Re: How long to steap white tea?

[Guest guest]

Hello

I'm a strong believer that the best tasting KT is made from tea which is brewed

in the proper manner for that kind of tea.

For white tea, a couple of minute steep at only 180 degrees is not only

desirable, but necessary if you want to make your tea in the manner of the

Chinese tea masters. The history of tea making there goes back many for aeons,

and there are reasons for the old classical tea-brewing methods.

Contrary to what seems to be popular belief, a great KT culture actually

requires very little tea essence. (actually the culture doesn't *require*

any!!!..it'll go-on w/ just sugar believe it or not).

Brewing various teas in a manner inconcistant for their variety will not yield a

superior brew. At too high a temp or steeping for too long, it'll be bitter and

not nearly as pleasant as it could be..

I know that some folks here actually *boil* the tea!!!! which i personally find

disturbing to say the least....the very thought of ruining fine teas due to

ignorance (or worse yet, stubborn-ness) is enough to make me scream. ( ;~O)

BTW, the Pai mu tan (white peony) and dragon pearl combo is about the best

EVER!!!

(but don't steep it too long....see, if you brew it gong-fu style, you can brew

several batches from the same leaves w/o deminishing quality)

;~)

Blessings

mark

How long to steap white tea?

Following the suggestion of some very helpful people here on this

forum who use white tea, I did my last batch with 2/3 white tea

(white Peony) and 1/3 green Dragon Pearl (forbiddingly expensive....)I

did not boil it at all ( as I would with oolong tea, or regular

green)just steeped the whole thing for about 20 min. I think it came

out all right, but wonder how long other people steep it, as the

package mentioned only 3 min. or so. I did not think 3 min would be

enough for kombucha. Next time I want to use White Peony alone, and

since it is lowest in caffein, don't want to mess up.

[Guest guest]

Hello Mark

I really appreciate your suggestions.

I know we all need to experiment and find our own ways, at the same

time it's nice to learn from others.

I think it might have been you who suggested the Bai Mu Dan and Dragon

Pearl combo in an earlier post, so I want to thank you now!

You say a couple of minutes for white tea, I assume you mean 2 - 3

min? And for how long do you steep the Dragon Pearl?

How much of each tea do you use per liter of water?

When you suggest to re-use it, I wonder if I could safe by using the

same tea by steeping a 1 liter batch, followed by two more 1 liter

batches, all ultimately combined for the 3 liter brew I normally brew

in my jar? I must admit, I don't totally understand why this would be

any better than brewing the 3 liters all at once for 3 times 3 min.(9

to 10 min.)???

Thanks again,

Do

>

> Hello

>

> I'm a strong believer that the best tasting KT is made from tea

which is brewed in the proper manner for that kind of tea.

>

> For white tea, a couple of minute steep at only 180 degrees is not

only desirable, but necessary if you want to make your tea in the

manner of the Chinese tea masters. The history of tea making there

goes back many for aeons, and there are reasons for the old classical

tea-brewing methods.

>

> Contrary to what seems to be popular belief, a great KT culture

actually requires very little tea essence. (actually the culture

doesn't *require* any!!!..it'll go-on w/ just sugar believe it or not).

>

> Brewing various teas in a manner inconcistant for their variety will

not yield a superior brew. At too high a temp or steeping for too

long, it'll be bitter and not nearly as pleasant as it could be..

>

> I know that some folks here actually *boil* the tea!!!! which i

personally find disturbing to say the least....the very thought of

ruining fine teas due to ignorance (or worse yet, stubborn-ness) is

enough to make me scream. ( ;~O)

>

> BTW, the Pai mu tan (white peony) and dragon pearl combo is about

the best EVER!!!

>

> (but don't steep it too long....see, if you brew it gong-fu style,

you can brew several batches from the same leaves w/o deminishing quality)

>

> ;~)

>

> Blessings

> mark

>

> How long to steap white tea?

>

>

> Following the suggestion of some very helpful people here on this

> forum who use white tea, I did my last batch with 2/3 white tea

> (white Peony) and 1/3 green Dragon Pearl (forbiddingly expensive....)I

> did not boil it at all ( as I would with oolong tea, or regular

> green)just steeped the whole thing for about 20 min. I think it came

> out all right, but wonder how long other people steep it, as the

> package mentioned only 3 min. or so. I did not think 3 min would be

> enough for kombucha. Next time I want to use White Peony alone, and

> since it is lowest in caffein, don't want to mess up.

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I really have to chime in and agree with Mark on this.

Oversteeping can really make some vile chalky and astringent tasting brew. *

Excess* tannins are not at all pleasant and definitely not required for the

culture.

Tannins are not the best thing for the throat or the rest of the body for

that matter.

2-3 min at 180 for white, 3 min at 180-185 for green and 5 min with boiling

hot water for black or puh er tea is what I usually go with as my basic

rules of tea brewing. With such delicious results. When I tried steeping for

longer with too much tea, I really had some offensive kombucha.

I have heard that with puh er, boiling is permissable in some cases but I

don't usually do that...

I guess that puh er would be considered a sort of " extra black " tea being

that not only is it fermented longer than black tea, it is also aged in the

form of pressed cakes, often underground. I really enjoy this robust variety

of tea. It has a very EARTHY flavor indeed. If you are a coffee drinker,

this tea will likely appeal to your tastes. It's not that it tastes at all

like coffee, it just has a bold and bitter richness that can be appreciated

deep within. Though I have used it for Kombucha, I do tend to prefer the

lighter teas for brewing KT with.

Take Care, Respect Tea,

Beau

[Guest guest]

Hey Beau...

What you said..... ;~)

I just realized we also belong to the same AV group! I guess fermenting things

and growing African Violets somehow go-together?

Amazing! statistically, at-least...

Blessings

mark

Re: How long to steap white tea?

I really have to chime in and agree with Mark on this.

[Guest guest]

I love African Violets! I'm a beginner, but, me too! me too!

Mark, question: what is the gong-fu style? how can I find out about

it? I have been using white peony and green gunpowder, as well as mixes of

those two with black tea. I have been wanting to go to a steeping method

that honors each of those teas rather than just chucking them together.

--V

~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~

--A.J. Muste

[Guest guest]

>When you suggest to re-use it, I wonder if I could safe by using the

>same tea by steeping a 1 liter batch, followed by two more 1 liter

>batches, all ultimately combined for the 3 liter brew I normally brew

>in my jar? I must admit, I don't totally understand why this would be

>any better than brewing the 3 liters all at once for 3 times 3 min.(9

>to 10 min.)???

>Thanks again,

>Do

Do, I'm not even sure what you're referring to because some posts have

apparently gone missing for me, but no one would ask you to steep the same

tea in 3 different containers for the same vessel of KT. If you're using

one type of tea, then just brew for that type of tea, all together. Mark

was saying that the tea can be reused for further vessels.

If you are using combinations of green, white, or black, then I imagine it

might get complicated about steeping.

I know Mark said he is using only white tea now. Beau, if you combine tea

in your vessels, how do you handle the different steeping needs, logistically?

Thanks, this is something I've been meaning to ask about.

--V

~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~

--A.J. Muste

[Guest guest]

, you did not miss a post. It was my brain child.... After

Mark suggesting to re-use the same tea, I did not think I would want

to have this wet, slowly drying possibly mold collecting tea sit

around for 8 days until my next vessel is ready to be brewed. I also

would not use it for regular tea; except for kombucha, I don't

normally drink camelia sinensis tea, just herbal teas, lots of them.

So, because I was told it can be re-used, I came up with the (maybe

crazy) idea of using let's say 2 tsp of tea in one liter, then

re-using it again twice more. This way I would be using 2tsp. of tea

for the 3 liter batch, instead of 6 tsp tea, as I have done before. I

have to admit math has always been a challenge for me... However, I

don't want to be frugal and sacrifice in terms of getting best

possible benefits from my kombucha.

