Sunday TeaDay 8/17/08 Black tea, multible steeping?

[Chip]

Yesterday, TeaChatters voted overwhelmingly for hot tea vs iced tea. You can still vote and discuss this topic.

Welcome one and all to TeaDay. Let's brew and share what is in our cups today, all day!

Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic is about black tea. It seems members who drink other types of teas besides black, frequently brew their black tea differently. How do you brew your black tea, do you brew it differently than other tea types, do you resteep your black tea? Please share.

I am looking forward to sharing TeaDay with everyone today. Bottoms up.

[Wesli]

[Pentox]

I normally resteep at least once when trying out a black for the first time. It's to gauge if it can handle it or not. Based on that i'll do it or not later.

[Geekgirl]

Wes, is that the "mouth brewing" we've read so much about?

Poll question: yeah sometimes I'll resteep a black. Not often though.

[Wesli]

Yes, it is.

Step #1: Pick tea.



aaaand I resteep black teas until they give out.

[Trioxin]

Yep, especially my Darjeelings.

Currently drinking just4tea.coms Roasted Tie Guan Yin

[Victoria]

Yes I resteep black tea, if I have time in the mornings.

Never tried more than two times, usually I'm ready for
something else by then.

[Space Samurai]

As a general rule, no, I don't.

[Salsero]

[Chip]

As a general rule, no, I don't.

Ditto! One steep and it is time to move on. I generally brew blacks English style for this reason. On a rare occasion, like if I am rushed and realllly want a cup, I will rebrew out of desperation.

Purty picture Sal.

[omegapd]

Two steeps if it's something special. First steep for 4 minutes and then double that for the next. I really don't like waiting for the second steep though, since I'm pushing 8+ minutes by then.

I've had good luck with China Blacks and things of that nature, but finding the right black tea to re-steep is sorta hard.

EW

[Jack_teachat]

I've been brewing Yunnan Gold for just under a week now and I've been getting at least 4 good infusions from 3.5g @ 88 - 95 degrees, 3 mins, 2.5 mins, 5 mins, 7 minutes.

A lot of people here seem to be very concerned with multiple steeps taking up too much time, but what's the rush? I'd personally rather have four very good steeps of YG than drink 3 different teas in the same time as doing that would take. Tea is not something to be rushed.

Yunnan Gold this morning (multiple steeps! )

Jack

[tseirPsaduJ]

I brew them traditional English. So they are spent leaves after first brew. Unless you want slightly tinted hot water?

[Jack_teachat]

I do find this concept of 'Traditional English' brewing problematic. I'm sure there will be someone on here who can counter this, but there are English sources from the first half of the eighteenth century which state that the English did steep certain black teas (and greens to my knowledge) multiple times. For example, Simon Mason writing in 1745 in his work, The Good and Bad Effects of Tea Consider'd, states,

'The first and best sort of Bohea Tea is called Pekoe... This upon infusion, hath not so deep a tincture as the common Tea, neither is the virtue so soon extracted, but will continue good five or six infusions.'

This surely brings into question the whole idea of the Western or 'English' brewing method i.e small amount of leaf/longer brewing times?

Sorry, the Historian in me has been unleashed

[Grubby]

I never make multiple infusions, since it has not given me good results.

I don't drink chinese black though, maybe i would make that with multiple infusions.
But for the rest black teas, always "western style". It's just the way i prefer.