The weather is getting cooler, and opportunities to gather around a stove to boil Tea are increasing.

As the tea smoke rises and swirls, it feels as though your body slowly unwinds. However, boiling tea may seem simple, but there are some nuances when it comes to actually doing it. Let's look at how to avoid some of the major mistakes in tea boiling.

1. Boiling Tea Directly in an Iron Kettle

Everyone thinks that water boiled in an iron kettle tastes great, so some tea enthusiasts, upon acquiring a cherished iron kettle, happily toss tea leaves into it to boil. The result is often a purple tea broth with blackened leaves, rendering the tea undrinkable. This happens because the iron in the kettle reacts with the Tannic acid in the tea, producing ferrous tannate, which is the main component of blue-black ink, turning the tea broth blue-black.

Suggestion: While using an iron kettle to boil water is fine, if you want to boil tea leaves, using a clay or glass kettle produces better flavor.

2. Assuming All Teas Are Suitable for Boiling

Boiling tea can be delightful, but not all teas are suitable for this method. Typically, two types of tea are chosen for boiling: those heavily fermented, such as ripe Pu'er, Liu Bao tea, and old tea heads, and aged teas, like aged white tea, aged Pu'er, and aged Yancha.

Green teas, known for their clear broth and green leaves with a strong astringency, do not fare well under high temperatures, which can destroy vitamin C in the tea and cause rapid release of polyphenols and Caffeine, resulting in a yellowish broth with a more intense and bitter taste. Therefore, tender green teas and fresh teas are not recommended for boiling.

Suggestion: Boiling tea can be done directly or after initial brewing. Lighter teas, such as aged white tea and aged Tie Guan Yin, are suitable for direct boiling in the kettle, while stronger teas like Pu'er are better first brewed in a covered bowl for five or six rounds before being boiled, avoiding overly concentrated broths.

3. Repeated Boiling of Tea Leaves

The boiling time for tea should not exceed 3 to 5 minutes. Prolonged Steeping of tea leaves in the kettle will not produce additional beneficial compounds; instead, it can reduce their quantity.

Suggestion: Reduce the amount of tea used to about two-thirds of what you would normally use for brewing, and fill the boiling vessel with two-thirds water. After drinking two-thirds of the water, you can re-boil the remaining tea, rather than repeatedly boiling the same batch. How many times a particular tea can be boiled varies and depends on the type of tea.

Suggestion: Many seasoned tea drinkers prefer to Brew their tea first and then boil it. A good tea can have its internal substances evenly released through successive brewings, followed by a final boiling session, allowing the tea to showcase its full essence in different forms.