I've been trying to drink more green tea (3 cups a day), and I was wondering what your thoughts are about reusing tea bags? I did a google search, and I read it's okay to brew the bag 3 or 4 times. Do any of you know if it's still healthy?
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I've been trying to drink more green tea (3 cups a day), and I was wondering what your thoughts are about reusing tea bags? I did a google search, and I read it's okay to brew the bag 3 or 4 times. Do any of you know if it's still healthy?
I mostly use loose-leaf tea - but I think the same would apply. For greens, oolongs, pu ehrs and whites, I re-steep. How many times depends on the tea (some greens are good for 2, some oolongs for 6). I don't know if the anti-oxidant load is as high in subsequent cups, but the flavors often develop nicely (particularly with good oolongs or pu ehr's). I certainly haven't had any problems from doing so.Quote:
Originally Posted by redrhodie
I love tea, most of the time it is loose-leaf tea that I will re-steep. I don't see any problem with re-steeping tea bags. What period of time are you considering keeping them for re-steeping? I won't re-steep loose-leaf tea after a few hours, but that is my personal opinion, I know others who will keep it longer.
I don't use tea bags often (mostly when I'm traveling), but I usually find they're only good for two steepings, if that.
Green tea in bulk is good for three cups at least, sometimes I'll squeeze out a fourth.
Plus it's way cheaper, and you don't have to pick out those little wet staples before composting. :p
My mom tells me that historically, in China, those who could afford it would just throw out the first steeping, sometimes the first two, and drink only the second or third. Not me though! :eek:
"Well," she says, having returned from brewing a second cup on today's green leaves, "why, yes, it is fine."
Seriously, for a couple of hours, no issues; keeping until the next day...please, no (yes, I've known people who did this....shudder). I will brew several cups from a set of leaves. The tea gets progressively weaker, but I drink my tea weak.
When I had cafeinne issues, I read that a large percentage of the caffeine in tea is released in the first minute of the first brew. Thus, a quick way to reduce the caffeine in your tea is to add hot water, wait a minute, drain and add more hot water. It did seem to work and I justified keeping my tea habit.
That info was from eons ago before all the anti-oxidant stuff so I don't know what happens on subsequent brews.
Interesting! I had never thought of it, because I find green tea (from teabags) grows so quickly bitter. But maybe that doesn't happen with a second brewing.
I find that reusing a black tea bag that's sat for a while (say an hour) just doesn't taste right. It gets a really strange taste (for me). So I only use it once, and that's it.
The only exception is when my boyfriend wants a cup. He likes his tea super weak, so I just dunk the bag a couple of times and then I'll steep mine longer.
I have a Scottish co-worker who'll use the same Tetley bag all day, which I find a tad too much.
The way my parents drink green tea, they do it the way they do in Japan. They'll put quite a bit of the leaves in a small pot (and I mean small, probably holds only about 12oz). They'll steep for a short time, like 1 minute or less, and pour it out. The cups they use are small, no more than 2oz, I think. But they keep adding hot water to it and just keep pouring it out.
Try using water less than boiling (I use about 175F) and only steeping 2-3 minutes. Of course, the quality of tea in tea bags does vary widely.Quote:
Originally Posted by lph
It really depends on the kind of tea. Check for instructions, either on the package or at the shop. My favorite Gyokuro steeps for 45 seconds at 145°. Most of them get bitter if they steep too long, I think, but for some reason, that doesn't happen with successive steeping.
I absolutely do re-use tea bags. I spend 1/2 as much on tea that way. And I'm cheap! In the morning I have a cup of plain old Lipton black tea, with lemon and either sugar or honey. If I do it right, I can get a second cup out of it (most of a cup, at the very least). Unfortunately, for the last 2 or 3 months the bags have very often been splitting on the second steeping, and I end up with a cupful of leaves. I think I got a box of tea bags that were improperly processed. They almost look like they're cut part way through, right down the side. Probably something to do with the equipment they use.
So, I did it. Boss lady (jokingly, she's my best friend) bought some really excellent green and white tea blend. I'm sure it was pricey. I didn't want to drink it all before she even tried it (which will probably happen anyway :rolleyes:).
I steeped the first cup for under 2 minutes. Second cup was steeped 3 minutes. It wasn't bitter at all, and tasted really good. I think until now I was steeping a little too hot, and a little too long.
Greens and whites shouldn't be steeped overly long, and the water shouldn't be boiling. Certainly each steeping should be longer than the one before - so it sounds like you settled on the right combination. Oolongs are my favorite, they fall in that range between green and black teas.Quote:
Originally Posted by redrhodie
I like my tea regular strength, not weak. So I don't reuse teabags, unless I'm using a tiny cup like in someone else's house.
What is it? I've been itching to try gyokuro for a while, now.Quote:
Originally Posted by OakLeaf
I don't reuse tea bags. I find that because they're such small particles, they tend to loose flavor fast and just become nasty--bitter without other flavors in there. I'll make an exception for full-leaf filter bags, though.
I do reuse loose tea, though. I get three steeps out of my jasmine pearl (only green tea I have), and two to three out of my white and oolong teas. I like mine relatively strong (I add about 25% more leaves than they tell you to), so I get fewer steeps out of it.
At home, I tend to use 1 tea bag for a large pot of hot water.
And that gives me 2-3 c. of tea which I do drink it with milk.
When tea is too long in water, it gets bitter. Not recommended.
Loose tea (which i tend to use green tea): I tend to use more tea leaves for a pot.
And for leftover cold tea water, I water plants. They love it.
My parents have been re-using tea bags all their lives (the original recyclers!). Does not seem to have done them any harm...
Basically, it's matcha that hasn't been powdered, so you steep the leaves and remove them from the water like other leaf teas. It's the highest grade of sencha - shade-grown young Japanese leaves.Quote:
Originally Posted by Owlie
Rishi brand gyokuro is worth every penny but way too expensive for everyday. If you're buying some to treat yourself, I'd recommend you splurge on it (of course, then your taste buds will be spoiled for life). Normally I drink Teavana brand - there's a Teavana store in Columbus where I can buy it by the pound. :rolleyes: But honestly - IMO Teavana gyokuro tastes only slightly better than Rishi sencha, and generally I like Rishi better as a company.
I need to try matcha as well. I don't agree with Teavana's business practices, but there's a Teavana near me at home and one a bus ride away from the apartment in Cleveland. The Whole Foods near me doesn't carry Rishi's Gyokuro, as far as I know. And Rishi has absurd shipping costs. Maybe I'll try SpecialTea's...I knew I was going to get bike enabling, but not tea enabling!Quote:
Originally Posted by OakLeaf
I like Specialteas, and don't really have anything against Teavana. But - if you object to one, you object to the other -> They're owned by the same company or have some other connection (they have the same shipping address). Or at least so way lots of sources with a google search.Quote:
Originally Posted by Owlie
Oh, right, Teavana bought Specialteas or something...I can't win. I wonder if Adagio has matcha/gyokuro...I'm going to keep buying my Golden Monkey from Specialteas, though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Blueberry
FWIW, fair trade certifying organizations don't work in developed countries like Japan (or the USA) - so there's no such thing as fair trade certified gyokuro or matcha. I suppose the theory is that those countries have reasonable labor laws. Which of course is no barrier to slavery being rampant in agriculture in the USA :(, I don't know about Japan. Anyway all I'm trying to say is that the lack of fair trade certification may be a good reason not to buy Teavana's Chinese, African and Indian teas, but not so much their Japanese teas.
I'm not aware of anywhere to buy Rishi tea in bulk at retail. If you want more than a two-week supply without buying a tin, it's mail order. I don't find their shipping costs especially high though (especially when you consider what the tea is costing :rolleyes:). (And oddly - FWIW - no matter how much you mail order from Teavana, they send it all in 2-oz plastic packets. :mad:)
Upton tea is another supplier I've had really good luck with. I've also liked Tao of Tea. Adagio is good - but I've not really liked their greens. Your best bet is probably to find a local Japanese market - I've had some great luck in those places!Quote:
Originally Posted by Owlie
ETA: I'm not sure if Harney & Sons has what you want, but I've also been very happy with their teas.
We are Adagio drinkers in this house as well. Their steeping cup is awesome and their jasmine and blood orange teas are excellent!
Speaking of reusing tea bags....from the Show Us Your Pets thread:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showp...postcount=1862
:D
How funny, Lisa! My one cat goes NUTS over peppermint and lemon zinger tea bags. He can barely wait for me to get it out of the steaming cup before he's putting his paw in. Then he gets it out and tears it to pieces and loves on it. It's hysterical.
Karen
Depends on the tea (and honestly what bag it's in as well).
My loose teas. Yes, I'll reuse the leaves 2 or 3 times (typically black teas as that's what I like).
My really nice silk bags of Earl grey, no problems for 2 or 3 (in fact the first run is so strong that I reserve it for pulling all nighters and then save the bags for normal use later. No problems using it even days later if I let it dry out well).
Cheaper paper/cloth bagged tea I don't bother with. Drink it once and throw it away. Same with some of my flavored teas (I currently have a Chocolate Puerh that just wouldn't do well a second time through due to the chocolate).
I do steep the strawberry puerh from Teavana twice - it's really nice for 2 infusions:)Quote:
Originally Posted by MartianDestiny
With regards to Rishi's shipping, may I suggest developing a very bad habit in Rishi's vanilla tea? Buy it by the pound and you're more than 1/2 way to the free shipping mark :D
Orders over $100 have free shipping. Although I could just stop in when I'm on their side of town, I am rarely near them so I do mail order ever 6-8 months. Between a pound of vanilla and a pound of chai I haven't paid for shipping since the first order.
Teavana's instructions for steeping Taiwanese tea. Five brewings - the second is very short, since the tea leaves are already saturated; after that, they get progressively longer.
I don't think I've ever had Taiwanese tea.