Why a variable temperature kettle is a must for your wellness drinks

You can preserve the superpowers in your wellness drinks by taking note of ideal steeping temperatures and using a variable temperature kettle. High temperatures can denature the vital elements in tea, herbs, mushrooms, and other wellness-supporting ingredients. I mistakenly destroyed a lot of vital nutrients in my wellness drinks by scalding them in boiling water. Here’s why temperature is critical and some strategies to preserve the health-building qualities of your hot beverages.  

SO MANY LOST NUTRIENTS

It saddens me to think of all the superfoods I may have scorched to death over the last few decades.  Every morning, the first thing I do when I enter my kitchen is turn on the kettle to make my daily wellness drinks. I never really thought about the temperature of the water; it’s always been a one-button or plug-in act. 

However, I recently listened to a podcast where Anthony William, the Medical Medium, insisted that our morning lemon water routine use cool water so as not to damage the living properties of the lemon. I gasped. I had been boiling my lemon water to 212°F (100°C) for a decade. I have been so loyal to my morning cleansing routine, yet all this time, I’d been damaging the life-giving properties of the lemon.   I wish I knew how temperature affected my lemon, tea, and wellness drinks 20 years ago. I may have lost out on decades of nutrients.   

BE GENTLE WITH YOUR FUNGUS

Since I stopped drinking coffee daily, I have incorporated many mushroom-based drinks into my wellness routine. Known for their ultra resilience in nature and superfood powers, mushrooms have recently found their place in the beverage world. I was curious to know if I had destroyed their healing properties, too. I contacted a few companies whose products I use regularly and was surprised by their vague responses.

First, I contacted the folks at MUD\WTR to find out the ideal temperature for their super-food mushroom chai drink beverage.

  “We don’t recommend preparing Mud past a boiling water temperature of 212 degrees F as it may cause you to lose out on some of the benefits of the ingredients in Mud.” – Mud\WtR https://mudwtr.com  

– MUD\WTR https://mudwtr.com  

Similarly, the folks at Laird Superfoods left me hanging when they commented on the best temp for their performance mushrooms.  

“We recommend using warm-to-hot (but not boiling) water to prepare our hot drinks, but we don’t have any temperature guidelines for the performance mushrooms specifically. I’m sure there is quite a bit of research on that subject out there, but because we haven’t done any conclusive temperature research ourselves, unfortunately, we can’t provide any specific guidelines there. So sorry about that! As long as you are in the warm-to-hot range, you should be good”

-Laird Superfoods

HERBAL REMEDIES

I also thought about the herbal teas made from the delicate petals of flowers.  I thought the folks at Dragon Herbs might have some insight. I was surprised by their master herbalists’ response when I requested information about the steeping temperature of the herbal tonics I drink:  

“Sorry, we do not have a guide like that. That temperatures would vary quite a bit for teas and different herbs, though, so there is no general recommendation we can give” Dragon Herbs

–Roland Steele, L.Ac., Dipl. O.M., Senior Herbalist, Dragon Herbs

SAVE THE FLAVOR TOO

I occasionally drink green tea. Due to its decades-long popularity as a health and wellness beverage, a fair amount of research has been conducted on both green tea’s health benefits and its flavor. I discovered that in addition to reducing its health-giving properties, high heat also affects the taste of green tea. 

A 2019 study looked at green tea steeping temperatures of 140°F (60 °C) and 203°F (95 °C). Green tea catechins, known for their antioxidant power, showed a significant and continuous decline after 10 min at 203°F (95 °C) when compared to 140°F (60 °C).

A 2015 study looked at green tea infusions prepared at 167°F, 185°F and 203 °F (75, 85, and 95 °C). Brewing at 185°F (85 °C) for 3 min was found to be the best scenario where catechin content was found to be at maximum. 

According to The Fragrant Leaf, amino acids dissolve at 140°F (60 °C), and tannins dissolve at 176°F (80°C). Steeping green tea in boiling water will alter its sweetness and flavor. For the best flavor, they recommend bringing the water to 185°F (85°C).  

“Brewing green tea at lower temperatures will ensure that its sweet and complex flavors will not be overpowered by the bitter-tasting flavors.”

The Fragrant Leaf

MY VARIABLE TEMPERATURE KETTLE

Thinking about all the paychecks I spent at the health food store buying healthy drinks only to destroy them, I went online to start my search for a variable-temperature kettle.

A variable-temperature kettle simply lets you select the temperature at which you want to bring the water instead of a full boil. Variable-temperature kettles have either a dial or pre-set buttons, and heating stops when the desired temperature is reached.  

I fell for the Stagg EKG by Fellow. The fancy kettle came recommended by a friend.  I hesitated the purchase at first because the Stagg EKG is designed for serious coffee drinkers and is rather pricey. I am not a serious coffee drinker, having only a cup or two a month; however, I fell for the gorgeous design. This stylish beauty looks fabulous in my kitchen.  Here are the other features that I appreciate:

• The cool-looking goose-neck spout allows for the perfect pour-over coffee, which I appreciate when concocting my wellness drinks since I can do a slow and precise pour over my powders and herbs.

• The ‘on’ switch is also a dial; you can select any temperature between 1 and 212 degrees.

• I love that I can set it in 1-degree increments.

• A ‘hold’ slider at the back of the base keeps the set temperature for 60 minutes. This is great for when I need to keep my cup full to stay in flow during a writing session.

• A digital display tells you the temperature set and the current temperature of the water.

• You can track the heating progress (which is very fast) by watching the digital display’s real-time readout of the actual temperature.

• The kettle remembers the last set temperature, and I appreciate being able to keep the temperature at a pre-boiling setting because I use it multiple times daily.  

Happy Brewing,

-Shari

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Disclosure

I purchased all of the products in this post. However, I may receive a commission if you purchase from the links on this page, which I highly encourage you to do because these wellness companies are all doing great things!