How Many Brews Over How Long?

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Oct 21st, '17, 10:50
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How Many Brews Over How Long?

by ljfnord » Oct 21st, '17, 10:50

Please forgive the newbie question, but I'm trying to get the most from a sample of 2005 raw Pu-erh I got from Teavivre. What's the protocol for brewing Pu-erh multiple times? I rinsed it first and have brewed several times over 3 days. Have I used it up, or is there more to it?

Also, for leaves that I didn't finish after the first day, what should I have done with them? Store them in the fridge? Leave them out? I've got them in an IngenuiTEA brewer from Adagio Teas, so does that make any difference?

Sorry if I've asked a redundant question. I really want to learn.

Oct 21st, '17, 11:11
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Re: How Many Brews Over How Long?

by daohaanh1988 » Oct 21st, '17, 11:11

I've never tried a raw puerh. But for my cooked puerh, I can brew up to 10 times with longer and longer steeping time. (20s for the first to 40s for the last) after that, the color and the taste get diluted so clearly that I know it finished.
Maybe you keep brewing for a few times, and decide up to your amount of tea and taste you want.


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Oct 21st, '17, 11:15
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Re: How Many Brews Over How Long?

by ljfnord » Oct 21st, '17, 11:15

daohaanh1988 wrote: I've never tried a raw puerh. But for my cooked puerh, I can brew up to 10 times with longer and longer steeping time. (20s for the first to 40s for the last) after that, the color and the taste get diluted so clearly that I know it finished.
What did you do with the leaves between brews and/or overnight?

Oct 21st, '17, 11:23
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Re: How Many Brews Over How Long?

by daohaanh1988 » Oct 21st, '17, 11:23

No, do not keep the tea leaves overnight. I make my tea in a very small teapot, 120 ml. So I often finish it in 2-3 hours. I only drain all the tea out, open the lid, and let the leaves like that in the pot till the next brewing. However, it doesn't take me so long to finish a pot of tea.


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Oct 21st, '17, 16:31
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Re: How Many Brews Over How Long?

by ljfnord » Oct 21st, '17, 16:31

daohaanh1988 wrote: No, do not keep the tea leaves overnight. I make my tea in a very small teapot, 120 ml. So I often finish it in 2-3 hours. I only drain all the tea out, open the lid, and let the leaves like that in the pot till the next brewing. However, it doesn't take me so long to finish a pot of tea.
I'd have to drink quite a lot of tea, then. The directions that came with my Pu-erh sample say to brew in 12oz. (354ml) water at 212°F for 3 to 5 minutes. Since I'm using the IngenuiTEA as my pot, I drain everything out the bottom, drink the tea, then wait until I can handle another cup. Brewing this way, there's no way I could drink more than about 4 brews in a day.

What would you suggest I do? Go ahead and toss the leaves anyway?

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Re: How Many Brews Over How Long?

by mr mopu » Oct 21st, '17, 20:06

ljfnord wrote:
daohaanh1988 wrote: No, do not keep the tea leaves overnight. I make my tea in a very small teapot, 120 ml. So I often finish it in 2-3 hours. I only drain all the tea out, open the lid, and let the leaves like that in the pot till the next brewing. However, it doesn't take me so long to finish a pot of tea.
I'd have to drink quite a lot of tea, then. The directions that came with my Pu-erh sample say to brew in 12oz. (354ml) water at 212°F for 3 to 5 minutes. Since I'm using the IngenuiTEA as my pot, I drain everything out the bottom, drink the tea, then wait until I can handle another cup. Brewing this way, there's no way I could drink more than about 4 brews in a day.

What would you suggest I do? Go ahead and toss the leaves anyway?
Learn how to brew gong fu with a gaiwan. It will enhance your tea brewing. I normally tilt to drain a tea pot if I plan to reuse the leaf the next day. I have some go 3 days or so. Some people boil the leaves for the last time to get the last cup.

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Oct 21st, '17, 22:58
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Re: How Many Brews Over How Long?

by ljfnord » Oct 21st, '17, 22:58

mr mopu wrote: Learn how to brew gong fu with a gaiwan. It will enhance your tea brewing. I normally tilt to drain a tea pot if I plan to reuse the leaf the next day. I have some go 3 days or so. Some people boil the leaves for the last time to get the last cup.
Here I have a problem. My wife tolerates my tea infatuation as is with the IngenuiTEA. If I were to suggest going gong fu, she would shout check book figures at me until my hearing aid batteries wore out. :lol:

Unfortunately, I'm stuck with Western-style brewing.

Oct 22nd, '17, 01:10
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Re: How Many Brews Over How Long?

by philiplee » Oct 22nd, '17, 01:10

ljfnord wrote:
mr mopu wrote: Learn how to brew gong fu with a gaiwan. It will enhance your tea brewing. I normally tilt to drain a tea pot if I plan to reuse the leaf the next day. I have some go 3 days or so. Some people boil the leaves for the last time to get the last cup.
Here I have a problem. My wife tolerates my tea infatuation as is with the IngenuiTEA. If I were to suggest going gong fu, she would shout check book figures at me until my hearing aid batteries wore out. :lol:

Unfortunately, I'm stuck with Western-style brewing.
If continuing with large teapot brewing and drinking by yourself, I'd suggest one of two methods:
1) use the smallest, best heat-retaining teapot possible and adjust the leaf ratio to suit the pot. this way, you could get close to gaiwan style brewing with small, quicker steeps. You can put the pot in the fridge/cool place and use again the next day (personally recommend a quick hot rinse before restarting).
2) use the grandfather method - use less leaf in a large pot and brew everything out with only one or two long brews. You'd be losing the complexity of tasting different brews, but you'd get a very full-bodied, full-flavoured drink. Be careful to balance the amount of water to leaf ratio - about 1g per 100ml, give or take depending on your preferences.

