Hey, my starter kit (Green tea) finally arrived yesterday, all the way from America! to my house in Wales (UK).
I've made a fair few brews so far, they all ended up tasting completely different so seems I need to get my skill sorted :p.
I have some questions though:
1. I have the InginuTEA infuser, and not entirely sure how much loose leaf tea to put in, at the moment I fill the metal cap of the taster tea tin then put it in. And fill the infuser to just below the text on the outside.
So if anyone has the inginuTEA could you please tell me how much you put in. (I use a coffee mug aswell as I have yet to get a tea mug.)
2. Is there a limit between how long you can steep the same tea leaves? At the moment I've just been using the tea leaves once then throwing them away but I've noticed a few youtube videos saying you can use them a few times.
Would it be fine to make tea, then using the same leaves about 3 hours later make another cup?
Anyway, hope I can get involved with the Tea Chat forums and a big thank you to Adagio for the free Taurus tea sampler and the prompt international delivery speed.
Hello and welcome from a fellow Brit!
Multiple steeps with greens is where it's at, often I find the second or third steep to be even better than the first!
I don't have the Adadgio infuser so I can't help you with that I'm afriad. With Chinese greens I usually go with 3.5g-4g per 160ml of water at 80 degrees C for 2 mins for a starting point. Oh and you should be fine leaving your leaves for a little while, don't leave them too long however or oxidization will begin to happen.
Jack
Multiple steeps with greens is where it's at, often I find the second or third steep to be even better than the first!
I don't have the Adadgio infuser so I can't help you with that I'm afriad. With Chinese greens I usually go with 3.5g-4g per 160ml of water at 80 degrees C for 2 mins for a starting point. Oh and you should be fine leaving your leaves for a little while, don't leave them too long however or oxidization will begin to happen.
Jack
Hi fellow IngenuiTEA user. I like my tea strong, so not everyone would agree with my method of brewing tea, but you may want to try it.
With green tea, I cover the bottom of the filter (in the IngenuiTEA) with a thin layer of tea. It works out to just over a teaspoon I think. Add hot water and pray that the filter won't float up (if it does, I was told to gently scratch the side of the filter with a knife and it should help it stay in place). I then have to wait until it's a nice golden colour (or greenish depending on which green tea you're drinking) about 3 minutes but when in doubt, I pour a little in a cup and taste. I don't like it too bitter, and the only types of Adagio teas that I like strong are Jasmine pearls #12 and genmai, so for these I don't particularly care how long it sits in the infuser.
I don't tend to reuse green tea leaves as the flavour is too weak the second time around, but sometimes I get lazy and simply add a full teaspoon of tea leaves to the wet ones for my second cup.
With herbal and black teas, I also cover the bottom of the filter (just over a teaspoon). I then add boiling water and wait until I'm happy with the colour. So for my first cup of Earl Grey in the morning, it's pretty darn dark. Then, when I want a second cup, I add about half a teaspoon of "new" tea to my wet tea leaves still in the infuser. That way, I reuse by tea but it's not as weak as the second brew would normally be (and my stash of tea lasts longer without losing too much flavor).
That's just my way of doing it, so like I said, may not be the perfect way to enjoy tea but I like it that way.
With green tea, I cover the bottom of the filter (in the IngenuiTEA) with a thin layer of tea. It works out to just over a teaspoon I think. Add hot water and pray that the filter won't float up (if it does, I was told to gently scratch the side of the filter with a knife and it should help it stay in place). I then have to wait until it's a nice golden colour (or greenish depending on which green tea you're drinking) about 3 minutes but when in doubt, I pour a little in a cup and taste. I don't like it too bitter, and the only types of Adagio teas that I like strong are Jasmine pearls #12 and genmai, so for these I don't particularly care how long it sits in the infuser.
I don't tend to reuse green tea leaves as the flavour is too weak the second time around, but sometimes I get lazy and simply add a full teaspoon of tea leaves to the wet ones for my second cup.
With herbal and black teas, I also cover the bottom of the filter (just over a teaspoon). I then add boiling water and wait until I'm happy with the colour. So for my first cup of Earl Grey in the morning, it's pretty darn dark. Then, when I want a second cup, I add about half a teaspoon of "new" tea to my wet tea leaves still in the infuser. That way, I reuse by tea but it's not as weak as the second brew would normally be (and my stash of tea lasts longer without losing too much flavor).
That's just my way of doing it, so like I said, may not be the perfect way to enjoy tea but I like it that way.
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