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On 19 Dec 2004 11:10:05 -0800, wrote:

> Well, I must admit I am surprised at some of the sarcastic replies.
> Especially when this newsgroup very often contains long threads about
> how to calibrate thermometers to within 0.1 degrees for ideal brewing
> of rare green teas.

Eh. People can be cranky around the holidays.

> Thank you Warren and Derek, though.

You're welcome.

> Maybe my post was too long to read and turned a lot of people off, so
> here's a quick summary:
>
> When using an infuser basket, is it ideal to have the water level so
> high that the entire basket is filled to the brim, or is it simply
> enough to make sure that the tea leaves themselves are covered in water
> (excluding the ones that float, which will always float no matter how
> high the water level is)?

It is ideal to ensure that your infuser basket and steeping vessel are
large enough that the leaves are still covered in water after steeping
and unfurling.

That may or may not be at the brim of the basket. But it's certainly
more than just barely covering the dry leaves at the beginning.

> That's the main issue. The space for the leaves to unfurl and be
> exposed to water does not change with the water level since that's a
> function of the infuser dimensions. The only difference here is that
> there isn't that much water *on top* of the leaves -- but so what?
> Should that really make a difference?

I think you've erred in your geometry.

The relative volume of the cylinder of the infuser basket will indeed
increase as you raise the water level relative to the basket. However,
the ultimate measure is not the level of water relative to the basket,
but the level of water relative to the leaves after they've unfurled.

> I'm hoping someone who knows about this sort of stuff will post a
> sincere reply. I'll continue to experiment, but it would be nice to
> hear some sort of authoritative answer based on science (or something
> approaching that).

If one wished to be a real snob about it, one would not use an infuser
at all. One would use two pots and a strainer. Steeping occurs in the
first pot, which would then be poured through the strainer into the
serving pot. The leaves have the total capacity of the steeping pot to
expand and float.

Personally, 90% of the time, I'm using a contraption from Taiwan that
steeps the tea in a upper compartment, and strains the tea into the
lower compartment at the touch of a button. No fuss, no worry.

I also have 3 pots, which hardly get used by comparison.

--
Derek

"If I couldn't laugh, I couldn't stand this job for 15 minutes." --
President Abraham Lincoln