Re-using tea

[draggar]

My wife spent $300 at Teavana the other day (ouch) but got me a travel thermos and highly caffinated tea for work (yay!).

How many times can I re-use the tea (for example, when I drink it all, I can use the same leaves again )?

[lordlundar]

Really you can use them until they dissolve completely, but the end result is more diluted each time. You're going to have to experiment to see, as it's not only a different result each reuse, it also depends on your personal tastes.

A word of note, if you're going to reuse the leaves, then reuse them in a short time period (like if you want two cups instead of one), don't try to save them for a long run use. because the water and subsequent drying will turn them to powder after one attempt.

[draggar]

I wan't planning on long-term re-use. Maybe 1 TBSP for an entire day, then throw out the used leaves.

When my thermos is empty, put the strainer & leaves back in and re-use.

[LillFilly]

I've seen teas that are good for 2-4 infusions. Depends on the tea, how strong you want it to be, etc.

[draggar]

Cool, I don't think I'll do more than 4 in a day, most likely 3 tops since I tend to cut caffeine out early in the day and things can get busy.

[lupo pazzesco]

You can reuse that many times, but the brewing/steeping time will have to be progressively longer. First brew for 2-4 minutes, second for 5-7, third for 7-9, etc, etc. I've done this with different teas before, but it doesn't work as well for some as it does for others, you have to experiment.

If your wife likes Teavana, might I suggest adagio.com? Prices and quality are better, in my opinion.

[draggar]

Wow, that site is a lot cheaper, thank you.

The tea I have (Capital of Heaven Keemun) was $80 for an 8 ounce, on there 16oz is $34.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I usually get two fairly strong cups of tea out of a teaspoon or so of leaves; that's usually all I want but sometimes I'll make a third but I have to let it steep longer. I've never tried for more but then I rarely drink tea after lunch.

[draggar]

If your wife likes Teavana, might I suggest adagio.com? Prices and quality are better, in my opinion.

What would you recommend for a (highly) caffienated tea? I got Caital of Heaven Keemun from Teavana.

[CoffeeMonkey]

If your wife likes Teavana, might I suggest adagio.com? Prices and quality are better, in my opinion.

I LOVE Adagio! It's where my friend/roommate/fellow tea snob get all our tea. My favorite is the jasmine yin hao. Plain, mixed with mint, or mixed with peach black.

As for caffiene, it's highest in black teas. Also, most of the caffiene is steeped out in the first minute or so. So, if you're resteeping your tea leaves, you're not going to get more hyped up by steeping four times than you would once or twice.

[draggar]

I LOVE Adagio! It's where my friend/roommate/fellow tea snob get all our tea. My favorite is the jasmine yin hao. Plain, mixed with mint, or mixed with peach black.

As for caffiene, it's highest in black teas. Also, most of the caffiene is steeped out in the first minute or so. So, if you're resteeping your tea leaves, you're not going to get more hyped up by steeping four times than you would once or twice.

So I should toss in a caffeine pill with each other fill up?

The Keevana looks like a black tea but oddly is not on Teavana's list of "caffeinated teas".