Do you reuse tea bags?

[redrhodie]

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?

[Blueberry]

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.

[Catrin]

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.

[OakLeaf]

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.

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!

[Thorn]

"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.

[lph]

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.

[badger]

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.

[Blueberry]

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.

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.

[OakLeaf]

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.

[Skierchickie]

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.

[Owlie]

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.

What is it? I've been itching to try gyokuro for a while, now.

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.

[e.e.cummings]

My parents have been re-using tea bags all their lives (the original recyclers!). Does not seem to have done them any harm...