Several months ago, I wrote an article about experimenting with the water temperature on my Zojirushi water dispenser. Here is my long overdue follow up! π
Okay, let’s recap. My water dispenser has multiple settings for keeping the water temperature at either 140, 175, 195 or 208F. Its default is 195F, but I wanted to see if keeping it at the hotter 208F would yield a better brew. Today, I’m here to answer whether it did or not.
I used the higher 208F for about 3 weeks. I eventually reverted back to the cooler 195F when a prolonged power outage made my dispenser revert back to its factory defaults. When it came right down to it, I couldn’t taste a difference. The hotter water temperature didn’t seem to play much of a role on the taste of the tea.
If there was a result, it would have merely been psychological. As I stated in the last article, 208F is close to boiling, and there is a chance that the water may be losing oxygen at that temp for a prolonged period of time. This played in the back of my mind – especially when the dispenser would do a mini boil to keep a consistent temperature.
So what’s the verdict? I would recommend not keeping the water temperature near boiling. The end result doesn’t appear to be different, so there really is no need to chance losing oxygen in your water. On top of that, there also is a small energy saving benefit for keeping the dispenser at the lower temp.
Want to know more about water temperature, and water in general when it comes to brewing? Check out the second half of our video to find out more!
Happy brewing! π
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