How long should I let my tea cool before adding unpasteurized honey to it?
I like having my tea with honey.
I always buy unpasteurized honey rather than pasteurized honey, to benefit from the healthful enzymes it contains that are destroyed by the pasteurization process.
I have heard that unpasteurized honey should not be heated to a very high temperature, because that will (just like pasteurization) destroy the enzymes.
So, my questions are:
What is the temperature to which it is safe to heat unpasteurized honey without destroying the enzymes in it?
Is there a rule of thumb for how long I should let my tea cool to reach this temperature? I do not add anything else (like milk) to the tea that would accelerate the cooling.
Best Answer
Well, after a cursory look online, it looks like the honey shouldn't be heated above 95 degrees Fahrenheit, or what a "natural temperature" of a bee hive would be. Assuming you're drinking black tea, you are boiling the water, so it starts off at around 212 degrees Fahrenheit (near sea level). How long it will take for the tea to cool will depend on what the tea is in and how cool the room you are in is. So, in other words, there really isn't a rule of thumb for the cooling part since the environment the tea is in will dramatically affect how long it takes to cool.
I'd just use a thermometer and check it the first couple of times you make the tea.
Pictures about "How long should I let my tea cool before adding unpasteurized honey to it?"
How long should I let my tea cool before adding honey?
Honey can be added to tea while retaining all of its nutritional benefits, though. Just wait a few minutes after making your tea, once the water has cooled down considerably, and stir in your honey at this point. This way, you'll get the wonderful, sweet taste and the myriad health benefits associate with honey.What temp should tea be before adding honey?
Milk is pasteurised at 72 C / 161 F. Given this I would let the tea drop at least to this temperature first, before adding honey. Update: I read online that honey is pasteurised at 150\xb0 F (65.5\xb0 C). So this temperature seems to be better than the milk standard above.Can I put raw honey in hot tea?
Turns out, honey should never be warmed, cooked, or heated under any condition. A study published in the journal AYU found that at a temperature of 140 degrees, honey turns toxic. When you mix honey in hot milk or water, it turns hot and turns toxic.At what temperature does honey become toxic?
Cooking honey at 40 degree Celsius or more can cause negative chemical change that makes it taste bitter. Cooking destroys the potent health benefits of honey.Mixing honey with hot liquid (milk, tea) is Poisonous? Does heating honey makes it Toxic?
More answers regarding how long should I let my tea cool before adding unpasteurized honey to it?
Answer 2
To answer this question we can look first at what temperature is required to pasteurise beverages. I'll take milk as an example. Milk is pasteurised at 72 C / 161 F. Given this I would let the tea drop at least to this temperature first, before adding honey.
Update: I read online that honey is pasteurised at 150° F (65.5° C). So this temperature seems to be better than the milk standard above. Given this, letting the temperature drop to 60 C would be recommended to avoid pasteurisation. It's also a pretty good temperature to start sipping your tea :)
Answer 3
I found this article online:
Heating up to 37°C (98.6 F) causes loss of nearly 200 components, part of which are antibacterial. Heating up to 40°C (104 F) destroys invertase, an important enzyme. Heating up to 50°C (122 F) for more than 48 hrs. -John Skinner, University of Tennessee
Personally I like my tea really hot, so this wouldn't work for me.
You said you don't use milk, if you wanted to cool the tea faster, you could add cold water
The other option is making iced tea with honey. Use green tea and let it get down to room temperature, add honey and then cool in the fridge or pour over ice.
There is no "definitive time" to get this temperature, you'll have to experiment in your own environment. Factors that can effect how quick it cools are:
- Thickness of the cup (thinner cools slower)
- Size of cup (smaller cools faster)
- If you leave the teaspoon in (cools faster with it in)
- Temperature of the room
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Mareefe, Bo Stevens, Los Muertos Crew, Valeria Boltneva