Please forgive me if this has been answered somewhere before, but...How long is it acceptable to leave the leaves in your brewing vessel between infusions? I recall reading somewhere that it is "not recommended" to allow the leaves to sit for extended periods of time, but that was referring to oolong teas in a gaiwan, I believe.
So, is it ALSO dependant on vessel type and/or tea type? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
-Ian
My September 2007 Between the Leaves article might answer some of your questions. (Sorry about the shameless self-promotion, all.)
I'm embarrassed to admit that when I brew with my Zarafina, I'll often keep whatever leaves I'm using in there for the better part of a day and keep resteeping them...even when they're clearly gone. The machine is just such a pain to clean compared to sweeping out a gaiwan. But I wouldn't keep any leaves around past a daylight-day (12 hrs), less than that if the leaves are uncovered.
I'm embarrassed to admit that when I brew with my Zarafina, I'll often keep whatever leaves I'm using in there for the better part of a day and keep resteeping them...even when they're clearly gone. The machine is just such a pain to clean compared to sweeping out a gaiwan. But I wouldn't keep any leaves around past a daylight-day (12 hrs), less than that if the leaves are uncovered.
Oct 26th, '07, 11:27
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Space Samurai
Oct 26th, '07, 15:14
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scruffmcgruff
Sencha doesn't seem to keep well like that-- the leaves turn brown relatively quickly. I've been known to leave oolongs out for several hours though, and find that some still have a fair amount of potency.
Tea Nerd - www.teanerd.com
Hey all, thanks for all the info. So far, in the few months that i have been drinking loose leaf teas daily and trying out different methods and such...the longest I have let the leaves sit in their brewing vessel between infusions is about 2 hours. And I've done that with about all of my teas (whites, oolongs, sencha, etc.). What I've noticed personally is that the tea definitely LOOKS darker in the cup than if it were steeped in an immediate succession of infusions. As far as taste, I'm not qualified to even say..but it seems fine.....maybe the sencha gets a little more bitter but that could be the temperature and duration that I've been steeping at.
my main concern and impetus for asking this question was a health one, i would be worried if i'm cultivating mold in my brewing vessels!
-Ian
my main concern and impetus for asking this question was a health one, i would be worried if i'm cultivating mold in my brewing vessels!
-Ian
I probably just said something...how do you say.....hmmm, what's the opposite of "groundbreaking"?
Heh, that's my worry as well, and is why I don't steep my leaves after they've been cool for half an hour. But, if you're using boiling water, then that should take care of any life growing on your tea leaves.Ian wrote: my main concern and impetus for asking this question was a health one, i would be worried if i'm cultivating mold in my brewing vessels!
Oct 26th, '07, 22:13
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Space Samurai
Boiling water does a nice job at sanitizing, but it doesn't exactly make things sterile. You've got to go well beyond boiling temperatures for that.
So there will likely be some sort of prokaryotic life on the leaves even after a soak in hot water...but you probably won't get sick from it. Immune systems are a many splendored thing.
So there will likely be some sort of prokaryotic life on the leaves even after a soak in hot water...but you probably won't get sick from it. Immune systems are a many splendored thing.
Microorganisms
The immune system actually needs something to work on to stay in fighting shape, so a few innocent germs or spores from tea leaves shouldn't be any problem.
The current growth in allergies and asthma in kids is to a large part due to the fact that kids today grow up in highly sanitized environments, so that their immune systems simply are not powerful enough/tuned to handle unknown microorganisms or microscopic particles. It's a "use it or lose it" kinda deal
The current growth in allergies and asthma in kids is to a large part due to the fact that kids today grow up in highly sanitized environments, so that their immune systems simply are not powerful enough/tuned to handle unknown microorganisms or microscopic particles. It's a "use it or lose it" kinda deal
True that. A little bit of dirt is very necessary.
While we're sort of on the subject, one of my best friends currently attending NEOUCOM recently sent me the following slide from her med school lecture on appropriate antibiotic usages. I adore it.
HISTORY OF ANTIMICROBIAL THERAPY
2000 B.C. – Here, eat this root
1000 A.D. – That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.
1850 A.D. – That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.
1920 A.D. – That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.
1945 A.D. – That pill is ineffective. Here, take this penicillin.
1955 A.D. – Oops....bugs mutated. Here, take this tetracycline.
1960-1999 – 39 more "oops" Here, take this more powerful antibiotic.
2000 A.D. – The bugs have won! Here, eat this root
While we're sort of on the subject, one of my best friends currently attending NEOUCOM recently sent me the following slide from her med school lecture on appropriate antibiotic usages. I adore it.
HISTORY OF ANTIMICROBIAL THERAPY
2000 B.C. – Here, eat this root
1000 A.D. – That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.
1850 A.D. – That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.
1920 A.D. – That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.
1945 A.D. – That pill is ineffective. Here, take this penicillin.
1955 A.D. – Oops....bugs mutated. Here, take this tetracycline.
1960-1999 – 39 more "oops" Here, take this more powerful antibiotic.
2000 A.D. – The bugs have won! Here, eat this root