I had paid C$ 10.- per 10g of Dragon Pearl and C$6.- per 10g of White

Peony, (abt. U.S.$ 14.-) in a tea specialty place, not even organic...

I figured the 3 liter batch cost about U.S.$ 7.00 worth of tea. This

is O.K. for one time trial, but I'd like to continue with these teas,

so I am trying to bring down the price...

Do

>

>

> >When you suggest to re-use it, I wonder if I could safe by using the

> >same tea by steeping a 1 liter batch, followed by two more 1 liter

> >batches, all ultimately combined for the 3 liter brew I normally brew

> >in my jar? I must admit, I don't totally understand why this would be

> >any better than brewing the 3 liters all at once for 3 times 3 min.(9

> >to 10 min.)???

> >Thanks again,

> >Do

>

> Do, I'm not even sure what you're referring to because some posts have

> apparently gone missing for me, but no one would ask you to steep

the same

> tea in 3 different containers for the same vessel of KT. If you're

using

> one type of tea, then just brew for that type of tea, all together.

Mark

> was saying that the tea can be reused for further vessels.

>

> If you are using combinations of green, white, or black, then I

imagine it

> might get complicated about steeping.

>

> I know Mark said he is using only white tea now. Beau, if you

combine tea

> in your vessels, how do you handle the different steeping needs,

logistically?

>

> Thanks, this is something I've been meaning to ask about.

>

> --V

>

>

>

> ~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~

> --A.J. Muste

>

[Guest guest]

Well, Say you have some black tea and some white or green.

Boil your water, toss in the black tea, time 2-3 min, then toss in the

white and/or green for an additional 2-3 min. This would get the black tea

in the hot water and steeping, it will cool a bit and by the time 5-6 min is

up you strain or remove the tea and that'll brew both teas pretty close to

perfect.

One thing I forgot to mention is that you want to COVER the tea while

steeping, this will retain all of the delicious floral aromas and volatile

essences that make tea so great.

One last tip that I borrowed from my beer brewing hobby is quick cooling

of the tea by putting the covered pot in a sink full of ice water, very

optional and a waste of water I suppose, unless you salvage the water for

plants. :-)

Happy Brewing,

Beau

>

> If you are using combinations of green, white, or black, then I imagine it

> might get complicated about steeping.

>

> I know Mark said he is using only white tea now. Beau, if you combine tea

> in your vessels, how do you handle the different steeping needs,

> logistically?

>

> Thanks, this is something I've been meaning to ask about.

>

> --V

>

>

>

> ~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~

> --A.J. Muste

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hey Do

What i mean is that if you're using good, high quality teas, assuming you're

infusing no longer than what is called-for for that kind of tea, that once it's

been properly infused, if you drain all the liquor from the pot, you can then,

(within a 24 hour period), re-infuse for another pot-ful, and then often for yet

another.

For both D.P. and P.M.T., i infuse at the same low temp, (pre-boiling) at

hopefully about 180 degrees.....even tho D.P. is technically a green tea, i

personally infuse it at lower temps so as not to destroy it's fine bouquet.

As-far-as how much i use, hmmm, about a tablespoon of P.M.T. and 3 or 4 D.P's

per quart...sorry, i don't think in litres ;~o

It doesn't take a lot of tea to make KT, less would prolly work fine.

hope this helps...

blessings

mark

Re: How long to steap white tea?

Hello Mark

I really appreciate your suggestions.

I know we all need to experiment and find our own ways, at the same

time it's nice to learn from others.

I think it might have been you who suggested the Bai Mu Dan and Dragon

Pearl combo in an earlier post, so I want to thank you now!

You say a couple of minutes for white tea, I assume you mean 2 - 3

min? And for how long do you steep the Dragon Pearl?

How much of each tea do you use per liter of water?

