For How Long do you Mash/Brew/Infuse your Tea?

[mawnansmiff]

It appears that tea giant PG Tips has upset the traditional tea drinkers of the UK with their new fangled 60 second teabag . Apparently they spent £50m in bringing it to market which quite baffles me.

Now I'm no purist but I do like a properly made cuppa and I'm struggling to see how 60 seconds would be sufficient time to get the best of your tea be it teabags or loose tea.

My preference is to make it in the cup/mug using a teabag. I pour on the water then squish the teabag with a spoon against the cup/mug to expel the air and allow the teabag to fully submerge.

After 2 - 3 minutes I'll then squish the teabag a couple more times before bringing it out with tea tongs and give it one final squeeze afore ditching it.

If I was to use one of my teapots then I would allow the tea to mash for at least 4 minutes (in a prewarmed pot) simply because I wouldn't be able to get the teabags to sink. Of course loose tea would be no problem.

So guys, do you think this might catch on? I have my doubts.

Tea purists divided over new 60-second brew

Tea purists are divided over claims being made by the makers of a new 60-second brew.

www.bbc.co.uk

Regards,

Jay.

 

[greeneyes]

Imagine not having five minutes to brew a proper cup of tea.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I am absolutely certain that you would turn your nose up at the traditional Southern mint iced tea that I make.
I steep for three minutes, 2 family sized tea bags and about 2 oz of my home grown mint. Then add one cup of sugar, and pour into a gallon sized container and add water to top it off to a gallon. Then, in the fridge till cold.

I've tried to drink tea the English way, but I just never developed a taste for it. But, I am smart enough never to offer an Englishman my tea.

 

[elpfeife]

I formerly used a steep time of 3-4 minutes, but now let it steep for 5 minutes. Much prefer it this way. PG Tips is not going to get me as a customer!

 

[shanez]

40-60 seconds depending on the leaf and how many times I've already steeped it.

 

[cshubhra]

Tea intended for bags undergo additional processing (Like CTC, etc…) so that they infuse quickly (Primarily due to the increased surface area in contact with water)

 

[jpmcwjr]

Kinda like how dry/moist do you like xyz blend before loading your pipe.

I say, steep to your heart's content be it 40 seconds or 40 minutes.... Add warmed milk or cream, a touch of sugar. But, nah, for me now it'll be another cappuccino!

 

[cshubhra]

I steep my teas between 3-5 minutes depending on the type of the tea I am drinking

 

[Kobold]

I steep for 2 minutes, squeeze out the bag add sugar and milk. I love pg tips but will be passing on these 60 second bags.

 

[scloyd]

I steep between 2-10 minutes depending on what else I'm doing. I never time it.

 

[Flatfish]

Three or four minutes.
Remove (usually with fingers, sometimes a spoon)
I don't squeeze because squeezing releases tannic acid making the tea more bitter.
Small drop of milk. I do the milk myself, other people put too much in.

Teapot about the same time. Pour, then add milk.

 

[warren]

4-5 minutes, until I can't see the spoon below the surface. I put out birdseed or something while it steeps.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

Five minutes if I'm paying attention. If I get distracted and am doing something on the computer, longer by several minutes (unfortunately), but I try not to do so.

 

[ashdigger]

5 minutes. I set a timer on my watch, because if I don’t it can steep for up to 8 days

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

3 to 5 minutes dependent upon the type of tea. But I'm also not anal retentive about it either. It is not a perfect science. I'm not sure I want to drink tea they've somehow processed to steep in 60 seconds.

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

Never timed it... Just go by how dark it gets for the specific tea

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

It appears that tea giant PG Tips has upset the traditional tea drinkers of the UK with their new fangled 60 second teabag . Apparently they spent £50m in bringing it to market which quite baffles me.

Now I'm no purist but I do like a properly made cuppa and I'm struggling to see how 60 seconds would be sufficient time to get the best of your tea be it teabags or loose tea.

My preference is to make it in the cup/mug using a teabag. I pour on the water then squish the teabag with a spoon against the cup/mug to expel the air and allow the teabag to fully submerge.

After 2 - 3 minutes I'll then squish the teabag a couple more times before bringing it out with tea tongs and give it one final squeeze afore ditching it.

If I was to use one of my teapots then I would allow the tea to mash for at least 4 minutes (in a prewarmed pot) simply because I wouldn't be able to get the teabags to sink. Of course loose tea would be no problem.

So guys, do you think this might catch on? I have my doubts.

Tea purists divided over new 60-second brew

Tea purists are divided over claims being made by the makers of a new 60-second brew.

www.bbc.co.uk

Regards,

Jay.

Probably all fannings and dust - mostly dust is my guess

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

I like to let a teabag stand for at least 5 minutes and I agitate it during those 5 minutes. I like a strong tasting cup.

 

[romaso]

The Yorkshire Tea website says color develops before flavor, meaning just because it looks dark enough doesn't mean it is. I steep loose tea for 5-6 minutes.

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

Imagine not having five minutes to brew a proper cup of tea.

I remember when they introduced the round teabag then the pyramid shape teabag back in the 1990's. It was supposed to allow the leaves more room to move, or something. Didn't taste any different to me.

I bet they spent a lot of money on r&d and had some smart fellows working on that. I mean, working on the pyramid teabag is inventing something. Not exactly the Wright brothers though, is it?