On Mon, 05 Jun 2006 17:28:17 -0700, LurfysMa wrote:

> Is it true that a batch of tea leaves can be reused (re-steeped) at least
> once?
>
> I use a Chatsford teapot. I put the loose leaves in, add boiling water,
> set the timer, then pour it through a strainer into a cup or thermos.
>
> To make a second steep, can I just dump the leaves back into the pot and
> go again? I just tried that with a batch of Earl Grey. The second steep
> was slightly weaker than the first, but still fairly good.
>
> Is the second steep the same time as the first? Perhaps I should have
> steeped it a bit longer the second time.
>
> Is the second steep likely to be bitter? This one wasn't. It was actually
> a bit milder on both the taste scale as well as the bitterness scale.
> Everyone keep saying that steeping too long causes the tea to be bitter.
> How come two 3-minutes steeps are not bitter but one 6-minute steep is?

Steep once in the volume of one cup for 3 minutes, or once in the volume
of two cups for 6 minutes.
JB