"Dominic T." > writes:

> Dan Stromberg wrote:
> > I have to admit that caffeine has defeated me. I'm finding myself unable
> > to drink teas regularly without getting a bit wound up in the evening
> > sometimes. But I -=miss=- tea so! There are so many intriguing flavors.
> >
> > So I checked out some decaf teas, but they taste like they have a whole
> > shot through their middle, seemingly whether I go cheap or pricey.
> >
> > Is there such a thing as a decaf Pu Erh or Liu An or similar? I'm
> > wondering if the earthiness of Pu Erh might fill the whole with dirt, as
> > it were. I tried googling for "decaf puerh" and "decaf pu erh", but
> > didn't find much.
> >
> > Thanks!
>
> I always hate to say never, but I think I'll pull it out here... you
> will never find a decaf pu-erh or Liu An. Instead let me offer a few
> suggestions:
>
> 1. Pu-Erh generally receives a rinse first no matter what and is good
> for multiple steeps. So follow that rinse with a 30 second to 1 minute
> brew and toss that as well. At this point the caffiene should be much
> lower.

I think you're onto something here. Good Pu'er usually gets better
for a few steeps, and it can stand high temperatures, which also helps
get the caffeine out. If you're really sensitive to caffeine, 30 to
60 seconds might not be enough to get the caffeine level down enough.

> [...]
>
> 3. Try some other types of tea, instead of strong fermented black teas
> try some white or green teas something along the lines of a Pi Lo Chun
> that is very light and delicate... and even these can be reduced with a
> 30 second steep discarded first before brewing.

Sorry, but I don't think this makes sense. I've never seen any
evidence that delicate green teas have less caffeine than
e.g. red/black teas. And greens really don't like high temperatures.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html