When you suggest to re-use it, I wonder if I could safe by using the

same tea by steeping a 1 liter batch, followed by two more 1 liter

batches, all ultimately combined for the 3 liter brew I normally brew

in my jar? I must admit, I don't totally understand why this would be

any better than brewing the 3 liters all at once for 3 times 3 min.(9

to 10 min.)???

Thanks again,

Do

>

> Hello

>

> I'm a strong believer that the best tasting KT is made from tea

which is brewed in the proper manner for that kind of tea.

>

> For white tea, a couple of minute steep at only 180 degrees is not

only desirable, but necessary if you want to make your tea in the

manner of the Chinese tea masters. The history of tea making there

goes back many for aeons, and there are reasons for the old classical

tea-brewing methods.

>

> Contrary to what seems to be popular belief, a great KT culture

actually requires very little tea essence. (actually the culture

doesn't *require* any!!!..it'll go-on w/ just sugar believe it or not).

>

> Brewing various teas in a manner inconcistant for their variety will

not yield a superior brew. At too high a temp or steeping for too

long, it'll be bitter and not nearly as pleasant as it could be..

>

> I know that some folks here actually *boil* the tea!!!! which i

personally find disturbing to say the least....the very thought of

ruining fine teas due to ignorance (or worse yet, stubborn-ness) is

enough to make me scream. ( ;~O)

>

> BTW, the Pai mu tan (white peony) and dragon pearl combo is about

the best EVER!!!

>

> (but don't steep it too long....see, if you brew it gong-fu style,

you can brew several batches from the same leaves w/o deminishing quality)

>

> ;~)

>

> Blessings

> mark

[Guest guest]

Hey Do

What i mean is that if you're using good, high quality teas, assuming you're

infusing no longer than what is called-for for that kind of tea, that once it's

been properly infused, if you drain all the liquor from the pot, you can then,

(within a 24 hour period), re-infuse for another pot-ful, and then often for yet

another.

For both D.P. and P.M.T., i infuse at the same low temp, (pre-boiling) at

hopefully about 180 degrees.....even tho D.P. is technically a green tea, i

personally infuse it at lower temps so as not to destroy it's fine bouquet.

As-far-as how much i use, hmmm, about a tablespoon of P.M.T. and 3 or 4 D.P's

per quart...sorry, i don't think in litres ;~o

It doesn't take a lot of tea to make KT, less would prolly work fine.

hope this helps...

blessings

mark

Re: How long to steap white tea?

Hello Mark

I really appreciate your suggestions.

I know we all need to experiment and find our own ways, at the same

time it's nice to learn from others.

I think it might have been you who suggested the Bai Mu Dan and Dragon

Pearl combo in an earlier post, so I want to thank you now!

You say a couple of minutes for white tea, I assume you mean 2 - 3

min? And for how long do you steep the Dragon Pearl?

How much of each tea do you use per liter of water?

When you suggest to re-use it, I wonder if I could safe by using the

same tea by steeping a 1 liter batch, followed by two more 1 liter

batches, all ultimately combined for the 3 liter brew I normally brew

in my jar? I must admit, I don't totally understand why this would be

any better than brewing the 3 liters all at once for 3 times 3 min.(9

to 10 min.)???

Thanks again,

Do

>

> Hello

>

> I'm a strong believer that the best tasting KT is made from tea

which is brewed in the proper manner for that kind of tea.

>

> For white tea, a couple of minute steep at only 180 degrees is not

only desirable, but necessary if you want to make your tea in the

manner of the Chinese tea masters. The history of tea making there

goes back many for aeons, and there are reasons for the old classical

tea-brewing methods.

>

> Contrary to what seems to be popular belief, a great KT culture

actually requires very little tea essence. (actually the culture

doesn't *require* any!!!..it'll go-on w/ just sugar believe it or not).

>

> Brewing various teas in a manner inconcistant for their variety will

not yield a superior brew. At too high a temp or steeping for too

long, it'll be bitter and not nearly as pleasant as it could be..

