Hello!

First post.

How does this group view oils that are on a cup of tea after tea has
been steeped.

Of course there are essential oils in tea and it would seem that
fresher teas should contain more oils, but does it also seem like
lower quality, mass market teas seem to contain more accumulated oil
on a cup?

Thoughts?

And many thanks.

I enjoy reading this group. Wealth of information.

On Jun 24, 6:13 pm, bsclark81 > wrote:
> Hello!
>
> First post.
>
> How does this group view oils that are on a cup of tea after tea has
> been steeped.
>
> Of course there are essential oils in tea and it would seem that
> fresher teas should contain more oils, but does it also seem like
> lower quality, mass market teas seem to contain more accumulated oil
> on a cup?
>
> Thoughts?
>

Actually my experience is that the "film" that is on top of steeped
tea is not an oil but is present when tea is made with water that has
a high mineral content or impurities. Make the same tea with Reverse
Osmosis or distilled water side by side to your regular steep and you
won't see that film on top of the tea. Now with distilled water you
will get a flat tasting tea. I actually use a blend of Reverse Osmosis
water with about 10% spring water to get the right mineral content and
the best flavor in my opinion.

wrote:
> On Jun 24, 6:13 pm, bsclark81 > wrote:
>> Hello!
>>
>> First post.
>>
>> How does this group view oils that are on a cup of tea after tea has
>> been steeped.
>>
>> Of course there are essential oils in tea and it would seem that
>> fresher teas should contain more oils, but does it also seem like
>> lower quality, mass market teas seem to contain more accumulated oil
>> on a cup?
>>
>> Thoughts?
>>
>
> Actually my experience is that the "film" that is on top of steeped
> tea is not an oil but is present when tea is made with water that has
> a high mineral content or impurities. Make the same tea with Reverse
> Osmosis or distilled water side by side to your regular steep and you
> won't see that film on top of the tea. Now with distilled water you
> will get a flat tasting tea. I actually use a blend of Reverse Osmosis
> water with about 10% spring water to get the right mineral content and
> the best flavor in my opinion.
>

Which brings up a question.

Is there a guide for the correct water for particular teas?

I know in competitive brewing, when a brewer begins his setup for
brewing a particular style of beer, he starts with creating the correct
mineral content in the water, and I can only assume the same is correct
for tea. Although I know this may be something only done by the most
persnickety of connoisseurs, which I am not.


AP

On Jun 24, 6:13 pm, bsclark81 > wrote:
> Hello!
>
> First post.
>
> How does this group view oils that are on a cup of tea after tea has
> been steeped.
>
> Of course there are essential oils in tea and it would seem that
> fresher teas should contain more oils, but does it also seem like
> lower quality, mass market teas seem to contain more accumulated oil
> on a cup?
>
> Thoughts?
>
> And many thanks.
>
> I enjoy reading this group. Wealth of information.

Generally this is always something _other_ than the tea. It can be
from brewing in a disposable cup (waxed/styrofoam/etc.) It can also be
from tea residue or soap residue from cleaning the cup. Last, as has
been said, it can be attributed to the water used.

I use fresh, clean spring water when possible, and otherwise will use
some sort of filtered water (Brita, Dupont, or water cooler).

I've had this happen with a few teas and it took me a while to find
the real culprit, it has never been the tea itself.

- Dominic

The sheen in the cup are the sometimes visible clumped tannins which
react to minerals in the water that stain your pot. I think some teas
leached these polyphenols easier than others. I like sipping the
residue concentrate but make sure you get your teeth cleaned every six
months. You can try changing water if too messy.

Jim

bsclark81 wrote:
> Hello!
>
> First post.
>
> How does this group view oils that are on a cup of tea after tea has
> been steeped.
>
> Of course there are essential oils in tea and it would seem that
> fresher teas should contain more oils, but does it also seem like
> lower quality, mass market teas seem to contain more accumulated oil
> on a cup?
>
> Thoughts?
>
> And many thanks.
>
> I enjoy reading this group. Wealth of information.

> Of course there are essential oils in tea and it would seem that
> fresher teas should contain more oils, but does it also seem like
> lower quality, mass market teas seem to contain more accumulated oil
> on a cup?
>
> Thoughts?
>
> And many thanks.
>
> I enjoy reading this group. Wealth of information.

There should be no essential oils at all in the tea that you drink.
Those oils would have been lost during the drying or cooking process
depending on which tea you are drinking. If you are thinking "tea
tree" oil, that is a different plant altogether.

Some very popular green teas like Longjing sometimes have oils added
to them to try to make the leaf look greener or fresher. I got a
beautiful batch of Qie She that I am not touching simply because the
leaves are too beautiful. I have never seen shiny tea before...

Actually, I did try to brew a bit of it when I first got it to prove
my hypothesis that they had added something. What set me off was when
someone told me that I had to "wash" the green tea; something that is
NEVER done in the countryside or when drinking greens. I drank that
first brew and it was digusting. The later brewings were better, but
I don't want to drink a tea that has been laden with "soap" to
preserve the beauty of the leaves.

bsclark81 > wrote:
>
>How does this group view oils that are on a cup of tea after tea has
>been steeped.

By putting our eyes right down to the edge of the cup and looking at it
in reflected light.

>Of course there are essential oils in tea and it would seem that
>fresher teas should contain more oils, but does it also seem like
>lower quality, mass market teas seem to contain more accumulated oil
>on a cup?

Not really. Some teas are oily and some are not and I don't see any real
correlation.

Some older stale teas that may have been fried up a bit to "perk them up"
will be extra-oily, though.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On Jun 24, 3:13 pm, bsclark81 > wrote:
> Hello!
>
> First post.
>
> How does this group view oils that are on a cup of tea after tea has
> been steeped.
>
> Of course there are essential oils in tea and it would seem that
> fresher teas should contain more oils, but does it also seem like
> lower quality, mass market teas seem to contain more accumulated oil
> on a cup?
>
> Thoughts?
>
> And many thanks.
>
> I enjoy reading this group. Wealth of information.

There was a big discussion on this very subject last month. And
previously.
Here's the link -
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.f...1 b9ee3651535
Sometimes, it helps to "search this group" because many topics have
already been touched upon.
Shen