Some newbie questions

[Voort]

I was unable to post this under 'Teaday' (which seemed more proper) because it wouldn't let me make a thread.

Some newbie questions...

1) How long does leaf tea stay fresh or 'good to use' in the kitchen shelf? When should one use it by?

2) What is the best way to brew tea? Both with equipment and tea/water preps?

3) Do different teas need different brewing styles? X-style for black tea, Y-style for green tea, etc...

4) What are some good teas to start with in an order from Adagio? I like really strong coffee and I have enjoyed my (Earl Grey, Yorkshire Gold and that) tea strong in the past so...


Sorry for so many questions all at once!

[febs]

First, I'll reply to question #2 and #3 altogether: yes, every tea is different and is brew differently, not only according to the tea itself, but also to one's taste. Search the forum for tips for the various kinds of teas.

Question #1 is a consequence: it depends very much by the tea. Black can be conserved for maybe one year if stocked properly (close it!), green is more delicate. It is not going to become BAD, but it will lose plenty of its flavor.

#4 definitely go with black teas rather than green or whites. For what matters strength, as a rule of thumb, the warmer the water and the longer the steeping time, the stronger. Watch out not to exaggerate anyhow or it'll become too "tannic" thus barely drinkable (unless you're one of those that loves bitter tea).

I will sum everything up with probably the most frequent advice here: experiment, and find out what fits best for you. Enjoy!

[JRS22]

The answers to your set of questions could fill a book OR the archives of Teachat. Since it's not so long ago that I was a beginner I have the following suggestions. Buy an Infuser mug, like the glass mug with Infuser basket that Adagio sells, as well as a sample set of teas in your current favorite category. I've accumulated a lot of teaware in the last few years, but I still find my Infuser mug to be useful.

Then read Teachat postings in that category, and branch out from there. There are no simple answers to your questions, but there are lots of discussions. As for a book, if that's the direction you prefer, I like the book The Harney and Sons Guide to Tea, because of the way it focusses on tea tastings and comparisons.

[FineTeaUK]

1) How long does leaf tea stay fresh or 'good to use' in the kitchen shelf? When should one use it by?

Depends on the type of tea. Black tea stored on a shelf is good for at least a year and probably two. You can store green and oolong tea in the fridge to extend life but this is a bit of a minefield as if you constantly keep taking it in and out of the fridge you can get condensation problems causing oxidisation and actually reduce the shelf life. Best to keep a large quantity in the fridge, and take out 50-100g for out of the fridge shelf storage and keep dipping into that for daily use.

2) What is the best way to brew tea? Both with equipment and tea/water preps?
3) Do different teas need different brewing styles? X-style for black tea, Y-style for green tea, etc...

This is all down to personal preference. For convenience or ease then use a large basket teapot, or a diffuser mug (especially useful at work). You can use one of those for most teas. For the connoisseur then you'll probably want to use a gaiwan for green, flower infusion and white teas, and a chinese clay teapot (Yixing teapot) for oolong and pu erh teas. Clay teapots use a large amount of leaf and short infusion times. Each tea will have it's own brewing instructions and you can easily ruin tea by brewing too hot, or loose the top taste notes if you brew too cold. Black and oolong teas tend to be 90C-boiling, green and white teas much cooler varying from 60-80C. Get an tea thermometer if it helps. Mineral/spring water is preferable in my opinion.

4) What are some good teas to start with in an order from Adagio? I like really strong coffee and I have enjoyed my (Earl Grey, Yorkshire Gold and that) tea strong in the past so...

If you like strong tasting tea then you will probably find a lot of white and green teas lackig taste. Stick to black and oolong teas. Darjeeling from India, or Keemun from China are good black teas to start with. Dahongpao family teas are oolongs which are strong in taste, tieguanyin is oolong and more subtle but one of the most popular teas in China.

[Voort]

Wow! Thanks all for your replys

So I read that you can re-steep teas too. If one was about the house and did a steep in the morning, what do you do with the wet leaves now? Can wet leaves stay out in the air till your done with them (seems like 4-5 steeps later) or will this affect taste and so need to be put away in a container?

Thank you again!

[FineTeaUK]

Wow! Thanks all for your replys

So I read that you can re-steep teas too. If one was about the house and did a steep in the morning, what do you do with the wet leaves now? Can wet leaves stay out in the air till your done with them (seems like 4-5 steeps later) or will this affect taste and so need to be put away in a container?

Thank you again!

Don't worry about it too much. As long as you brew the tea, and drain all the water off the leaves into your cup, then you can just reuse them at your leisure all day. It's not unheard of for me to leave them overnight and make myself a cup again in the morning with the same leaf. Be guided by your taste. You can tell when the leaf has "had it" so to speak!

Most teas you can get at least 3 infusiuons (steeps) out of, but can get many more on more fermented teas (oolong, black and pu erh). I've had 10 infusions or more on some pu erh tea.

[iannon]

Wow! Thanks all for your replys

So I read that you can re-steep teas too. If one was about the house and did a steep in the morning, what do you do with the wet leaves now? Can wet leaves stay out in the air till your done with them (seems like 4-5 steeps later) or will this affect taste and so need to be put away in a container?

Thank you again!

Don't worry about it too much. As long as you brew the tea, and drain all the water off the leaves into your cup, then you can just reuse them at your leisure all day. It's not unheard of for me to leave them overnight and make myself a cup again in the morning with the same leaf. Be guided by your taste. You can tell when the leaf has "had it" so to speak!

Most teas you can get at least 3 infusiuons (steeps) out of, but can get many more on more fermented teas (oolong, black and pu erh). I've had 10 infusions or more on some pu erh tea.

Some oolongs even outlast me Especially a good Yancha ( wuyi Oolons like DHP and SX and such)..Puerhs definately can. and of course they can be stored for YEARS ..many/most are intentionally aged. (Pu that is)

[Voort]

So I'm back from shopping!!

I got a single cup strainer, a box of 6 Bodum double-walled cups, a thermometer and some loose leaf tea from the local tea shop! Phew!

I got a package of Irish Breakfast and a Kenilworth Cylon.