“Sitting at night in a mountain pavilion, drawing spring water to boil tea. As the water and fire battle it out, the scent of the pine billows through the trees as I pour a cup, bathed in light from the clouds. The profound pleasure of this moment is hard to convey in words to those of common tastes”—Ming Dynasty Literati

Lu Yu, Chinese tea expert, recommended brewing tea in fresh spring water or filtered water. Ideally, he suggested you brew the tea with the water from the region the tea grew. Hard water contains a high level of calcium, which deadens the flavor, and forms a surface film. The added chemicals, chlorine and fluoride, diminishes the flavor in tea. Adding a drop of lemon juice or sugar helps the scum disappear. Water temperature also affects tea’s flavor, aroma and color.

Chinese tea scholars developed a visual system to approximate water temperature:”Column of steam steadily rising”, “Fish eyes”, “String of pearls”’ and “Turbulent waters”. Column of steam steadily rising occurs when visible steam rises, approximately 170-1800F. Green teas taste best brewed at this temperature.  Fish eyes is when large lazy bubble start to break at the surface, about 180-2000F. Oolong teas brew best at this temperature. String of pearls is the moment when tiny bubbles appear around the perimeter of the pot, about 190-2000F.  Black tea tastes great brewed at this temperature. Turbulent waters is the full rolling boil, about 200-2120F. The perfect temperature to brew Pu-erh teas. White tea, Japanese green teas and other delicate spring green teas should be brewed in 160-1700F water. The delicate leaves burn in too hot water. Heating water to the perfect temperature is easy.

There are three practical methods to achieve the perfect water temperature for your tea: 1. heat fresh cold water to the perfect temperature; 2. boil the water then add cold water; 3. bring the water to a full rolling boil then let the water cool to the perfect temperature.

Ninety-nine percent of tea is water. Water quality and temperature are key elements to bring out all the flavors, antioxidants and aromas in a perfect cup of tea.