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Life at high altitude - a decent brew of tea?

Every little-Englander knows that a quality brew of tea depends on the water being absolutely boiling at the moment it hits the tea in the (pre-heated) teapot. In Britain, "boiling" means 100 Celsius. Here in Bogota, at about 2500 metres ASL (pant, gasp), it means about 90 Celsius. And those ten degrees make a real difference to the result. Brewing it for longer just doesn't seem to help.

At least I understand now why all the kitchenware shops round here have so many pressure cookers. I thought those were invented for cooking veggies a l'Anglaise, i.e. boiled for an extended period of time in too much water. But they are the only way to make veggies edible if you live up here.

Has anyone found a solution to this problem? Making tea in a pressure cooker seems stupid and dangerous (though it might be amusing to spray my apartment with superheated water and tealeaves). Is there such a thing as a high-altitude tea maker, and if so, where can I get one? Or is there a specific blend that works well at high altitude?

By fuerza_diastrofica on Dec 27, 2005, 08:09 in Friendly Talkzone.

Crazy4Cali says on Dec 27, 2005, 10:41:

Well, you could use salt in the water to raise the boiling point, though that might alter the taste a bit.

ethylene glycol would raise the boiling point as well as sweeten the taste. Of course you'd better enjoy the cup of tea prepared this way since it will probably be your last. (legal disclaimer for the americans too stupid to think for themselves but smart enough to call a lawyer after the fact: Ethlylene Glycol, a.k.a. anti-freeze, is a toxic substance and should not be consumed)

On a more serious note, what about using an espresso maker? They pressurize the water to make steam. I would think that would help raise the temperature a bit and keep the water from rinsing the inside of your apartment.

0 funny, 0 helpful.