I'd be interested in opinions on good ways (procedures) for checking out the optimal brewing parameters for a new tea.
Here's what i have been doing (more or less). After each trial, I record my personal rating of the result on strength (just right, too weak, too strong), bitterness (none, low, high), and overall taste (0-10).
- Brew a pot using the vendor's recommendations, if any.
- Eliminate bitterness first. If the result is bitter, reduce the time until the bitterness goes away, keeping all other parameters constant.
I sometimes have a little difficulty distinguishing between a brew that is too strong and one that is bitter. I have a can of Earl Grey Bravo from Adagio. The taste seems to vary more with amount of tea that brewing time. If i use too much tea, I get a tea that is too strong for my taste and seems "bitter", but I suspect it is really just too much bergamot, which has a fairly strong (acidic) taste that could seem bitter.
- Adjust the amount of tea. If too weak, double it. If too strong, use half. Continue adjusting the amount until I find a ratio (or range of ratios) that I like. I vary amount of tea before the time, because I want to avoid the bitterness that can some from over-steeping.
- Using the parameters from step 3, adjust the time. This is mainly to find the bitterness point. I might also experiment with multiple steepings.
- If the tea has potential, I may fiddle with the temperature.
Comments or suggestions?