OK to heat and drink tea that's been sitting (steeping) for a few hours?

I’d guess it would probably be pretty bitter after steeping so long, but safety-wise it should be fine! I would probably give it a try and see how it tastes.

Agree sith softrevolution. It is not going to make you sick-tea has anti-microbial properties. I’ve re-steeped drained tea leaves up to 24 hrs later. But since you left the leaves in the water, it may be bitter. So as softrevolution said, no harm in giving it a try and if it tastes good, go for it.

Report back and let us know how it went:)

In my experience it takes days before tea will turn mouldy. (And when you forget leaf in a pot and go away for a weekend and then come back, it’s totally disgusting too! Yay for glazed ceramics and china which can actually be cleaned out and disinfected real easy)

More likely it’s going to be undrinkable due to extreme bitterness. Give it a try if you’re curious, but in the end you might as well just brew a fresh cup.

You could try adding more boiling water to the pot. Often a separate pot of hot water is set on a tea tray to warm the pot/cup or reduce the strength.

I went to a tea tasting where the guy leading it said to put your teapot in the fridge between steepings, because the warmth and wetness combined with tea leaves can lead to bacteria growth. I have no idea if that’s true or not, just sharing for what it is worth.

I do this everyday. At work I put leaves into the cup, put the hot water into the cup, and then drink it all day. I havent had any problems with this method. Black tea kills cholera, you arent likely to get sick doing this either. I reinfuse three times, and drink this all day.

If I really like a tea that’s gotten weak and want to get a third-fourth steeping out of it I’ll let it steep 12+ hours.

Might not be the best tasting cup but it should be fine.