Dolly, if the tea remains in the cup, won't the leaves oversteep? Please explain as they look interesting.
Samovar
It depends on the type of tea, actually. Some green teas get a bit bitter if over-steeped. They are solving that problem, though. If you look at the homepage on that site, they have a new cup arriving this month, which has a small infusion section that you can detach after brewing and attach to the bottom of the cup so that you can use them for a second infusion. I'm getting one as soon as they are in stock!!
I like to use the filter cups that I already have for black, oolong, and cooked pu-erh teas, as I like my tea strong, and they don't tend to get bitter if over-steeped.
I like to use the filter cups that I already have for black, oolong, and cooked pu-erh teas, as I like my tea strong, and they don't tend to get bitter if over-steeped.
Visit my blog where I review various tea products http://www.destinationfitnessblog.com
2 Cents Worth
I drink several large pots a day at my office, and have 3 ideas for you to try.
#1: a general rule for testing tea is to use 3 grams of tea / 150 cc of water and steep for 10 minutes. If you keep close to this ratio, good quality loose teas won't go bitter on you if you over-steep them. This means you don't need to worry about the timer. Depending on your mug, by the time the tea cools to 'drinking temperature' you're probably close to 10 minutes anyway. I can usually refill my mug 3 times before changing leaves and starting over. I have left a mug of tea sitting overnight, and enjoyed it cool the next morning (our summers are very hot here!).
#2: prepare your tea at home and fill a large thermos before you leave the house. You'll have hot tea all day long.
(provided you remember to take the thermos with you, of course!)
#3: I also have a large glass teapot with a strainer basket. I brew my tea in that (usually aged bao jong or a medium-roast oolong), then transfer it to the thermos in suggestion #2. Don't overdo on the amount of tea leaves - less is generally better than more, and most american tea drinkers waste loose tea by putting too much in their pot. I don't know if you can get the kind of large pot I'm talking about where you are, but look around.
I hope that helps.
#1: a general rule for testing tea is to use 3 grams of tea / 150 cc of water and steep for 10 minutes. If you keep close to this ratio, good quality loose teas won't go bitter on you if you over-steep them. This means you don't need to worry about the timer. Depending on your mug, by the time the tea cools to 'drinking temperature' you're probably close to 10 minutes anyway. I can usually refill my mug 3 times before changing leaves and starting over. I have left a mug of tea sitting overnight, and enjoyed it cool the next morning (our summers are very hot here!).
#2: prepare your tea at home and fill a large thermos before you leave the house. You'll have hot tea all day long.
(provided you remember to take the thermos with you, of course!)
#3: I also have a large glass teapot with a strainer basket. I brew my tea in that (usually aged bao jong or a medium-roast oolong), then transfer it to the thermos in suggestion #2. Don't overdo on the amount of tea leaves - less is generally better than more, and most american tea drinkers waste loose tea by putting too much in their pot. I don't know if you can get the kind of large pot I'm talking about where you are, but look around.
I hope that helps.
"The meaning of life can be found in a good cup of tea."
Check out more Taiwan tea stories (with photos) at taiwanteaguy.com
Check out more Taiwan tea stories (with photos) at taiwanteaguy.com
This may be a dumb question, but how do you keep the leaves from over-steeping in something like this? Won't the tea get bitter if you leave it in?Dolly wrote:You may want to try what I use. It's a double walled-glass (they also sell plastic ones) cup with a mesh filter in the top. It keeps the tea leaves in the cup while you drink your tea. Worth their weight in gold!!
I could be wrong, but I think these things work best if you're accustomed to the "Grandpa" method of brewing that MarshalN once explained.
Yes, it is pretty much like the grandpa method. Except that my cup has a filter in it. I like it this way, because I am often too busy to wait for my tea to brew. So, the cup that I have just goes along with me.....fits nicely in my car's cupholder also.
Visit my blog where I review various tea products http://www.destinationfitnessblog.com
