Multiple brews

[Chip]

by Chip » Sep 6th, '08, 16:23

Fully decant all liquid from the pot or brewing vessel. Do not let the leaves sit in liquid except when actually brewing a steep.

Welcome the the forum, btw!

[Victoria]

by Victoria » Sep 6th, '08, 22:10

Welcome!! Drain those leaves! It tastes off because you are getting some seriously oversteeped bitter residue mixed in with your fresh brew.

[wyardley]

Re: Multiple brews

by wyardley » Sep 7th, '08, 03:16

I have a question about what to do with the tea in between brews. I'll usually get a few brews out of my oolongs. I normally leave a little of the tea in the bottom, just enough to cover the leafs if I can. However, it may be hours before I get to it again. Sometimes it tastes a little "off", but I really can't describe exactly how. I have tried water, but with no noticeable difference. Is there a trick to this that I am missing? It tends to get better with more brews, so I do not want to throw it away after only one. At home I use an simple infuser cup, and at work or on the road, I have one of those TIGO travel infusers.

If you're waiting that long between infusions, it might be worth considering using less leaf and infusing fewer times, especially if you're drinking greener oolongs. Sure, you can brew the same leaves across hours (or even days) if they're the right type, if you know what you're doing, and if they're expensive enough to be worth it... but I think many people would suggest that it's a bad idea.

One thing I've tried in the past (that was also recommended in Phyll's and Toki's recent posts on brewing the same tea across multiple days) is to do a quick rinse with boiling water before the first brew after an extended break. Not only should this help kill any critters, but it should help flush out any extra liquid left in the brewing vessel.

[Bert]

Re: Multiple brews

by Bert » Sep 7th, '08, 04:56

One thing I've tried in the past (that was also recommended in Phyll's and Toki's recent posts on brewing the same tea across multiple days) is to do a quick rinse with boiling water before the first brew after an extended break. Not only should this help kill any critters, but it should help flush out any extra liquid left in the brewing vessel.

Right.
And it heats your infuser cup up prior to the real infusion. Especially with later infusions a preheated brewing vessel is important for getting more flavor out of the tea leaves.
Keep the leaves covered with a lid in your breaks.

[Salsero]

by Salsero » Sep 10th, '08, 14:20

I'm not sure where I heard that you should leave a bit of liquid with your leaves between brews,

I think I remember seeing this on the Jing site in reference to greens. Crazy idea, IMHO.

[gingkoseto]

by gingkoseto » Sep 26th, '08, 20:34

I agree with wyardley that too long time between infusing is not good in any way.
To get leaf drained between brewing, I do have a fancy 2 layered cup from Taiwan. Afer I brew the tea on top layer, I press the valve, then tea water is drained to the bottom later and tea leaves stay on top. That is to prevent leaves being overheated by hot water. But that's for several minutes between infusing, not longer time than that.

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[PolyhymnianMuse]

by PolyhymnianMuse » Sep 26th, '08, 20:42

To get leaf drained between brewing, I do have a fancy 2 layered cup from Taiwan. Afer I brew the tea on top layer, I press the valve, then tea water is drained to the bottom later and tea leaves stay on top. That is to prevent leaves being overheated by hot water. But that's for several minutes between infusing, not longer time than that.

Do you mean a contraption like the ingenuitea or the numerous other similar items out there?

[gingkoseto]

by gingkoseto » Sep 27th, '08, 09:06

To get leaf drained between brewing, I do have a fancy 2 layered cup from Taiwan. Afer I brew the tea on top layer, I press the valve, then tea water is drained to the bottom later and tea leaves stay on top. That is to prevent leaves being overheated by hot water. But that's for several minutes between infusing, not longer time than that.

Do you mean a contraption like the ingenuitea or the numerous other similar items out there?

Yes, quite similar to ingenuitea. Mine has the top layer sit in the bottom layer and mine is overall small. It was design for people to have oolong during traveling. There are some larger ones. Mine only holds about 1 cup size of tea. I use it in my office, with a few small tea cups (1.5inch diameter) to have oolong and share with friends.
Something like this: