On 28 May 2009 17:54:41 -0400, Lewis Perin > wrote:

>Square Peg > writes:
>
>> I bought 100g of this Darjeeling:
>>
>> http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/ite...rom=search.asp
>>
>> I tried the recommended brewing parameters (2.25g/cup, 212°, 3:00).
>> Bitter, astringent, undrinkable. I tried various strengths all the way
>> down to just over 1g/cup and various steep times down to 1:00. The
>> best combination was 1.5g/cup, 212°, 2:00, but that was not that good.
>>
>> I almost put it away for another day when I decided to try it at a
>> cooler temperature. I just tried a pot at 1.5 g/cup, 180°, 2:00. What
>> a difference. No bitterness, no aftertaste, and very little
>> astringency. This is still not a tea that will be one of my favorites,
>> but it's certainly drinkable. I'll do a bit more experimenting.
>
>If you want to experiment some more, you might want to try it hotter
>than 180F, maybe around 195 or 200, with much more leaf and *much*
>shorter steeps, starting at 10 or 15 seconds. In other words, treat
>it like an oolong using gongfu techniques. A good Darjeeling might
>give you 5 or 6 enjoyable steeps that way, each one different.

Increase the steep time by 10 seconds or so each time?