The Re-Use of Leaves

Ferris

I have heard of the bacteria bit but not the cancer.

Leaving the brew for too long is thought to be bad because the brew contains amino acids, leave them for too long and they breed bacteria. I am not quite sure how long is long, but even before that happens, you should find that tea changes in color and favor...

It seems to be 2 to 3 hours are fine. That cancer thing ... never heard before.

Julian

Ferris92 wrote in news:1182041562.896235.258240 @k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com: ...

In the presence of non-sterile air, ex-organic substances like tea leaves will decay. In general, water helps decay along (that's why drying is sometimes used as a preservation method). Cold delays this process, hence refrigerators. :-)

As for the cancer, well, I think some bright person will garner a nobel prize for conculsively proving that all laboratory mice are *born* with cancer, and will die of it eventually unless something else kills them off... :-))

Ozzy

My rule of thumb is 12 hours between steeps. That's because I never go longer than that between making a pot. My last pot in the evening is puer which I let set overnight and brew first thing in the morning while waking up. I never heard of tea leaves gone bad during the next rotation of the earth. I always use boiling water so I don't care if my pot became a petri dish overnight.

Jim

PS Stress suppresses the autoimmune system caus> Obviously many teas benefit from re-steeping (not too mention it being

I wouldn't worry too much about 2-3 hours, but I would worry about serious deterioration in taste if said tea is an oolong or a green. The tastes don't hold up that well, unless the tea happens to be a roasted oolong that isn't sour at all.

MarshalN

My advice, as in most things tea-related, would be to let your tongue be your guide!

Many teas are unaffected by being left in the air for a few hours, while some (particularly the more "green" teas: baicha, lucha, qingxiang wulong) tend to turn a bit "brown" in flavour if left to sit. If you are planning to pause for a while, you might like to ensure that the leaves are kept in a closed gaiwan or pot - the onset of "brown" flavour seems faster without a lid (perhaps due to the increased ventilation).

Leaving pu'er overnight (in a closed vessel) is a fairly normal habit for me, particularly for the occassional rarer pu'er that I really want to get the best out of, including another day's brewing. Also, I have come across a few pu'er that actually tasted much better the morning after, oddly enough, in which previously-absent vanilla tones appeared from nowhere. Perhaps placed there by the pu'er fairy.

Toodlepip,

Hobbes

I've reused leaves in my (covered) gaiwan over a 2 or 3 day period without any (noticeable) ill effect.

Dean

The overnight taste to me is more purer than puer. It acts as a mouthwash to clean the palette for the first morning pot. It's the only tea I've found that overnight isn't more of the same in the morning. It's a new day for different teas.

Jim

PS The leaves overnight cling to the pot in the morning after brewing. I don't see that with normal multiple infusions. Perhaps more evidence of the pu'er fairy.

HobbesOxon wrote: ...

I think that's the point. Since boiling or almost boiling water is poured, one should assume that would kill most bacteria. I was told in this forum that water temperature is supposed to be increased for successive steeps.

It would be different if you had to swallow the leaves ...

Space Cowboy ha escrit:

there is mold (fungus) that can cause cancer, if its present in your house, on your tea... probably not likely. boiling water on your tea for