TeaForum.org

When I bust off a chunk from a pu cake, I dont use the loose stuff that falls off. Ive found that it doesnt brew properly and comes out very bitter and astringent. I only use the main chunck. Ive noticed that I really am throwing away a lot of material. Do others do this, or have you learned the brewing parameters needed for the loose stuff?

I use it alongside the main chunk - I don't think I've had a noticeable problem with it adding lots of astringency, but it is a much smaller proportion of what's in my pot.

I brew with a combo of chunks and smaller bits. Tiny scraps and dust gets put in a jar and use for season/soaking new yixing if their fairly porous or smell.

Chadrinkincat wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 20, 2018 4:42 pm

I brew with a combo of chunks and smaller bits. Tiny scraps and dust gets put in a jar and use for season/soaking new yixing if their fairly porous or smell.

+1

That’s what I would do too. Crushed / broken bits would always add a slight bitter or astringent taste to the tea... you can try controlling the steeping time to limit the astringency of the tea... but if it’s an old tea you’re brewing, astringency should not be any issue all.

Cheers!

I don't put dust in, and the smallest bits tend to come straight back out again with the rinse, so it is really just the loose but not too tiny bits that go in.

I put in the gaiwan the bigger leaves in order to reach the weight target and toss the dust of the plate where I break the chunks, then finally move the leftovers to the bag

I add the dust from breaking up to the bags of chunks (these bags are what I store in my tea baskets/tea drawer). When I get to the end of a bag, and there is a lot of small stuff, I dump it into a small pot with fine holes (gets too messy in a gaiwan), and brew with care--shorter infusions, diluting more--because the fines release stuff faster, like a teabag. As long as I'm prepared for that, no problem. It may not yield the finest infusions, but it's not bad.

Put them in a large tin everytime you break a cake or have leftover from samples..
I have a few tins full from over the years.. I use it for making tea for kumbucha.
Or a strong grandpa style brew in a mug.

Emmett wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 23, 2018 2:28 am

Put them in a large tin everytime you break a cake or have leftover from samples..
I have a few tins full from over the years.. I use it for making tea for kumbucha.
Or a strong grandpa style brew in a mug.

Interesting I’m hearing more and more people from our tea community are making Kombucha, that’s how I started my tea journey years ago. Boiling the particles sounds like an idea, but better use a very fine strainer before feeding the scooby’s .

I put the dust under larger chunks, and make my first infusion or two quick. Works well and doesn't get too astringent if you aren't brewing for 30 seconds to a minute right away!

Brent D wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 20, 2018 1:57 pm

Ive noticed that I really am throwing away a lot of material.

Can't you use a tea knife, so that you safe more material?

TeaZero wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 24, 2018 3:50 am

Brent D wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 20, 2018 1:57 pm

Ive noticed that I really am throwing away a lot of material.

Can't you use a tea knife, so that you safe more material?

I use a tea knife, but I still find that theres a good amount of dust and scraps.

I broke up about 100 grams from a mushroom tuo today. I used a screened strainer to sift the broken tea and got about 7 grams of pretty fine powder. The tuo was pretty tightly pressed in the middle, so it broke a lot. I was pretty surprised to get 7% as powder, though.

I bought some tea bags to make some ... well ... bagged tea out of the powder.

The 93 grams looked pretty good though. I like this approach.

I just brew the larger bits with the chunk I broke off and then save the rest in the bag im storing the tea In at the time. Every so often I'll throw all the stuff at the bottom of a bag Into a pot and make teaspresso.

Usually I pick out the bigger pieces of debris and toss the smaller bits and the dust.