Getting the most out of your leaf.
So i’m new to tea and i’ve generally just discovered you need to put more in the infuser than general guidelines tell you to.
I use heated water out of a water fountain for my perfect teamaker I got from teavana.
So in general what are some techniques or tips you have got getting the most out of your leaf? What did you do when you first started out and had none of the fancy equipment to properly heat your teas?
Thought I might be wrong on the end of putting in more leaf it seems like a lot of people use 1 tbs per 8oz water. What are anyone elses thoughts on the adding more leaf?
Well, if the flavor isn’t strong enough your water might just be too cold. Have you tried 1 tsp but letting it steep longer?
I haven’t. The water I use is really hot but after a steep and about 5 minutes it becomes lukewarm. Of course sending my water through the coffee maker will make it just as hot i’ve not steeped longer than reccomended. Currently I have a Rooibos Chai that I love, but I want to get more flavor out of it. Sadly when I use the Teavana instructions it just tastes like someone powdered my drink instead of actually tasting like true tea. It tastes amazing, im probably exaggerating it, I just want the most out of it.
If it’s getting that cold that fast, try a ceramic cup, and covering it with something, like a plate. The ceramic hold the heat better, and the plate traps the steam in and together it should keep it warmer while it steeps. Also, you can get a cheap digital thermometer for under $10 at Walmart, or Target,or Amazon, like this one:
http://tinyurl.com/p7zdamj
Being able to know what the water temp is will make a world of difference. When I got one, I realized that I was using water that was too hot for some teas (like green) and too cold for others (like herbals). Plus, this way you can just put any old pot of water on to boil, prop this up in there, and wait for it to reach the exact temp you need. It’s what I do, and its so much better.
I agree, you’re probably adding more tea because the water fountain isn’t giving you water that’s hot enough. Though, you are on the right track. It’s better to add more tea rather than add more time because then you can end up with tea that’s both weak AND bitter and that’s no fun. I’d say stick to what you’re doing for now and invest in a kettle when you can. It doesn’t have to be fancy. I started out with this: http://smile.amazon.com/Proctor-Silex-K2070YA-Electric-1-Liter/dp/B00IWOJS9A/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1403758613&sr=8-3&keywords=electric+kettle
And later got a deal on this on ebay: http://smile.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-40996-Programmable-1-7-Liter/dp/B0083I7THI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1403758823&sr=8-2&keywords=hamilton+beach+kettle
With the fist one how did you know what temperature your water was at without use of an external thermometer?
If you’re using Teavana tea, it might be that the tea you have might have alot of decorative bits and not alot of actual tea in it. At the store they put ALOT of it into the teamaker.
I’ve learnt with rooibos in general that the longer you steep it, the more flavor comes out, and it’s not a tea that will get bitter when oversteeped.
What do you mean by ‘fancy equipment’? The basic necessities are usually a cup and hot water. You can try boiling water in a pot? Or even putting the cup of water in the microwave, although that generally isn’t recommended. Your tea should NOT be lukewarm in 5 min unless you live in a particularly cold climate. Have you tried a ceramic cup?
Have you tried pre-heating your mug? Fill it with hot water for a few minutes before steeping your tea. There will be less temperature lost if the mug is already hot….
For the water I get I always get it into my mug before I transfer to the teamaker. My mug afterwards stays particularly hot.
For the Teavana foodish blends, I tend to use a huge amount—like half the envelope—otherwise they are too weak for my taste. I also grind the chunks up before infusing. I am probably a bit excessive, but their guidelines are way off, it seems to me.
Note: I am talking about the “teas” filled with actual edible food items and only a touch of tea. The regular instructions do work for the straight teas (gyokuro, sencha, dragon pearls, earl grey, etc.), which I greatly prefer. I obtained quite a few of the foodish blends in a gift set on radical reduction during the post-holiday season sale. I was very surprised (somewhat unpleasantly) to find hardly any actual tea in the collection!
Good to know that some Teavana teas don’t feature a lot of tea. I might get that kettle then, I honestly need one. The only problem I have with it is knowing what temperature my water is at for my tea. Is there a thermometer for me to see?
The thermometer is a great idea, because the variable temp kettles don’t always accurately provide the temperature of the water, plus the temperature in your pot will differ anyway.
I use a tetsubin for green teas. It’s very helpful because the cool cast iron automatically reduces the water temperature by about 10C (depends on the size of the tetsubin—hence the surface area of cast iron). Since buying a thermometer and a small scale, I have been able to avoid both overheating and underleafing. These handy tools for the tea obsessed are relatively inexpensive.
That’s one of the last tool I think I need to be a happy girl. A scale. I feel like with that, and a tea kettle, all my worries will melt away!
Mandy, the scale and the thermometer take all of the guess work out. It is a relief to know that I am not underleafing or overheating! Before I never knew whether it was the tea or me. My prep was basically russian roulette. lol
Now at least I know what I did so that I do not repeat the same mistake with a give tea.
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