Obviously many teas benefit from re-steeping (not too mention it being
economical), but I'm curious about how and how long the leaves can be
stored between steeps.

For a decent oolong, 7 steeps is pretty average for me, but this means
that the tea is out for at least 2 or 3 hours. Is this okay? Do
the leaves go bad being wet and left out? Is there a limit? I
remember reading a while ago an inconclusive study regarding oolong
leaves that had been left out for a while and some bacteria (I
believe) growing in them that caused cancer among mice. (I know, it
sounds odd.) Has anyone else heard this and has anything been
substantiated?

Thanks!

> that the tea is out for at least 2 or 3 hours. Is this okay? Do
> the leaves go bad being wet and left out? Is there a limit? I

Ferris

I have heard of the bacteria bit but not the cancer.

Leaving the brew for too long is thought to be bad because the brew
contains amino acids, leave them for too long and they breed
bacteria. I am not quite sure how long is long, but even before that
happens, you should find that tea changes in color and favor...

It seems to be 2 to 3 hours are fine. That cancer thing ... never
heard before.

Julian
http://www.amazing-green-tea.com

By me, leaving leaves 2-3 hours is OK, I know many people who leave
them even overnight - but it depends on your climate, too, if it is
hot or cold. By me 6 hours is the most.

On Jun 17, 2:52 am, Ferris92 > wrote:
> For a decent oolong, 7 steeps is pretty average for me, but this means
> that the tea is out for at least 2 or 3 hours. Is this okay?

On Jun 17, 2:52 am, Ferris92 > wrote:
> For a decent oolong, 7 steeps is pretty average for me, but this means
> that the tea is out for at least 2 or 3 hours. Is this okay? Do
> the leaves go bad being wet and left out? Is there a limit?

As said before, depends on the tea, mood, weather and time of the day.
At the end of each gong-fu session I usually fill the pot or gaiwan
with hot water and leave it there overnight.
My pots seem to like it, and I have some cold drink to start the next
day with.
I neither think nor feel that I´m exposing myself to anything even
remotely harmful this way.
However, leaving them out overnight the way you described it they
usually smell "funny" and I wouldn´t necessarily try to re-steep them.
For myself it all boils down to "I trust my schnotz/guts rather than
my watch" and/or "no sleep between steeps". YMMV.

Karsten

Ferris92 > wrote in news:1182041562.896235.258240
@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com:
....
> For a decent oolong, 7 steeps is pretty average for me, but this means
> that the tea is out for at least 2 or 3 hours. Is this okay? Do
> the leaves go bad being wet and left out? Is there a limit? I
> remember reading a while ago an inconclusive study regarding oolong
> leaves that had been left out for a while and some bacteria (I
> believe) growing in them that caused cancer among mice. (I know, it
> sounds odd.) Has anyone else heard this and has anything been
> substantiated?
>
> Thanks!

In the presence of non-sterile air, ex-organic substances like tea
leaves will decay. In general, water helps decay along (that's why
drying is sometimes used as a preservation method). Cold delays this
process, hence refrigerators. :-)

As for the cancer, well, I think some bright person will garner a nobel
prize for conculsively proving that all laboratory mice are *born* with
cancer, and will die of it eventually unless something else kills them
off... :-))

Ozzy

My rule of thumb is 12 hours between steeps. That's because I never
go longer than that between making a pot. My last pot in the evening
is puer which I let set overnight and brew first thing in the morning
while waking up. I never heard of tea leaves gone bad during the next
rotation of the earth. I always use boiling water so I don't care if
my pot became a petri dish overnight.

Jim

PS Stress suppresses the autoimmune system causing cancer among other
things. Nothing relaxes me more each and everytime than making a pot
of tea. Instinctual mindfulness replaces stress. Your chosen path
will vary.

Ferris92 wrote:
> Obviously many teas benefit from re-steeping (not too mention it being
> economical), but I'm curious about how and how long the leaves can be
> stored between steeps.
>
> For a decent oolong, 7 steeps is pretty average for me, but this means
> that the tea is out for at least 2 or 3 hours. Is this okay? Do
> the leaves go bad being wet and left out? Is there a limit? I
> remember reading a while ago an inconclusive study regarding oolong
> leaves that had been left out for a while and some bacteria (I
> believe) growing in them that caused cancer among mice. (I know, it
> sounds odd.) Has anyone else heard this and has anything been
> substantiated?
>
> Thanks!

