I think the chemistry of constituents in tea is pretty well known. I
just listed some that came out at my fingertips in response to the
health inquiry. The totality is the taste of tea and even the colour
for unoxidized teas. So whatever makes the hair stand up on the back
of my neck from gunpowder or the hot flash from a Chinese oolong is
part of the taste. I think most teas fit the standard bell curve
because it is the same plant and the multiple infusion argument would
make the curve platykurtic (flat) and the best single cup leptokurtic
(peaked). My experience the first cup is the best and all that varies
is the amount, time, volume with given constants that vary according
to your locale like altitude and water standards. Taste is all you
can trust. I'll accept the fact tea makes a good compost but I'm not
going to brew tea that long to find out.

Jim

Joel Reicher > wrote in message >...
> (Space Cowboy) writes:
>
> > Largely if not mostly what determines the taste and color of tea are
> > the various antioxident polyphenols such as catechins, flavonoids,
> > tannins, theanine, vitamins, minerals, etc (I don't play a chemist on
>
> Are you sure? You can tell superficially that many of the chemicals in
> teas don't have a colour from the fact that green and white teas do
> not infuse much colour into the water. Caffeine is tasteless,
> odourless and colourless. Only some polyphenols, not even all of the
> flavonoids, have a colour. Similarly with taste. Despite the name,
> some flavonoids are tasteless.
>
> > TV.) These constituents are released on a bell curve and if I were
> > guessing a 10 minute infusions of white tea buds would release 90% of
> > the healthfull benefits. Obviously tea volume is no more than
>
> While you're right about the bell curve as far as I know, wouldn't the
> standard deviation of the curve vary from compound to compound?
> That's what I meant by differint `rates' in my other post. I don't
> know the details, but the solubility of these compounds will be
> affected by other compounds, by the pH of the water, etc. A
> rudimentary web search turns up at least one flavonoid that is
> hydrophobic.
>
> It would be nice if all these compounds behaved roughly the same way,
> but I really don't think it happens, and I wouldn't trust taste and
> colour.
>
> Cheers,
>
> - Joel