Saturday TeaRoom 10/11/08 Caffeine fiend?

[kymidwife]

Yesterday I had two people over, very nice to marinate them in tea while talking and eating dark chocolate

Sounds suspiciously like something Hannibal Lechter would say.... "I'm having an old friend for dinner....(insert eerie mouth-sucking sounds)." I wonder if he tried marinating them in tea first?



Sarah

[Carnelian]

If I confused anyone I'm sorry. But I was thinking if the subsequent 'normal' infusions are decaffeinated that would explain why I don't have issues with soda (because it isnt' a caffeine problem) and that it would be something else either relating to or possibly not at all with the amount of tea that I drink (I drink sometimes on the average of 4-6 16oz mugs of tea a day)

I've actually pondered that question myself, but have no experience that I can use to answer it.

[kymidwife]

One never knows what one may find in mother's panty. Today, I found tea treasures I'd forgotten I had... a small sampler tin of Adagio Darjeeling #1 which I will have tomorrow morning, woot! Plus the Maeda-En Shincha... already had some of that today... plus just enough Oolong #8 for one good session, which I've already consumed... plus some SpecialTeas Fine TKY and Pouchong... drinking the TKY now... mmmm.

Mom's panty is rich with unexpected flavor and satisfaction. I'm sure my dad would agree.

Sarah

[Carnelian]

Today has been a good tea day for me, courtesy of TeaPass, two steeps of New Mexico Tea Co.'s sencha with rose and cherry (initially I thought that I had used too little leaf, but all the great nuances came out after a few sips), Harney and Sons Apples and Cinnamon, Adagio's Birthday Tea, and Upton's Russian Caravan. All delicious, and all on my "consider ordering" list

[Cinnamon Kitty]

I can live with or without caffeine. Caffeine in tea doesn't seem to do much to me though caffeine in coffee makes me bounce off walls and get all jittery only to crash shortly after.

I enjoyed some Hojicha for breakfast that was absolutely delicious. Even though there is not much caffeine in that one, the roasted flavor worked very well for first thing in the morning. Currently, I am enjoying sencha brewed in my new teapot. The sencha tastes superb and the teapot works beautifully except for a bit of dribbling from the lid when I pour too fast. It makes the sencha taste even better than before. Yay!

[zacstill]

2005 Dayi 7542 today, I'm really enjoying it! Though my tea table from dragon tea house is starting to crack after only a few weeks of use

[Salsero]

My question (and forgive me if I should be asking someplace else) would a second infusion (well I guess it would really be a third) infusion also be decaffeinated or would you have to do the thirty second infusion, discard and do a 'full' infusion.

Each time you infuse the leaves, they have a little less caffeine in them, so the next infusion will be less potent. It's always a step down each time, but it takes a long time to get close to zero, and by then the tea is probably too weak to drink.

I've actually pondered that question myself, but have no experience that I can use to answer it.

There is some discussion of this tired and tiring old issue HERE. The shortest, simple rule-or-thumb I have found so far is that 3 minutes in boiling water will reduce the caffeine content by half. In other words, flavor and caffeine go pretty much hand-in-hand.

Chip (I think) has a sensible, compromise system. He does some infusions of whatever tea, and saves the last one or two until just before bed. While these undoubtedly still have some caffeine, it is much less.

But basically, you can not make truly decaffeinated tea at home.

[Ed]

Well said, Salsero.

[eor1122]

My question (and forgive me if I should be asking someplace else) would a second infusion (well I guess it would really be a third) infusion also be decaffeinated or would you have to do the thirty second infusion, discard and do a 'full' infusion.

Each time you infuse the leaves, they have a little less caffeine in them, so the next infusion will be less potent. It's always a step down each time, but it takes a long time to get close to zero, and by then the tea is probably too weak to drink.

I've actually pondered that question myself, but have no experience that I can use to answer it.

There is some discussion of this tired and tiring old issue HERE. The shortest, simple rule-or-thumb I have found so far is that 3 minutes in boiling water will reduce the caffeine content by half. In other words, flavor and caffeine go pretty much hand-in-hand.

Chip (I think) has a sensible, compromise system. He does some infusions of whatever tea, and saves the last one or two until just before bed. While these undoubtedly still have some caffeine, it is much less.

But basically, you can not make truly decaffeinated tea at home.

half is better than nothing I suppose
thank you for your insight and sharing Chip's system

[gingkoseto]

I can't have tea after late afternoon, even though tea doesn't make me feel instantly caffeinated as coffee does.
Some told me shu puerh has little caffeine and it's ok to have it in the evening. I tried, and couldn't sleep after having it in later afternoon. Probably it's just my mental effects

Xin Yang Mao Jian this noon and rose buds afternoon

[caligatia]

More Adagio samples: Keemun concerto didn't do anything for me, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE the golden monkey. So far it seems I'm not big on Chinese black teas unless they're from the Fujian province (golden monkey and lapsang). Those and Indian blacks make me so very happy.

Sadly, I am done tasting the black sampler. I have a holiday sampler to drink with my mom and sister, and a green sampler that I'm not going to drink more of until I get the variable-temp electric kettle on Wednesday. Getting the right water temperature in my limited kitchen is too difficult. Can't wait until the kettle gets here!

With the black sampler, the Assam melody was replaced by Irish breakfast because Adagio was out. Sniff. I suspect I'll like Assam teas a lot...

So today was a big TeaDay for me. I went to five different stores in search of a teapot-sized infuser! Finally found one at the second Asian market I went to. Should have gone there first. They had a bunch of gorgeous teaware. I crave now.

I had six different kinds of tea today. Wow. Tomorrow's going to seem so mundane by comparison!

[Space Samurai]

Drinking some chiran this evening.

I like caffeine in tea, but when it's important, I reach for coffee for my caffeine fix.

Spent the afternoon riding on the bike, using oldish buildings around the stock yards for practice as I try to get better at my B&W and get the hang of my new polarizer.

[Victoria]

I need my caffeine fix in the morning - I am not a morning person. But like many here I am sensative to it and have to shut it off around 4:00 PM unfortunately or I can't sleep. I really need a nice cup right now in fact. R E A L L Y.

Not as much tea as I would have liked today, some Yunnan Gold and some AliShan and now I really need a cup. Maybe I'll have some hot cider.

I have only experinced qi strongly one time. That was a cup of 70's Vietnamese mao cha.

[Chip]

half is better than nothing I suppose
thank you for your insight and sharing Chip's system

Well, not right before bed. But I try to have some SLT around for the evening. Tonight was unusual, having 3 different later steeps available.

I think for Japanese tea, there is no caffeine left, just sweet tea water. Caffeine is bitter, there is no bitterness at all by the 5th steep, even when brewing with boiling water.

[horsencl]

I picked other because as far as I can tell caffine really doesn't affect me. Sometimes, I'll even drink black tea right before bedtime and I have no issues at all with drifting off. No tea for me today. I really do need to start leaving a tea stash at my boyfriend's house for emergencies like this