Box in Hand!
Hello, my name is Angie and I just opened up my first order from Adagio. My husband and i have recently made several healthy lifestyle changes and added loose leaf tea as our beverage of choice. We found the Adagio website and knew we were onto something great! I am also fairly new to chat and would welcome any advice as to where i can ask a quick question from time to time. I have browsed the chat topics and so far have not found the answer to my questions: 1.) in the 1 tsp. to 1 cup ratio, are they talking 8 oz. cup or tea cup? 2.) what is meant by 2 - 3 infusions? Can't wait to brew my first pot!
Feb 4th, '10, 16:55
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Proinsias
Re: Box in Hand!
Hi and welcome willandang.
By 2-3 infusion they mean you can brew the same leaves 2 or 3 times. I'm not too sure about ratio's of leaf to water but I'm sure someone will be along shortly to help you with that.
Hope you enjoy your first pot
By 2-3 infusion they mean you can brew the same leaves 2 or 3 times. I'm not too sure about ratio's of leaf to water but I'm sure someone will be along shortly to help you with that.
Hope you enjoy your first pot
Re: Box in Hand!
Probably the best place for general questions like that would be under "Other Tea".. but it depends on the subject of the question - if it's about a specific kind of tea, go to that particular thread and start a new topic.
But to briefly answer your questions,
1) I can't properly answer this, as I don't usually measure... anything. I cook so much I have a feel for ratios, and I just trial-and-error until I find what works for me. I'll leave this for others to answer.
2) if you have an infuser that you're using with, say, a mug, then you can use the same leaves multiple times - so the first infusion would be when the leaves are dry and you first steep the tea. Most teas you can get at least 2 infusions out of (some blacks are picky and will only infuse well once, and some oolongs/darjeelings/whites/puerh/etc can go up to 5, 8 or more infusions).
Not as brief as I'd intended, but there's my answer, for what it's worth. Hopefully some other folks will weigh in as well.
Enjoy your shipment, and welcome to TeaChat!!
But to briefly answer your questions,
1) I can't properly answer this, as I don't usually measure... anything. I cook so much I have a feel for ratios, and I just trial-and-error until I find what works for me. I'll leave this for others to answer.
2) if you have an infuser that you're using with, say, a mug, then you can use the same leaves multiple times - so the first infusion would be when the leaves are dry and you first steep the tea. Most teas you can get at least 2 infusions out of (some blacks are picky and will only infuse well once, and some oolongs/darjeelings/whites/puerh/etc can go up to 5, 8 or more infusions).
Not as brief as I'd intended, but there's my answer, for what it's worth. Hopefully some other folks will weigh in as well.
Enjoy your shipment, and welcome to TeaChat!!
Feb 4th, '10, 16:59
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bsteele
Re: Box in Hand!
(Dang, I take a long time to type... beaten to the draw by LauraW and Proinsias 
)
Welcome to TeaChat!
About your questions:
1) I typically use about 6oz of water with a rounded teaspoon of tea... but you'll find that there aren't really any steadfast rules for tea (well... maybe a few
). But really, it's all about finding what you like. It's awesome!
So as a starting point, use 1 tsp of leaf in 6oz of water. Then adjust from there. I typically find Adagio's recommended brewing times to be the maximum steeping time. If it says 5 minutes, try 3, taste it and go from there. Sometimes, I'll add 2 tsp of leaf and steep for a shorter amount of time. Try experimenting this way too, you'll find that it draws different flavors out of the tea.
Of course, experimenting was one of the more difficult things for me to do when I was first starting out-- I didn't want to use up all my tea so fast!
2) 2-3 infusions means you can re-steep 2-3 times (again, not really a set rule)-- it all depends on your taste. So after you are done with your first cup, add more water and steep for a little bit longer than the first time.
Cheers!
)Welcome to TeaChat!
About your questions:
1) I typically use about 6oz of water with a rounded teaspoon of tea... but you'll find that there aren't really any steadfast rules for tea (well... maybe a few
). But really, it's all about finding what you like. It's awesome!So as a starting point, use 1 tsp of leaf in 6oz of water. Then adjust from there. I typically find Adagio's recommended brewing times to be the maximum steeping time. If it says 5 minutes, try 3, taste it and go from there. Sometimes, I'll add 2 tsp of leaf and steep for a shorter amount of time. Try experimenting this way too, you'll find that it draws different flavors out of the tea.
Of course, experimenting was one of the more difficult things for me to do when I was first starting out-- I didn't want to use up all my tea so fast!
2) 2-3 infusions means you can re-steep 2-3 times (again, not really a set rule)-- it all depends on your taste. So after you are done with your first cup, add more water and steep for a little bit longer than the first time.
Cheers!
Re: Box in Hand!
Just to add to what's already been said... remember that teaspoon measures can really vary quite a bit with loose leaf teas, depending on the character of the individual tea you are brewing. Some teas are very light, fluffy, bulky, take up lots of space... so 1 tsp of a fluffy tea is nowhere close to 1 tsp of a broken leaf, more dense, more dried and oxidized, and generally more compact. If you weigh 1 tsp of, lets say, an English Breakfast tea with small compact and perhaps broken or cut leaves, it's going to weigh much more than a light and fluffy silver needle. As a example, I thought Silver Needle tasted like hot water the first few times I brewed it... because I wasn't using nearly enough leaf. After I got some education here... I tried again, and was like WOW! It's good!
Now, that doesn't mean you have to use a scale, although some people do. It just means to take the nature of your leaf into cosideration when deciding the approximate amount to use... and then with trial and error and experience, most people learn to estimate and eye-ball how much leaf to use for their desired brew strength.
Hope that helps... and welcome to TeaChat!
Sarah
Now, that doesn't mean you have to use a scale, although some people do. It just means to take the nature of your leaf into cosideration when deciding the approximate amount to use... and then with trial and error and experience, most people learn to estimate and eye-ball how much leaf to use for their desired brew strength.
Hope that helps... and welcome to TeaChat!
Sarah
Feb 6th, '10, 00:04
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Re: Box in Hand!
willandang, welcome to TeaChat. I am looking forward to seeing you around the forum.
What's in your cup?
What's in your cup?
Feb 7th, '10, 19:03
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Re: Box in Hand!
Welcome to the 'chat!
You'll find out here that "maybe", "sort of" and "depends on how you like it" are pretty good answers to almost any tea question...the good news it that means there are no "wrong" answers!!!
Have fun!
Dreamer
P.S. Congrats on deciding to live a healthier lifestyle! Gotta take care of your body...on this planet there isn't anywhere else for you to live!
You'll find out here that "maybe", "sort of" and "depends on how you like it" are pretty good answers to almost any tea question...the good news it that means there are no "wrong" answers!!!
Have fun!
Dreamer
P.S. Congrats on deciding to live a healthier lifestyle! Gotta take care of your body...on this planet there isn't anywhere else for you to live!
Feb 15th, '10, 00:01
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