Moldy Observation
I often reuse loose leaf left over from the day before. After the first day’s use, I drain off all the moisture, then spread the leaf out in my press and leave the lid off. I have never had a problem doing this.
I also have a bowl where I dump all my spent leaf. Once it accumulates it goes to the compost. Never had an issue here either until this morning.
A couple days ago I put a half ounce of CTC dust in the bowl. Today is was a bit blue.
I guess my point is even if you reuse whole loose leaf like I do, you may be taking a risk with CTC. It holds the moisture too well to take the chance.
Wow, that’s different. I have left used leaves in the pot for a couple weeks before and even that didn’t mold. I guess to be fair it dried out at some point though. Also, I know I shouldn’t do that, it was an oversight from having multiple pots on the go. Whoops.
It is the first time I recall putting dust/fannings in the compost bowl. Sure didn’t take long.
It varies wildly by climate. Unfortunately I can’t resteep anything that’s sat overnight, because it’s crazy humid here (same reason I have to store all of my spices in the freezer, ugh, and why when I reseason cast iron no matter how thoroughly I dry it I have to store it overnight in the oven to dry it out to prevent rust). I too store spent leaves in a (glass) container until I can toss them in the garden, and it molds before I blink.
I was thinking it was climate too. It’s dry where I am and I’ve seen my roommates CTC leftovers sitting on the counter for days without mold issues. He leaves tea leaves and coffee grounds out often – usually takes awhile for the mold to come (and I get angry and clean it up)
on that note, omg that’s gotta be a PITA to freeze spices!
It is useful to reuse the used leaves. The used leaves still have strong ability to adsorption peculiar smell.
The climate will affect the mold. So you can put the used leaves in a well ventilated and sunny place to prevent it mold.
My home is air conditioned and I maintain a pretty consistent humidity level. So the appearance of mold so quickly surprised me. This was definitely due to the tiny size of the leaf dust and how tightly the leaf clung together. All the whole unbroken leaf and even large broken pieces have never had mold after a week in the compost bowl. Just be careful with reusing CTC.
Hey all…I’ve found that putting steeped leaves (usually still in the gaiwan) in the fridge helps to keep them in good shape for re-steeping. I have had a few encounters where I have revisited the leaves (unrefrigerated) the next day and some funky chemistry was taking place under the gaiwan lid…ugh. What teas do you all reuse? I honestly really only ever reuse pu-erhs…
Login or sign up to leave a comment.