safety of multiple infusions

If you use near-boiling water to make green tea, you're making it wrong. Especially if it's a good Japanese green tea.

I've let Se Chung oolong leaves sit overnight and then made a cuppa from them, using 170-175F water, to no ill effect. I'm sure you're safe.

stePH

-- NP: Ars Nova, "Danse Macabre"

anything above 140 will kill most pathogens. That, and I don't think much can grown in an hour anyway

I've left stuff overnight. Prob'ly not recommended but I've done it dozens of times. I use essentially boiling water at that point though, even if it's green tea, just to ease my mind that any evil growing thing is dead. I'd simply suggest that if you're going to leave wet tea leaves around you move them away from any open windows. Maybe put a little towel over the pot.

Mold begins after a day, not noticable until after two days.

"Tristan J Krumpacker III" wrote in news:zhYjf.5257$ snipped-for-privacy@news.xtra.co.nz:

Using a tea strainer or a tea ball has this one advantage over the more classic brewing methods -- you can completely remove the tea between infusions, and even refrigerate it overnight if you feel the need.

I've done that with TiKuanYin or some other oolongs -- drunk the first infusion in the evening and then the next the following morning. (I suppose you could refrigerate the whole pot if you used the classic method, but that would seem to me a bit execessive :-) )

Ozzy

Let's make sure we recognize that airborne bacteria will "taint" the leaves the second they are removed from the water. And then they have a nice warm bath to grow rapidly in (from the water in the leaves). Its the ideal growing environment for bacteria.

I don't have any health references handy, but I'd stay away from drinking anything where the leaves have sat for more than an hour or so. Yes, I've made infusions from the same leaves over 2-3 hours. But you wouldn't catch me touching any leaves that have sat overnight.

Just my two cents.

-Gary

Just a thought: Put it in the freezer until next use. Would it work? MLB

snipped-for-privacy@nospam.com/13/05

Anything works, but I think you would have a rather lousy tea the next time from the thawed spent leaves. It would be better to buy cheaper but fresher tea. Nonetheless, try it and report back to us. We never know until we try.

Michael

Doubtful, unless flash-frozen!

When anything becomes "frozen" it's usually the water content that is frozen. Slow freezing causes "spikier" ice crystals that cut the flesh of leaves and fruit. You'd probably get tea-mush once thawed. Probably not very tasty. But if you try it and it works, let us know :)