Re-using Tea leaves.
For most Camilla sinensis tea I’ve had, very few don’t yield more than 3 infusions. For most oolong I had with gongfu method, usually the best infusion happens between the 2nd to the fifth. Sometimes there are teas (mostly oolong or puerh) that are annoying in an adorable way – since they last more infusions than my tummy can hold, I have to keep them for a few to several days to make sure it steep everything from the tea and nothing is wasted.
To me it’s an iron-cast habit to re-steep every tea. Then I’ve become so stingy to even re-steep my chamomile teabags for multiple times – and I found those little chamomiles are quite re-steepable too!
I resteep every now and then, but it’s not something I do systematically. I tend to tire of the tea long before I can deplete the leaves, and then I go in search for something else. If it’s the last bit of a well loved tea, I’ll usually resteep it a few times, probably more times than it can really carry, just to put off the moment of saying goodbye.
But generally, resteeping around here is something that happens when I’m not sure what I want to drink and decide it’s easier to just do whatever leaves are in the pot. I use a fair amount of leaf, so type doesn’t really matter to me when it comes to resteeping.
Adding to your comments, I do not use a large amount of leaf- I think if I did; however, I would resteep even more because not doing so would increase the waste. Just my take on it.
I have to agree with Angrboda. Sometimes I resteep, and sometimes I don’t. It depends on my mood and if I want the same tea or something else. I look at tea as my healthy indulgence. I am not going to agonize over whether or not I steeped this one enough to get my money’s worth. It takes the enjoyment out for me and I know I am worth the few extra cents per cup. And if there is a tea I don’t like as much, I have given myself permission to rehome or even trash it. There is currently enough tea in my stash that it will be a very long time before I need more, so I might as well use my favorites up before it goes bad. My tea is for my enjoyment. I read something in Michael Harney’s book that has stuck with me, and this is a paraphrase: I only drink tea that makes me happy. (His German mentor only buys tea that makes him happy upon tasting it.)
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