1/3/12 Steep Away! How many STEEPS for your FAVORITE tea?

[Chip]

January 3 sounds like it will be a Great TeaDay!!!

Share your tea with everyone on TC today. It is exciting to see what everyone is drinking. One reason is because none of us can possibly drink every tea we want to. So it is exciting to see someone enjoying something we want to try ... or maybe tried and loved a while ago.

Today's poll question and TeaDay topic is how many times do you steep your leaves? As I recall, a similar topic created a rather fun and lively discussion previously on TC, so let's see how lively the crowd is today. Feel free to comment as you share your tea with us. I know I will definately be drinking my favorite tea today... Bottoms UP!

Have a Great TeaDay everyone!!!

[JRS22]

I voted more than 5, but that's probably an average of greens and yancha. Since my favorite tea is often the one I'm drinking, the 4th infusion will likely be the last one today. It's a houjicha from Xell and those don't usually last for more than 2 infusions for me.

[AdamMY]

I was really torn between five and more than five, for my favorite tea to drink on a regular basis (i.e. not counting the super special stuff). Honestly it depends on how much time I have to drink the tea. The nice thing about Balhyocha is if you are patient you can milk it for quite a few infusions, so while 5 is a good session, and you get most of it out of the tea, but if you really work the tea you can drink the tea for an entire afternoon well into the evening.

[debunix]

I voted more than 10, because I rarely give up at fewer than that for my best oolongs, but it's a tossup between more than 10, and more than 15, because my favorite young sheng puerhs demand so many flash infusions for my bitter-phobic palate that I'm often up to a dozen before I actually start letting it steep a bit before pouring.

Today, I started with several more infusions of day 3 of a sample of Lao Ban Pen (2010 or 2011, can't remember) from Norbu, a very nice sheng that was probably up to 20 infusions already.

Then there was an interlude with some very nice Winter Ali Shan oolong, also from Norbu, that was infused probably 7 or 8 times along, but those were high volume/long steeps to prepare a thermos full of tea. As I usually brew for immediate drinking, that would have been 12-15 infusions at least.

Another half dozen infusions of the Lao Ban Pen (home for dinner), and now drinking a white tea from Norbu to get me through a bit more paperwork at the office, and this will probably only go 4-5 infusions.

I stop sooner on white teas because they often go to an unpleasant place between the last tasty infusion and sweetwater, unlike most oolongs, puerhs, and many greens.

[amaranto]

Since I don't have one favorite tea, I kind of averaged out how many steeps I get out of the few I consider favorites. I drink teas from everywhere, and my Chinese teas seem to hold up longer than the Japanese greens, so I settled on five as the magic number. I get at least eight steeps out of my favorite oolongs and over five from my favorite Chinese whites.

[GreenwoodStudio]

I say 10 or more for me these days. Been on a bit of a young raw pu kick lately and enjoying working the leaves throughout the day. Small infusions with a lot of leaf. The tea almost always beats me in terms of longevity and I'm sure I could get more out or a session if only I had the patience or a tea that was so good it held my interest longer.

[dshu]

Sencha has been my favorite by far lately. Always go 4 steeps. I rarely try to take it further.

[Tadpole]

My favorite gaoshancha's can give 4-6 infusions in a gaiwan or tiny teapot. On lazy mug-brewing days, I'll top off with more hot water a couple times after initial steeping.

The purist is a pure hypocrite...I received a tin of Peet's Winter Solstice tea for Christmas, and I have been enjoying it almost daily this week. Peet's website says it contains black teas from Yunnan, Darjeeling, and Ceylon, and is spiced with cinnamon, allspice, cloves, citrus, and vanilla.

[Lerxst2112]

Have been hitting up two of my favourite Oolongs pretty hard: the 2012 charcoal roasted Shengtai from Norbu, and the 2012 Song Po from HouDe.

Both can and are taken to about 6 or 7, but honestly have pushed both to 10. The husband and I sat yapping away one night, and lost count somewhere around 8. Only reason I stopped was because I ran out of water.

[Kathy Marie]

Well, I'm drinking basically sencha these days and I've been steeping twice. Looks like I may need to rethink that policy in light of the poll results!

[victoria3]

I am brewing senchas, sin-chas & gyokuros these days. The higher the grade the more rounds of steeps it can carry. For my everyday sencha 3X, sin-chas 4X, and gyokuros +5X steeps....