Recipe Tea: What are you steeping these days?

you know that's exactly how I felt when I got mine too. I had some ceramic matching cup BIRTHDAY BLESSING INFUSER MUG from Teavana. They work, but not nearly as good as the finum baskets.

Irishsean, I figured out why I like the baskets better than the press, when the time is up for steeping, you remove the basket. The press you have to pour out completely, if you have a large press, it's a bit much, but if it's just a cuppa, you're good.

I really like being able to control the entire steep time because it makes sure that I don't oversteep.

 

Also remember the substantial differences in characteristics between green tea by region, e.g. Chinese vs. Japanese.

I tend to favour Japanese greens over Chinese, especially sencha and shade-treated teas (gyokuro and certain senchas).

 

My husband and I differ in our tastes for green teas. I like Japanese green tea, and he likes Chinese green tea. Mm, now I want some sencha. I also really like hojicha and kukicha.

 

If you're into Japanese green tea, try kabusecha. It's a steamed partially shaded green tea somewhere between the sweetness of sencha and the richness of gyokuro, but at sencha prices.

Of course, if you don't mind paying for it, you really can't go wrong with gyokuro.

 

Oolongs fare best with multiple steeping. This is due to a combination of less oxidization and large rolled/curled leaves that often don't fully unfurl the first or second time they're steeped.

Green tea (and white tea I think, not sure) can handle at least two steepings, sometimes three, depending on the tea. Fully oxidized tea such as black tea, as far as I know, cannot be steeped more than once with any success.

I like to steep green and oolong teas at least twice because you on the second go, you get many of the same benefits with much less caffeine than the first steep.

It might help to steep shorter times. I usually don't steep more than 3 minutes at a time if I'm using leaves more than once.

 

A good white tea can handle multiple steepings. I do multiple steepings on my Silver Needle. I started doing it because it was expensive, but after some research, I realized that it was totally okay Silver Needle has a short initial steep time (approx. 1-2 minutes), and then you steep it a little longer each steeping. I do the same with my White Peony. I can usually get 3 good steepings out of these teas.

 

Darjeeling is supposed to have a kind of musky spiciness to it. It's best to enjoy it black. It's one of my favourite varieties.

What have you done to it exactly? I normally steep 3 tsp of tea in 2 cups of water just below boiling point for 4 to 5 minutes.

 

Oddly enough when I was drinking Darjeeling and Assam black in India, they all looked at me funny because they wanted me to have it with milk and sugar. By the time I left, I was drinking it with milk and sugar and was much happier doing so.

 

I find Assam begs for a bit of milk and sugar. Darjeeling? Not so much.

Also, in other news: I don't normally go for flavoured teas, but I'm currently enjoying a "buttered rum" tea, which is basically black tea with vanilla beans and toasted coconut—very caramelly. It says it goes best with brown sugar, milk, and dark rum. I'll have to test that sometime. Maybe this weekend during Geek Night.