Thursday TeaDay 4/8/10 X Steepings?

[Chip]

Hello and welcome to TeaDay. I hope you will drop in and share what is in your cup throughout the day. Remember to check out what everyone else is sipping as well.

Yesterday we discussed TC/TA Sos. You can still vote and discuss yesterday's topic.

Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic. Previously, Crafty Mom posted a good topic for TeaDay. "How many steepings of a quality tea would you be able to do before the tea loses its flavor? I know this would probably vary on the type of tea used, but just a ballpark." Please share.

I am looking forward to multiple steepings with everyone today! Bottoms up.

[Geekgirl]

Impossible to answer because there are so many variables, from tea type to brewing style to leaf/water ratio... I have quality DJ that I'll steep once, and puerh that I can steep until I just give up - a dozen or more.

[omegapd]

Since I mostly drink black teas and enjoy them "English style", I'll say two.

[debunix]

This is an impossible question to answer with just one vote.

If I push a black tea hard with low leaf-to-water ratio and long steep, I'd only expect one infusion. Is that a lower quality tea than the Tie Guan Yin I'm still adoring on about the 12th infusion, or a puerh that does 20, or a Phoenix Dan Cong that gives 30 short infusions?

I expect a quality tea to give me at least average for that class of tea and infusion technique, and enjoy occasionally pushing a really good tea as far as it will go. But I'm as happy with four infusions of a nice sencha as I am with six or eight for a wuyi oolong.

So, can't pick just one number.

[entropyembrace]

8 is about the most I can get with my current teaware...I just don´t have a pot small enough to push any teas through more infusions than that in a day and I don´t like re-infusing leaves after they´ve sat overnight. With my smallest pot 8 infusions of tea is what I can drink in a day.

[Seeker]

I voted 3 because I think a tea should be able to offer a minimum of at least that many quality infusions - if it doesn't, I tend to hold that against it.

Other than that, I must agree with Geek - practically impossible to answer generally. Each tea can be so different - I've gotten 14 infusions from a good puerh.

Also - since this is so subjective - perhaps we could all answer this way...
How many do each of us typically coax out of a tea on average, all things taken equally. I come back to... 3.

(tho, I'm sure some of us take any/all/every tea to the 'water-with-slight-color-and-hint-of-flavor' stage; I almost never to this. As soon as the 'quality' infusions dissipate, I'm done with a session).

Cheers.
Sippin a 3rd infusion of Ancient Moonlight White - mmmmm.

[dooble]

A good quality tea I steep for three times. That's usually enough to quinch my thirst for that tea anyway.

Today is hanamatsuri isn't it? So some amacha, and a bath for my buddha, matcha, Gua Pian and Dong Ding. A tea feast, in other words!

[Aphroditea]

As has already been pointed out (but, I'll say it anyway), this was a very tricky question to answer because there are so many factors. The type of tea, the way you are steeping it, the size of the vessel in which you are steeping, etc....

But, if I figure sitting down with my best quality tea and that I am steeping it by the gong fu method with one of my smaller pots, then I get 8-10.

A good quality black, western steeped straight into my cup - 2.

Cheers all!

[Trey Winston]

I would say about four. That's the maximum number of steeps I normally subject a tea to.

Currently on the second steep of a lovely Silver Needle.

[artmom]

Two was my answer -- as I usually drink blacks or oolongs. Haven't learned to like green enough to try more than one steep! Haven't tried a pu erh yet, though. White I usually do 2 also.

None yet this morning. I did get my tea organized a bit better yesterday. Will finish up today.

[geeber1]

Mostly blacks and oolongs, western style, so I will say mostly 2 to sometimes 3. Like everyone says, it depends on the quality of the leaf!

Grand Qimen from Tao of Tea this morning - a good, strong, wake me up cup!

[Victoria]

As several have noted - it depends on the tea and the style of brewing.

2010 Phuhuri Estate Darjeeling in my cup this morning.

[artmom]

As it is rainy, dark, and gloomy here this morning (after record heat for two days) I thought I'd treat myself to some Mariage Freres Marco Polo! Usually, I save it for my four o'clock "cuppa," but it worked for my "elevenses" today!

[rabbit]

Depending on the tea you can get quite a few steeps out of it, but I'm too poor to afford those teas, so my limit is usually around 3 ^_^

[mbishop]

3, but I usually only do 2. I typically make a ~5oz cup for one infusion, so I don't need more than 2 cups. On occasion though, I do 3 infusions, especially with something suited to more infusions, like kukicha.

Started off the day with Otsuusan from O-Cha, and did 3 infusions.