art of Travel, Francis Galton, 1872
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

The Theory of Tea-Making
 

Thanks for the historical anecdote from the Age of Reason cultural
mileau causation. I don't understand this obsession with water
temperature even today. For me, boiling water is nothing more than
time to make tea. I'm not standing around guessing any other
temperature. This guy still had to use the art of taste to determine
the right scientific parameters. For me making tea will always be
practice, practice, practice due to quantum mechanics more than
determinism. I'm much less critical these days of what makes a good
cuppa. My tea school philosophy would be boundaries and guidelines
not absolutes except for boiling water which would be defined as a
singularity and all other points relative.

Jim

PS What tea in the 1870s would have to spend 8 minutes in the pot for
good taste. Obviously there was some environmental degradation which
today we would call stale which isn't a problem in the modern era.

Scott Dorsey wrote:
> "I have made a number of experiments in the art of making good tea. We
> consistently hear that some people are good and others bad tea-makers;
> that it takes a long time to understand the behaviour of a new teapot,
> and so forth; and, lastly, that good tea cannot be made except with boiling
> water. Now, this latter assertion is assuredly untrue, because, if tea is
> actually boiled in water, an emetic and partly poisonous drink is the
> certain result. I had a tin lid made to my teapot, a short tube passed
> through the lid, and in the tube was a cork, through a hole in which a
> thermometer was fitted, that enabled me to learn the temperature of the
> water in the teapot, at each moment. Thus provided, I continued to make
> my tea as usual, and to note down what I observed. In the first place,
> after warming the teapot in the usual way, the fresh boiling water that
> was poured into it, sank invariably to under 200' Fahr. It was usually
> 180', so great was the amount of heat abstracted by the teapot. I also
> found that my teapot-- it was a crockery one-- allowed the water within
> it to cool down at the rate of about 2' per minute. When the pot was
> filled afresh, of course, the temperature of its contents rose afresh,
> and by the addition of water two or three times repeated, I obtained a
> perfect mastery over the temperature of the water in the pot, within
> reasonable limits. Now, after numerous days in which I made tea according
> to my usual method, but measuring strictly the quantity of leaves, and
> recording the times and temperature, and noting the character of the
> tea produced; then, taking as my type of excellence, tea that was full bodied,
> full tasted, and in no way bitter or flat, I found that this was only
> produced when water in the teapot had remained between 180' and 190' Fahr.,
> and had stood eight minutes on the leaves. It was only necessary for me
> to add water once to the tea, to ensure the temperature. Bitterness was
> the certain result of greater heat or of longer standing, and flatness
> was the result of colder water. If the tea did not stand for so long
> a time as eight minutes, it was not ripe, it was not full bodied enough."
> -- The Art of Travel, Francis Galton, 1872
> --
> "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."