>

> I know that some folks here actually *boil* the tea!!!! which i

personally find disturbing to say the least....the very thought of

ruining fine teas due to ignorance (or worse yet, stubborn-ness) is

enough to make me scream. ( ;~O)

>

> BTW, the Pai mu tan (white peony) and dragon pearl combo is about

the best EVER!!!

>

> (but don't steep it too long....see, if you brew it gong-fu style,

you can brew several batches from the same leaves w/o deminishing quality)

>

> ;~)

>

> Blessings

> mark

[Guest guest]

Hi

Well, technically i suppose, gong-fu means taking more care to make something

than is prolly necessary...it means laborious....to the point of tediousness.

however in the case of fine tea, it does make a difference.

Basically, gong-fu means that you're only making as much tea in the pot as will

be immediately poured out...meaning that you never leave hot water in the pot

between suffusions. That way, the tea isn't getting leached out in a pool of

hot water between suffusions. So it can be re-infused many times...check this

out:

http://www.imperialtea.com/classroom/GongfuPrep.asp

and this:

http://www.chinavista.com/experience/gongfu_tea/tea.html

and this:

http://www.chinavista.com/experience/gongfu_tea/tea.html

hope this helps

blessings

mark

" chance favors the prepared mind "

-Louis Pasteur-

Re: How long to steap white tea?

I love African Violets! I'm a beginner, but, me too! me too!

Mark, question: what is the gong-fu style? how can I find out about

it? I have been using white peony and green gunpowder, as well as mixes of

those two with black tea. I have been wanting to go to a steeping method

that honors each of those teas rather than just chucking them together.

--V

~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~

--A.J. Muste

[Guest guest]

>, you did not miss a post. It was my brain child.... After

>Mark suggesting to re-use the same tea, I did not think I would want

>to have this wet, slowly drying possibly mold collecting tea sit

>around for 8 days until my next vessel is ready to be brewed. I also

>At would not use it for regular tea; except for kombucha, I don't

>normally drink camelia sinensis tea, just herbal teas, lots of them.

>So, because I was told it can be re-used, I came up with the (maybe

>crazy) idea of using let's say 2 tsp of tea in one liter, then

>re-using it again twice more. This way I would be using 2tsp. of tea

>for the 3 liter batch, instead of 6 tsp tea, as I have done before.

oh I see what you were saying. I imagine you could do that. I use 1 tsp

per liter of tea, roughly, not 2.

>I

>have to admit math has always been a challenge for me... However, I

>don't want to be frugal and sacrifice in terms of getting best

>possible benefits from my kombucha.

>I had paid C$ 10.- per 10g of Dragon Pearl and C$6.- per 10g of White

>Peony, (abt. U.S.$ 14.-) in a tea specialty place, not even organic...

>I figured the 3 liter batch cost about U.S.$ 7.00 worth of tea. This

>is O.K. for one time trial, but I'd like to continue with these teas,

>so I am trying to bring down the price...

>Do

I got a pound of organic white peony for under $20, admittedly I have

access to co-op prices, but I know others have said that they have paid

around the same. So I would shop around.

--V

~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~

--A.J. Muste

[Guest guest]

>, you did not miss a post. It was my brain child.... After

>Mark suggesting to re-use the same tea, I did not think I would want

>to have this wet, slowly drying possibly mold collecting tea sit

>around for 8 days until my next vessel is ready to be brewed. I also

>At would not use it for regular tea; except for kombucha, I don't

>normally drink camelia sinensis tea, just herbal teas, lots of them.

>So, because I was told it can be re-used, I came up with the (maybe

>crazy) idea of using let's say 2 tsp of tea in one liter, then

>re-using it again twice more. This way I would be using 2tsp. of tea

>for the 3 liter batch, instead of 6 tsp tea, as I have done before.

oh I see what you were saying. I imagine you could do that. I use 1 tsp

per liter of tea, roughly, not 2.

>I

>have to admit math has always been a challenge for me... However, I

>don't want to be frugal and sacrifice in terms of getting best

>possible benefits from my kombucha.