Another alternative is maybe to take your wife to a hypnotherapist and 'suggest' that she join you in your Puer journey rather than push against it!! :lol:

Oct 22nd, '17, 07:58
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Re: How Many Brews Over How Long?

by daohaanh1988 » Oct 22nd, '17, 07:58

I always brew tea in gongfu style with short steeping for several times. It can go up to 10 times for some kinds of tea (like the cooked Puerh I said and some oolongs), but some green teas like Longjing or sencha, only 2 or maximum 3 times.

I think for western style, because you use very little amount of tea and long brewing time, the tea is only good at 1st brewing. To me, the 2nd brewing has no taste, for most type of tea.

However, I think it depends on your taste to decide which style is better, how long and how many times you can brew your tea. Just try and decide, maybe taste of other is not your favorite.

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Re: How Many Brews Over How Long?

by mr mopu » Oct 22nd, '17, 09:08

ljfnord wrote:
mr mopu wrote: Learn how to brew gong fu with a gaiwan. It will enhance your tea brewing. I normally tilt to drain a tea pot if I plan to reuse the leaf the next day. I have some go 3 days or so. Some people boil the leaves for the last time to get the last cup.
Here I have a problem. My wife tolerates my tea infatuation as is with the IngenuiTEA. If I were to suggest going gong fu, she would shout check book figures at me until my hearing aid batteries wore out. :lol:

Unfortunately, I'm stuck with Western-style brewing.
You could remove the IngenuiTea from the counter and get a small gaiwan with two cups and get your wife hooked to have her drink with you as well. If you want something that you know she will like I may have something. You can normally find me here.
https://steepster.com/discuss/5496-pu-e ... ng-or-shou

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Oct 22nd, '17, 10:33
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Re: How Many Brews Over How Long?

by Psyck » Oct 22nd, '17, 10:33

When brewing western style, use around 2.5g (a full teaspoon of compact tea or a tablespoon of loosely packed tea) for a large mug of tea. Brew for 3 to 5 minutes and you will get one to two brews out of it. You could stretch it to 3 or 4 for some teas if brewing lighter but it is still less than you consume in a day - since you have been brewing for days - your only mistake was in using too much leaf.

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Oct 22nd, '17, 12:48
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Re: How Many Brews Over How Long?

by ljfnord » Oct 22nd, '17, 12:48

Psyck wrote: When brewing western style, use around 2.5g (a full teaspoon of compact tea or a tablespoon of loosely packed tea) for a large mug of tea. Brew for 3 to 5 minutes and you will get one to two brews out of it. You could stretch it to 3 or 4 for some teas if brewing lighter but it is still less than you consume in a day - since you have been brewing for days - your only mistake was in using too much leaf.
So the instructions I got from Teavivre were incorrect, you're saying. Is Teavivre even a reputable vendor in the first place?

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Oct 23rd, '17, 06:33
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Re: How Many Brews Over How Long?

by Psyck » Oct 23rd, '17, 06:33

ljfnord wrote:
Psyck wrote: When brewing western style, use around 2.5g (a full teaspoon of compact tea or a tablespoon of loosely packed tea) for a large mug of tea. Brew for 3 to 5 minutes and you will get one to two brews out of it. You could stretch it to 3 or 4 for some teas if brewing lighter but it is still less than you consume in a day - since you have been brewing for days - your only mistake was in using too much leaf.
So the instructions I got from Teavivre were incorrect, you're saying. Is Teavivre even a reputable vendor in the first place?
The instructions that you posted above as what you got from Teavivre exactly match what I suggested. What is the point of conflict? Teavivre is a known well recognized vendor.

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Oct 23rd, '17, 07:27
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Re: How Many Brews Over How Long?

by TomVerlain » Oct 23rd, '17, 07:27

yixing has the ability to protect leaves that are left in it longer than gaiwan, or plastic. depending on environment - I'd worry about wet leavers in plastic over three days.

You can use smaller amounts of leaf and then smaller amounts of water. No one said it has to be full. Just like amount of leaf, not all tea is alike, so more tea for some brews, less for others. Some tea I like expresso strong with lots of leaves, other, lighter, less leaves.

Drink until you are satisfied. The most expensive tea I drink is about $250 a kilo. Most tea is a small fraction of that. Even if one pot tea cost me $1.50 - I make it 10-15 times, so it is like 10 cents a cup. If it costs you pennies, throw it out when you are done.

At home work days, I can't exhaust my tea each morning so it sits. It may take three days to finish. I normally use gaiwan at home. If I forget it, after a week it is moldy. In yixing, after a week still not moldy. I wouldn't drink it, but at least it is not moldy in yixing.

I like a variety, so normally there is more than one tea sitting. If I am tired of a tea, I throw it out.

I realize you are just starting, but take as golden rule, do what makes you happy. Following directions is a start, but not the end of the journey.

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Oct 23rd, '17, 07:38
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Re: How Many Brews Over How Long?

by ljfnord » Oct 23rd, '17, 07:38

Psyck wrote: The instructions that you posted above as what you got from Teavivre exactly match what I suggested. What is the point of conflict? Teavivre is a known well recognized vendor.
No conflict. Understood. I'm glad I found Teavivre as early as I did, then.

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