Okay, I brewed some of the Raspberry Black tea like the package said, 1 teaspoon in 1 cup (8 ounces) of water at 212 degrees for 3 minutes, I also put in a 1/2 teapsoon of sugar..for the most part it was pretty weak, I got a decent after taste of raspberries, but not what I would like.
I gave it a second brew, but used 6 ounces and steeped for 6 minutes, came out a little better..this was also with the same leaves from the first steeping.
My question is what should I increase/decrease to get the most bang for my buck and keep up the potential of more brews? Should I use a little less water, like 6 ounces per teaspoon, should I brew it longer or should I use a little more teaspoons per 8 ounces? Or a combo of both?
Also I poured the water on the tea leaves, does that make a difference?
Jun 21st, '12, 21:48
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Re: Weak tea, tips to improve?
More tea per unit water. For me, the easiest way to do that is to increase the quantity of tea, because I generally pour in as much water as the brewing vessel will hold and forget I intended to stop at half or three-quarters full.ACardAttack wrote:what should I increase/decrease to get the most bang for my buck and keep up the potential of more brews?
Re: Weak tea, tips to improve?
When tea is bland or not as strong as I like, usually I first ask the question of whether the cup has any unpleasant qualities (like too much bitterness or astringency). If the answer is no, then I usually up the steeping time, unless it's already long (6 minutes is pretty long for a black tea), and then I would use more leaf.
If the answer is yes (unpleasant characteristics, but also bland), then I shorten the steeping time but add more leaf.
If it still comes out bland after fidgeting, or if I can't get it strong enough for my tastes without introducing unpleasant qualities, then I assume the problem is the tea, and I go get some higher-quality tea.
I hope you find this helpful!
If the answer is yes (unpleasant characteristics, but also bland), then I shorten the steeping time but add more leaf.
If it still comes out bland after fidgeting, or if I can't get it strong enough for my tastes without introducing unpleasant qualities, then I assume the problem is the tea, and I go get some higher-quality tea.
I hope you find this helpful!