>I had paid C$ 10.- per 10g of Dragon Pearl and C$6.- per 10g of White

>Peony, (abt. U.S.$ 14.-) in a tea specialty place, not even organic...

>I figured the 3 liter batch cost about U.S.$ 7.00 worth of tea. This

>is O.K. for one time trial, but I'd like to continue with these teas,

>so I am trying to bring down the price...

>Do

I got a pound of organic white peony for under $20, admittedly I have

access to co-op prices, but I know others have said that they have paid

around the same. So I would shop around.

--V

~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~

--A.J. Muste

[Guest guest]

Just to butt into this conversation...you could brew a concentrate of

the tea (say for large scale KT brewing)you could brew 1/4 pound of tea

in 3 cups of water, then the second brewing you would brew in 2 cups,

then next would be 1.5 cups of water. That would probably be it for

White. For Pu-erh or other 'many brew teas' you could keep doing the

1.5 cups until it starts to dilute too much for your tastes. This is

how you would handle multiple brews, not by keeping the leaves around as

they would start to ferment (never mind the mold and such) which would

render the taste wrong.

With the resultant concentrate (mix all of it together before you pour

into the moulds), you would best be served to put that in 1 cup throw

away ziploc type containers with lids in your freezer. You can pop the

teacicle out of the container after it is frozen and put it in a large

ziploc bag that you can label with a sharpee with the type of tea. If

this is the first time you are doing this, you should get a couple of

1/2 cup containers and freeze in those up to two cups (4). This range

of smaller teacicle concentrate is to test how many of these teacicles

you would need per KT batch (whether you do gallons or half gallons).

For me using Pur-erh mixed with green tea teacicles, I use a half cup

pur-erhcicle and a cup green teacicle per gallon (if just green tea was

desired, it would be two cups). I made the pur-erh (200g cake) doing 4

brews with the last brew in a crockpot over night boiling (tibetan

style). Once done, Pu-erh is a strong tea so only need half as much or

less.

Once you have the teacicles formed and have tested your favorite tea (to

figure out the appropriate size of teacicle). You would then just boil

your water (or heat it to 180 to pasturize it if the mixing container

cannot tolorate boiling water) or even use cold water if that is what

you do (just make sure it is very filtered if you do cold) and drop your

teacicles in and add your sweetner of choice. Viola you have a KT

batch. Wait the appropriate amount of time to allow your KT Batch to

cool (if hot) and pour it in. Next batches are as easy as grabing the

teacicles out of the freezer, etc until you have to make another batch

of tecicles.

, you did not miss a post. It was my brain child.... After

Mark suggesting to re-use the same tea, I did not think I would want

to have this wet, slowly drying possibly mold collecting tea sit

around for 8 days until my next vessel is ready to be brewed. I also

would not use it for regular tea; except for kombucha, I don't

normally drink camelia sinensis tea, just herbal teas, lots of them.

So, because I was told it can be re-used, I came up with the (maybe

crazy) idea of using let's say 2 tsp of tea in one liter, then

re-using it again twice more. This way I would be using 2tsp. of tea

for the 3 liter batch, instead of 6 tsp tea, as I have done before. I

have to admit math has always been a challenge for me... However, I

don't want to be frugal and sacrifice in terms of getting best

possible benefits from my kombucha.

I had paid C$ 10.- per 10g of Dragon Pearl and C$6.- per 10g of White

Peony, (abt. U.S.$ 14.-) in a tea specialty place, not even organic...

I figured the 3 liter batch cost about U.S.$ 7.00 worth of tea. This

is O.K. for one time trial, but I'd like to continue with these teas,

so I am trying to bring down the price...

Do

--

mjkern2000@...

[Guest guest]

Thanks Mark, , and the other anonymous people for sharing all

your great ideas and knowledge! This is what makes this forum so

valuable. And hopefully, one day soon, I will be able to pass on some

of my experiences to others as well....

Do