Monday TeaDay 11/03/08 Drat, my tea cooled?

[Chip]

Welcome to TeaDay, everyone. Please join us and share what is in your cup today, all day!

Yesterday's topic proved more divided than I had expected. You can still discuss yesterday's topic and vote.

Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic. KYmidwife offered up today's topic, an interesting twist on the temperature aspect of tea. "I am curious about preferred drinking temperatures. We hear mostly about hot or iced... I am curious about everything in between. I am just wondering if, as tea cools, people enjoy it more, enjoy it less, enjoy the changes in flavor, or if they just ice it or discard it instead of finishing it." So there you have it. All about drinking temperature ... anything goes.

I am looking forward to sharing TeaDay with everyone today, regardless of the temperature of our tea!

[caligatia]

I nuke mine sometimes. Most of the time I drink it tepid and don't like it as much.

For a change, I'm drinking beer (Anchor Steam) instead of tea.

[Salsero]

Enjoy changes. I drink prolly half my tea at close to room temp because I sip slowly and it cools down. Yet I don't like iced tea. Go figure!

I am a little worried because I hear Edkrueger is out to pwn me.

[Pentox]

For me it's a bit more complicated than the options can really convey. If I were to try to describe it, when a tea cools from hot to ambient temperature, there is an increase in enjoyability where the temperature doesn't feel so prominent, but it is still a warm cup of tea, but after that it tapers toward room temperature and that is not as enjoyable. But on the other hand if I have a cold brewed tea it's a pure decrease in enjoyment as it warms up toward room temperature. So I guess if you were to chart my enjoyment against the temperature of the tea, scaling temperature from 0-100C you would get a dropping slope until you reached ambient which would be the low point, which would then slope up exponentially to the enjoyable somewhat cooled, but still hot point and then taper back down as the tea is hot enough that it is difficult to drink. So somewhat in the shape of an M.

[kymidwife]

I enjoy the changes as a tea cools, at least with most teas. Some of the green teas I've had are fabulous when steaming-hot, but seem to go bitter as they cool. I can see, for this reason, why those teas are best suited to be brewed in small servings.

But, for most other teas, I actually enjoy them more as they cool. If they are steaming hot, the temperature can overpower the nuances of the flavor for me, so I enjoy them much more as they cool a bit. I generally like "warm" better than "tepid" or "room temp"... however, I enjoy how a Darjeeling or oolong changes in character during each stage. And for this reason, and perhaps for pure laziness, I rarely reheat a cup of tea once it's cooled.

I find it interesting too that I drink much less iced tea than I used to enjoy... I still like it, but I find myself drinking tepid or room-temp tea with my meals where I used to always have iced tea. I don't know why... I think because I've brewed it to the proper strength for hot tea, and although I like it iced, I dont want it diluted by the melting ice.

Thanks Chip for posting my poll suggestion. I feel so special.

[olivierco]

I prefer to drink my tea hot, but I won't discard it instead of finishing it.

Yunnan golden tips with my breakfast.

[Victoria]

I prefer to drink my tea hot, but I won't discard it instead of finishing it.

Yep, that's pretty much how I feel.

[Trioxin]

I prefer to drink my tea hot, but I won't discard it instead of finishing it.

+1

Currently drinking a nice cup of burning leaves aka 2003 CNNP "Yi Wu High Mountain Wild Arbor" Pu-erh

[Trey Winston]

I prefer to drink my tea hot, but I won't discard it instead of finishing it.

Yep, that's pretty much how I feel.

Check.
Back to my whites today after a week of oolong and sencha. Specifically SN.

[Drax]

Heh, I'd be curious to hear what peoples' average window of tea enjoyment of hot tea is, then. I realize that's going to vary by tea, but there's probably some general time-frame of 'peak enjoyment' for temperature?

[omegapd]

For me, and the same way with coffee, it has to be hot or iced. No in between. If the tea sits around and gets to room temp, I throw it away. I don't think I have ever re-heated tea in a microwave...

Trying the other Adagio Pu this morning. The more expensive one than Dante- think it's called Poe. It's better, but not exactly what I'm looking for in shu. I am enjoying my new travel mug, though. 2 bucks at Wal Mart last night. Anyone want to see pics of that in the teaware section?

[edkrueger]

Enjoy changes. I drink prolly half my tea at close to room temp because I sip slowly and it cools down. Yet I don't like iced tea. Go figure!

I am a little worried because I hear Edkrueger is out to pwn me.

Ah, Sal. You were listening. I have a few better pictures that are better than many of yours, but I could never replace your daily pictures.

[treazure]

I want my tea (and coffee) either very hot or iced, no middle ground.

Omegapd, I'd love to see a picture of your new mug!

[chad]

I rarely throw any tea out. I prefer it "hot" to "warm" but will drink it at room temperature. I think this goes back to shift working with the USAF for so many years...I'd drink the nastiest mid-shift coffee not matter what the temp...

Iced tea is better "iced" but if I've sweetened it I'll drink it at room temp, too.

Darjeeling in the cup this morning.

[Carnelian]

I prefer to drink my tea hot, but I won't discard it instead of finishing it.

Couldn't have said it better myself