Why you shouldn't brew tea twice: what are the exceptions?

True tea connoisseurs know how easy it is to ruin the taste of a drink by brewing it incorrectly. Water temperature and steeping should be appropriate for the type of tea. But many people like to brew it in large quantities and use the brew to the end, and sometimes even re-fill it.

OBOZREVATEL figured out how correct this is. And in what cases there are exceptions to the general rules of brewing.

The 15-minute rule

In fact, all the beneficial properties of a flavoured drink are retained in it for 15 minutes after brewing. After that, the leaves begin to give off too many tannins and nitrogenous substances. This makes the tea taste too tart and even bitter. In addition, it can be harmful to people with digestive problems. In particular, oversteeped tea should not be consumed by those with high stomach acidity.

What happens to tea after re-brewing

Tea gives off all its main benefits during the first pouring of boiling water. According to rough estimates, this way you can get up to 70% of all the substances for which the drink is famous. This means that the tea will have about 30% of its benefits left over after the second brewing. In addition, the taste of the tea suffers, as it becomes more blurred and does not reveal its bouquet as it should.

How many times can tea be brewed

When it comes to black tea, it should not be brewed again at all. Well-fermented leaves release all their nutrients at once. The second time around, it will have neither taste nor benefit. The same goes for herbal teas.

Meanwhile, less fermented teas - primarily green, but also white or red - are perfectly suitable for re-brewing. However, experts advise that each subsequent infusion should be 1-2 minutes longer.

Earlier, OBOZREVATEL talked about the most common mistakes when brewing tea.

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