"Top Spin" > wrote in message
...
> I purchased 50 g of a tea labelled "Makaibari Estate FTGFOP1" at a
> local tea shop on their recommendation. I have made two 4-cup pots so
> far. One seemed weak and the other astringent.
>
> For black teas, my procedure is to pour 3 cups of tap water from the
> cold faucet into a 4-cup pyrex and bring that to a brief rolling boil
> in the microwave (about 6-7 minutes).

WHOA! Stop right there 'cause you're scaring me. Are you aware that a
microwave oven can super-heat water beyond the 212F boiling point w/o it
ever creating a shimmer much less a bubble? And, if conditions are right,
it'll explode spontaneously and scald you.

So, unless your microwave has a temp. probe or control, I strongly urge you
to get a thermometer (Wal-Mart has an instant-read thermometer in the
kitchen gadget section for ~$5.50) and perform a series of tests to
determine how much time it takes to bring the amount of water that you want
to 212F, get an electric kettle, or do it the old-fashioned way on top the
stove.

> Using this procedure, I made my first pot using 6 g of tea brewed for
> 3:30. The package recommended 3+ minutes. That pot seemed slightly
> weak.
>
> For the second pot, I used 10 g of tea. Everything else was the same
> except that I did not use the infuser.

What type of infuser? A tea ball? A brewing basket?

If a tea ball, I'll bet the leaves didn't have enough room to expand and
float around because dry leaf will expand 3x or 4x and need even more room
for the water to circulate freely.

If a brewing basket like a Teeli, you're okay.

> I put the leaves directly into
> the pot and then strained the tea when I poured it out of the pot into
> the cup and thermos. This pot was slightly astringent and unpleasant.
> It also seemed to have a bit of a smokey aroma that was also
> unpleasant and it had an aftertaste that was mildly bitter.
>
> What causes the astringency? Is it due to the type of tea, the amount
> of tea, the brewing method, or all of these?

Usually, the type and amount of tea affects the intensity of flavor (for
example, a Darjeeling is "delicate" and an Assam is "robust") while
oversteeping causes bitterness and too high a temperature for green tea
causes astringency. Since black teas are typically best brewed with boiling
water, but you may have super-heated your water by using your microwave and
used a tea ball, it's hard for me to tell.

> I am fairly new to tea, so my palate is probably poorly developed. Was
> this a poor choice for a newbie and possibly one that I might like
> later on?

It's possible that you'll like it once it's brewed properly. That takes
experimenting with amounts and times - suggest you test 1 cup at a time
until you determine the best combination for your taste. At a certain point,
you'll think, "Aha! This is it!" and while the strength, lack of bitterness,
and everything else may be right, you still might not like the taste of the
tea. In which case, move on to another.

> Can anyone recommend other teas that might be good to help develop my
> palate?

All that you can get your hands on. The basic black teas a Assam, Ceylon,
Darjeeling, Keemun, Kenya, Lapsang Souchong, Nilgiri, Yunnan. There are more
.

> I have never smoked and find the smell of smoke unpleasant. I do not
> drink coffee. I find the smell wonderful but the taste revolting. I
> drink very little alcohol, mostly a glass of chianti with dinner 3-4
> times a month. I was raised in a largely Scandanavian area of the
> midwest and grew up eating lots of bland foods. I only provide this
> info in case it helps suggest teas that might be less of a stretch for
> me as I am "growing up".

Not smoking will help a lot, but you really do need to experience the range
of what's available or you'll be cheating yourself, IMO. You'll develop
favorites as you go along.

--
~~Bluesea~~
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