"stePH" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> wrote:
>> Barky Bark wrote:
>> > Some people always discard the first brew. Keep in mind you're
>> > discarding
>> > most of the caffeine when you do so. I would suggest a 'wash' of 30
>> > seconds
>> > or so.
>>
>> I would second the suggestion of 30 seconds - I find that for the black
>> teas I prefer this is enough time to release most of the caffeine (and
>> astringency) and yet still allow for a second flavorful re-steeping for
>> drinking.
>
> Caffeine, yes -- but I find astringency is a characteristic of the
> tannins that osmose (is that a word?) into the water when the tea
> steeps too long. They don't seem to come out so much at the beginning.
>
> Though instructions I've seen say to steep black tea 3 to 5 minutes, I
> usually go for 3 or less. More than that and the tea is unpleasantly
> astringent. The 5-minute brewers must be taking it with milk.
Yes, thi is exactly what I find. I can barely drink most teas that are
steeped for more than 3 minutes. I find that for persian tea(cardamon or
bergamot tea)....or Earl Grey, 2-2.5 minutes is enough. I had previously
thought that the water temp was the problem but in actuality it is the
steeping time. I don't use milk in my tea so perhaps I'm more sensitive to
the bitterness from the tannins. I don't even like the smell of
oversteeped tea. I like my tea to have a fresh aromatic quality that can be
easily overpowered be the bitter smell of oversteeping. It seems that there
is a really fine line for me between it being perfect and it being terrible.
I've thrown away many pots of tea by being careless about the time. But I'm
sure there are many people in this forum that probably like a more bitter
brew. That is what I find fascinating about all this.
Pete