It gets bitter and you lose a lot of the other flavors.
Sorry, I misread this. Steep time is just intensity of flavor, temperature is what makes it go bitter. Steep time can still have lighter flavors get overwhelm,ed, but doesn't really do much as far as bitterness.
I want to add (tagging @infuziSporg ) that oversteeping tea can make it astringent. Astringency is the quality to make your mouth feel dry or fuzzy.
My advice is to experiment using a food/confectioner thermometer and the exact temps you prefer for a particular variety. At some point you learn to tell the temp of water just by looking at the water itself.
I've not had sumac, but I am familiar because I am native american.
Typically I stick to traditional tea, as my interest in tisane (the proper term for herbal tea) is purely medicinal.
Sumac tea is extremely astringent and I kinda like that quality. I actually like my black tea well-steeped; the prospect of tea-brewing being yet another thing to achieve narrow precision on makes me a bit anxious. I've always just gone by "let it really diffuse, just don't burn it outright".
For me it was less about the precision and more learning how to make something I like, which I believe is the ultimate goal. There are agreed-upon ideal ways to make tea, but with any comestible the goal is to make something you enjoy.
Don't be afraid to experiment with how you make things, you may find a way to get more enjoyment in your life.
TIL I've been drinking tea WRONG this entire time.
So what goes on in the infusion when you steep for 295 seconds instead of 245?
It gets bitter and you lose a lot of the other flavors.
Sorry, I misread this. Steep time is just intensity of flavor, temperature is what makes it go bitter. Steep time can still have lighter flavors get overwhelm,ed, but doesn't really do much as far as bitterness.
I want to add (tagging @infuziSporg ) that oversteeping tea can make it astringent. Astringency is the quality to make your mouth feel dry or fuzzy. My advice is to experiment using a food/confectioner thermometer and the exact temps you prefer for a particular variety. At some point you learn to tell the temp of water just by looking at the water itself.
Astringency, huh?
This is the part where I ask you if you've ever had sumac tea, an herbal infusion that I take quite a liking to.
I've not had sumac, but I am familiar because I am native american. Typically I stick to traditional tea, as my interest in tisane (the proper term for herbal tea) is purely medicinal.
Sumac tea is extremely astringent and I kinda like that quality. I actually like my black tea well-steeped; the prospect of tea-brewing being yet another thing to achieve narrow precision on makes me a bit anxious. I've always just gone by "let it really diffuse, just don't burn it outright".
For me it was less about the precision and more learning how to make something I like, which I believe is the ultimate goal. There are agreed-upon ideal ways to make tea, but with any comestible the goal is to make something you enjoy. Don't be afraid to experiment with how you make things, you may find a way to get more enjoyment in your life.