How Do You Know Its the Last Infusion?

[silvertip beard]

I've been stopping when the flavors get thin, and I usually notice some mineral flavors (maybe my crappy water).

How far do YOU push your puerh, and how do YOU know when you've made the last infusion?

 

[_JP_]

I stop when I'm not getting what I want out of it. That includes taste and mouth feel.

 

[Erik]

I stop when I can taste the fluoride.

 

[Shogun89]

I stop when it gets too thin, I just dont feel anything anymore except a little flavor. usually infusion 10ish.

 

[Sp1key]

unfortunately most of the time I dont get to the last infusion, time constrain or probably just off to another tea.

I'm sure hobbes has recently got pass many last infusions!

 

[Chicken Enchilada]

This may sound like sacrilege, but I usually quit after 5 (in one sitting). I sometimes go further, or come back to the tea later in the day.

 

[Sp1key]

This may sound like sacrilege, but I usually quit after 5 (in one sitting). I sometimes go further, or come back to the tea later in the day.

now that is fast!

 

[Chicken Enchilada]

now that is fast!

I think I drink slower than most people. I'll have to watch the clock tomorrow and see how long it takes to get through 5.

 

[Sp1key]

I think I drink slower than most people. I'll have to watch the clock tomorrow and see how long it takes to get through 5.

ok at least it sounds like you're fully enjoying every cup. I tend to gulp them down faster than most

 

[Hobbesoxon]

After a tea session, I box up the leaves and take them into my office for "background brewing" in a gaiwan. That's a nice way for me to continue my tea session without getting a ton of new caffeine. I tend to keep going until the infusions are coming out cold - after they need about 10-15 minutes to infuse, it's pretty much done.

(I make an exception for old teas, and brew them up to 30 minutes.)


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

 

[Sp1key]

After a tea session, I box up the leaves and take them into my office for "background brewing" in a gaiwan. That's a nice way for me to continue my tea session without getting a ton of new caffeine. I tend to keep going until the infusions are coming out cold - after they need about 10-15 minutes to infuse, it's pretty much done.

(I make an exception for old teas, and brew them up to 30 minutes.)


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

If only my office here is as relaxed!

 

[arghblech]

I'm slowly putting together an office kit. I really need to find a small (about the size of a piece of paper... maybe a bit less) tea tray that can be cleaned easily.

I have pretty much everything else.

 

[Scotto]

I just got a portable tea table from Steve that I am enjoying at work as I type. Very nice.

 

[silvertip beard]

I tend to keep going until the infusions are coming out cold - after they need about 10-15 minutes to infuse, it's pretty much done.

(I make an exception for old teas, and brew them up to 30 minutes.)


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

This seems like a nice natural intuitive guideline. Do you heat continuously during extended brewing?

Is it possible to achieve extended heated brewing? How does the tea turn out if extended brewing is done on a ~190 deg.F hotplate?

Puer Percolator, anyone? Hehe!

 

[silvertip beard]

Hobbes,

How bouts a lil lookie-lou at (pics of) yer "office-gungfu-desk-cha rig" sometime?

feelin groovy...

 

[Salsero]

Is it possible to achieve extended heated brewing?

You raise an interesting question for which I have no answer, however Tim recently publish a blog note on handling brewed out tea.

 

[arghblech]

With shu, I brew until I run out of time or the tea starts to remind me of overly strong iced tea.

With oolong I just know when to stop. Well except with certain lightly roasted oolongs. They can continue to put out a pleasant vegetal flavor for quite a while. Even cheap stuff sometimes.

With sheng... I'll be honest here. It takes a pretty spectacularly interesting tea for me to go past 14 infusions. I did it quite a lot as I was learning. This honestly taught me when I should quit. I drank a lot of tepid, sweet water before I learned.

Go to the extremes so you know why the guidelines exist. If you can't come up with a good reason you can discard the guideline.

 

[Chicken Enchilada]

I think I drink slower than most people. I'll have to watch the clock tomorrow and see how long it takes to get through 5.

I got through 7 infusions in 1 hour. That seems slow to me. How many do you guys get in 1 hour?

 

[Hobbesoxon]

This seems like a nice natural intuitive guideline. Do you heat continuously during extended brewing?

Is it possible to achieve extended heated brewing? How does the tea turn out if extended brewing is done on a ~190 deg.F hotplate?

Puer Percolator, anyone? Hehe!

I don't heat it continuously - just leave it in a gaiwan

I like Tim's suggestion of dedicating a vacuum flask or similar to brewing an old tea for longer periods.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

 

[Hobbesoxon]

Hobbes,

How bouts a lil lookie-lou at (pics of) yer "office-gungfu-desk-cha rig" sometime?

feelin groovy...

Voila! From last year: