Reinfusing Tea, Take Advantage of Your Loose Tea
Did you know you can reinfuse loose tea and make another cup or two with the same tea leaves ? So when you make another cup of tea, don't throw away the leaves. Many teas are famous for their ability to retain their flavor after re-infusion. In fact, in China, the first infusion is often discarded.
What teas can be reinfused?
Almost any loose tea can be brewed at least twice using the same leaves. Re-steeping tea leaves is not only a way to get more cups, but it's also important for understanding how tea's flavor varies and for extracting the most of the caffeine and antioxidants it contains.
All high-quality loose-leaf teas can be re-steeped , especially those with whole, unbroken leaves. The length of time you can use the same leaves will depend on many factors: how long the initial steeping lasted, what type of tea you're using, the shape of the leaves, etc.
Red tea or Pu Erh
Red teas, or Pu-erh, are aged for years, like fine wines, to acquire their distinctive flavor. Pu-erh is one of the teas that best withstands re-infusion , allowing the same leaves to be used 3 to 6 times.
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Blue tea or oolong tea
Some oolong teas have a very complex flavor that changes from one infusion to the next. A good quality oolong tea should have at least two or three infusions , if not more.
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Green tea
Most green teas re-infuse very well. A good quality green tea should be reusable two to three times.
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White tea
Although not generally known for their strong flavor, white teas have a clean, smooth taste reminiscent of spring and can withstand multiple infusions. Like green teas, you can brew two or three infusions with the same tea leaves.
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Black tea
Known for their strength and robustness, black teas do not hold up well to multiple infusions . Generally, the first infusion will be strong and full-bodied. The second and third infusions will still have pleasant, distinctive notes, but will not be as full-bodied. If you like full-bodied black teas, we recommend steeping the tea leaves for up to ten minutes for the second infusion.
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Herbal infusions
Some herbs work better than others with multiple infusions. Stronger-flavored infusions work best, but any herbal tea deserves a second infusion.
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Tips for reinfusing tea
Each tea has its own brewing instructions. It's important to use water at the right temperature and brew for the right amount of time. You can use our loose leaf tea brewing guide as a reference.
After the first infusion, it is not as important to pay attention to the temperature, as the bitter tannins mostly disappear during this first infusion.
For the second infusion, add 1 to 2 minutes to the original steeping time. For each additional infusion, continue adding 1 to 2 minutes until the flavor is exhausted.
Time between one infusion and another
The greatest enemy of tea is humidity and oxidation. Once tea leaves become moist, they begin to decompose much more quickly. Most teas need to be re-steeped within a couple of hours . After that, the teas no longer taste the same.
Can I wash loose tea leaves?
For certain types of tea, rinsing is highly recommended. Pu-erh teas tend to have a harsh flavor upon first infusion. Teas that tend to have an unpleasant astringency can also be rinsed. A quick rinse will remove unpleasant flavors.
Replantea packages only organic teas, ensuring that only tea leaves reach your cup, without harmful chemicals like pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers.
If you want to know more about why we choose organic tea at Replantea, you can read our article " Why Organic Tea? "
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