Optimal Steep Time on Blends?

[Grok]

Hi all,

I'm fairly new convert from coffee to loose leaf tea but very enthusiastic about it. I have a couple of questions regarding steep times/temps when you blend teas.

If for example, tea A has a recommended steep temp of 180 at 3 minutes and tea B has a steep temp of 210 at 5 minutes. Do you average them out? (195 degrees for 4 minutes) If so, does it apply in the same way no matter how many teas I add into the blend?

Second question, I have a source of hot water that I know the temp of at work. (195 degrees) Should I let it brew longer for those teas that it's not hot enough for and shorter for those that the water is too hot for? (no microwave) If so, by how much?

Any and all info is greatly appreciated.

Grok

[kymidwife]

Hi Grok and welcome to TeaChat!

I make a fair number of custom blends with Adagio. I learned the hard way in my early days, that you can't always successfully blend teas together if they have very different brewing parameters. You can end up with a blended mess, bitter and unbalanced on the flavors. That doesn't mean it can't be done... just that you have to experiment and see what works. My best blends have all been well-tested at home before they are submitted. And in my experience, the flavor comes out best if you use parameters similar to what's best suited for your most delicate tea... so go with the cooler temp and the shorter brewing time first..and if that doesn't work, adjust as needed.

I do wish the signature blends had an extra label on the tins with brewing suggestions from the creator of the blend, and list of the teas used in the blend.

Sarah