Question for distributors or insiders....
Ok, here’s my rookie question…I know that black tea steep times are based on maximizing flavor while avoiding bitterness….so here’s my question. If we stop steeping to avoid bitterness/astringency, but then we re-use the tea on another steep, aren’t we using tea leaves that are primed for bitterness/astringency? Or am I thinking crazy? (Not unusual)
As far as I know, it’s not the tea leaf but the tea water if that makes sense. Oversteeping is more like too much “flavoring” or something, but the tea leaves themselves are ok.
I’m neither a distributor nor an insider, but my very simplistic understanding is that too much tannin is what makes for bitter tea, and steeping too long or too hot causes more tannins to be released from the leaves into the water. If you re-steep using new water, you are starting fresh with no tannins yet released.
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