Yet another steeping time question

White and yellow teas are among the most subtle.


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Jan 24th, '06, 17:09
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Yet another steeping time question

by Joe » Jan 24th, '06, 17:09

I ordered a 2oz tin of the silver needles a few months ago and finished it soon after that because it was quite enjoyable. On the label, the steeping time read 3 minutes. My friend ordered the same product recently, and on it, it says 7 minutes. I'm beginning to think it was a weird typo, although 3 minutes still yielded a delicious cup in my opinion. Just making sure the reccomended steeping time is 7 minutes for the Silver Needles. That's it. Thanks.

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Jan 24th, '06, 17:12
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by LavenderPekoe » Jan 24th, '06, 17:12

My silver needles also says 7 minutes. I am pretty sure that is the corrct time for whites.
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Feb 15th, '06, 16:58

by AndreMarie » Feb 15th, '06, 16:58

It's up to you.

I personnaly steep the same leaves up to 7 times, in a gawan; each steeping lasts 2/3 minutes.

Some says Silver Needles need 15 minutes of infusion, which I consider overestimated !

Just remember that you may infuse white tea leaves several time !



AndreMarie.

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Feb 16th, '06, 09:50
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by klemptor » Feb 16th, '06, 09:50

I always steep Silver Needle for seven minutes.
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Feb 16th, '06, 11:04
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by rhpot1991 » Feb 16th, '06, 11:04

I swear that I saw 3 minutes somewhere before too. I used to do mine for 3 minutes before I got my larger tin which says 7 minutes on it. I personally think it is good both ways and has a unique taste each way. All tea making directions are only recomdendations and you should prepare it the way you think it tastes best, I say try it both ways and see.

-John

Mar 4th, '06, 23:43
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Emperor white

by intellitea » Mar 4th, '06, 23:43

I got a can of Emperor white tea from The Republic of Tea and they recommend 30 to 60 seconds. When following this directions I get a very subtle and shy cup. If I steep it longer it becomes bitter. With the white needle and other Adagio whites 7 mins. and Chris´ 2 teasoons per cup I get a fuller cup, fragant and with more subtelties.

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Mar 5th, '06, 00:21
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by javyn » Mar 5th, '06, 00:21

I do my white teas in my gaiwan for 4 infusions. 1, 3, 5, and 7 minutes, with progressively hotter water until the fourth infusion is actually boiling. That works well for me. I suppose if you are just going to infuse the leaves once, 7 minutes would be about right. But that just seems wasteful to me. White tea is expensive, and a great range of flavor can really be brought out through multiple infusions. (Not to mention, it makes the tea cheaper per cup.)
John

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Mar 5th, '06, 01:12
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by yresim » Mar 5th, '06, 01:12

I prefer the white needles at 3 minutes. I also find just one tsp of this particular tea far more enjoyable than 2 tsp. I like my whites to be extremely subtle.

Tea is a very personal experience. One of the nice things about it is that you can vary it so much to suit your tastes.

No one can ever tell you how long to steep your tea. What the tea labels are really telling you is "this is how long most people like to steep it." It doesn't make it wrong or right, it is just a suggestion.

How long you steep it depends on your particular taste. If you like it at three minutes, drink it at three minutes. If you like it better at seven minutes, do that.
"I know! We could go to the Bronze, sneak in our own tea bags, and ask for hot water."
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Favorite teas: earl grey, assam, white

Mar 8th, '06, 23:04
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by intellitea » Mar 8th, '06, 23:04

javyn wrote:I do my white teas in my gaiwan for 4 infusions. 1, 3, 5, and 7 minutes, with progressively hotter water until the fourth infusion is actually boiling. That works well for me. I suppose if you are just going to infuse the leaves once, 7 minutes would be about right. But that just seems wasteful to me. White tea is expensive, and a great range of flavor can really be brought out through multiple infusions. (Not to mention, it makes the tea cheaper per cup.)
How much water do you use per infusion?
Technically, a cup is 8 oz. but some companies will specify a 6 oz. cup.
Of course it is a joy to experiment too! Tks.

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Mar 11th, '06, 01:08
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by javyn » Mar 11th, '06, 01:08

I found a teaspoon and a half of tea works well for my 6 ounce gaiwan (2 tsp to 1 tbsp for Junshan Yinzhen). A teacup should be 6 ounces. If you use an 8oz cup, you should add a little bit more tea leaf since that is about a 33% increase in water from 6oz.
John

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