On Jun 17, 8:52 am, Ferris92 > wrote:
> Obviously many teas benefit from re-steeping (not too mention it being
> economical), but I'm curious about how and how long the leaves can be
> stored between steeps.
>
> For a decent oolong, 7 steeps is pretty average for me, but this means
> that the tea is out for at least 2 or 3 hours. Is this okay? Do
> the leaves go bad being wet and left out? Is there a limit? I
> remember reading a while ago an inconclusive study regarding oolong
> leaves that had been left out for a while and some bacteria (I
> believe) growing in them that caused cancer among mice. (I know, it
> sounds odd.) Has anyone else heard this and has anything been
> substantiated?
>
> Thanks!

I wouldn't worry too much about 2-3 hours, but I would worry about
serious deterioration in taste if said tea is an oolong or a green.
The tastes don't hold up that well, unless the tea happens to be a
roasted oolong that isn't sour at all.

MarshalN
http://www.xanga.com/MarshalN

My advice, as in most things tea-related, would be to let your tongue
be your guide!

Many teas are unaffected by being left in the air for a few hours,
while some (particularly the more "green" teas: baicha, lucha,
qingxiang wulong) tend to turn a bit "brown" in flavour if left to
sit. If you are planning to pause for a while, you might like to
ensure that the leaves are kept in a closed gaiwan or pot - the onset
of "brown" flavour seems faster without a lid (perhaps due to the
increased ventilation).

Leaving pu'er overnight (in a closed vessel) is a fairly normal habit
for me, particularly for the occassional rarer pu'er that I really
want to get the best out of, including another day's brewing. Also, I
have come across a few pu'er that actually tasted much better the
morning after, oddly enough, in which previously-absent vanilla tones
appeared from nowhere. Perhaps placed there by the pu'er fairy.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

"Ferris92" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Obviously many teas benefit from re-steeping (not too mention it being
> economical), but I'm curious about how and how long the leaves can be
> stored between steeps.
>
> For a decent oolong, 7 steeps is pretty average for me, but this means
> that the tea is out for at least 2 or 3 hours. Is this okay? Do
> the leaves go bad being wet and left out? Is there a limit? I
> remember reading a while ago an inconclusive study regarding oolong
> leaves that had been left out for a while and some bacteria (I
> believe) growing in them that caused cancer among mice. (I know, it
> sounds odd.) Has anyone else heard this and has anything been
> substantiated?
>
> Thanks!
>
I've reused leaves in my (covered) gaiwan over a 2 or 3 day period without
any (noticeable) ill effect.

Dean

The overnight taste to me is more purer than puer. It acts as a
mouthwash to clean the palette for the first morning pot. It's the
only tea I've found that overnight isn't more of the same in the
morning. It's a new day for different teas.

Jim

PS The leaves overnight cling to the pot in the morning after
brewing. I don't see that with normal multiple infusions. Perhaps
more evidence of the pu'er fairy.

HobbesOxon wrote:
....
> Leaving pu'er overnight (in a closed vessel) is a fairly normal habit
> for me, particularly for the occassional rarer pu'er that I really
> want to get the best out of, including another day's brewing. Also, I
> have come across a few pu'er that actually tasted much better the
> morning after, oddly enough, in which previously-absent vanilla tones
> appeared from nowhere. Perhaps placed there by the pu'er fairy.
>
>
> Toodlepip,
>
> Hobbes

I think that's the point. Since boiling or almost boiling
water is poured, one should assume that would kill
most bacteria. I was told in this forum that water
temperature is supposed to be increased for successive
steeps.

It would be different if you had to swallow the leaves ...


Space Cowboy ha escrit:
> I always use boiling water so I don't care if
> my pot became a petri dish overnight.

there is mold (fungus) that can cause cancer,
if its present in your house, on your tea... probably not likely.
boiling water on your tea for <3 minutes may not kill all the fungus/
spores.

bacteria that causes cancer? most likely you'll get diarrhea. time/
antibiotics are options.

cancer has many causes. its unlikely we can avoid all of them.