Tea bag squeezing

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

That's brilliant!

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

If I told you all how I made mine, you'll all think I've lost my ever-loving mind, and I might start a war, so keeping schtum lol

And woo, 5 girl comments in a row!

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I chose 'sometimes' because I only squeeze if the brew doesn't look dark enough for me.

That's what i do, if it looks too weak, i stir the bag round slowly then squeeze it against the inside of the cup with the back of the T spoon until its dark enough.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I use a teapot and loose leaf tea - though also to be fair also have teabags that I put loose tea in if I just want to make one cup - and will leave the bag in for ages to steep. So I'm being a fusspot as usual

I used to have a teapot and preferred loose tea to teabags unless i was in a rush, i used one of those metal sieves to stop the leaves going in the cup as for me there is nothing worse than tea leaves in your mouth, SWMBO wasn't a big tea drinker preferring instant coffee so i stopped using the pot (its a bit of a faff for one cup) and went back to bags, a few weeks ago SWMBO decided to stop drinking *instant coffee and is giving tea a try (hallelujah) i may bring the pot out of retirement.
*we still use the Tassimo

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[Chippy_Tea]

This video first highlighted the use of plastic in teabags in 2021 the list below is from 5/7/2022

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[Nottsbeer]

I love a strong brew....also squeeze the bag but that's only because I don't want a trail of drips to the bin (compost bin).

 

[Rodcx500z]

This get right up my nose, when you people putting milk in the cup then pouring tea in, how the bloody hell do you get the right color or do they just assume everybody likes it the same, if i just used milk for tea 1 pint would last about 6 months

 

[chthon]

I started this thread because I'd just read that squeezing the bag extracts unwanted extra tannins and acids that will (apparently) ruin your brew. Subjective to personal tastes I guess though.

A myth which is all too easily propagated in the homebrew world. Tannins are not extracted by mechanical (physical) action, only by chemical action. A high pH or too high temperature (yes, physical, but has chemical influence) is what extracts tannins.

I try to make my tea with water which has a lower pH, e.g. rainwater (ph < 7), instead of tap water (pH around 8).

W.r.t. to extracting wort and sugars, there are professional brewing installations which press the mash much harder after mashing and rinsing, than someone could do with his hands in BIAB.

 

[clib]

I know someone who did a job for a tea-blending company. I can't remember the exact details, but they learnt that it was along the lines of there are 23 grades of tea, and the mainstream teabag brands only use the bottom three...

This I do believe.

I've no Mrs now though so I have to spoil myself and take it back to bed.

 

[Agentgonzo]

I squeeze it so that it doesn't drip tea over the worktop. Nothing to do with flavour.

That's if I'm making a cup. Most of the time we make a pot. My wife normally goes through at least a pot a day.

 

[Agentgonzo]

I try to make my tea with water which has a lower pH, e.g. rainwater (ph < 7), instead of tap water (pH around 8).

I'm now wondering whether people will start acidifying their kettle on the same way we do with our mash water...

 

[Alastair70]

Leaf tea in an infuser for me when I drink it. Jack on the other hand likes to take things up a notch. Either way, no squeezing required.
(Photo from our over indulgent boys trip to LAB last May, Sunday breakfast in The Wolseley before heading to the comp).

 

[dad_of_jon]

I started this thread because I'd just read that squeezing the bag extracts unwanted extra tannins and acids that will (apparently) ruin your brew. Subjective to personal tastes I guess though.

I chose 'sometimes' because I only squeeze if the brew doesn't look dark enough for me.

Bottom line for me - I'll keep squeezing when required, because it definitely doesn't ruin my brew.

exactly. I swapped from yorkshire tea to glengettie because of the increasing amount of YT duds I was getting.

 

[dad_of_jon]

I have a teapot at work that I refill as I go through the day usually without changing the tea leaves over so it gets weaker through the day. One meeting a few years ago when I was carrying my teapot and mug in, the staffside union rep commented in surprise that he thought I was carrying it in on a silver tray... till I pointed out it was the back of my ipad... not a use I expect IT would have approved of.

nah as an ex IT manager i'm happy to approve of apple products as as tea tray. Just don't do it to windows surface devices

 

[Alastair70]

I’ve got an old predecessor of one of these. The guy who owns Suki Tea is a friend of a mate of mine, we got very hammered at a local festival a lot of years back and I’ve been going through regular cycles of drinking it again. I’m on one now as an alternative to school night bevies.

https://suki-tea.com/red-glass-teapot

 

[Sadfield]

Make tea, wait 5-10 minutes until its cool enough, drink tea, throw bag away.

 

[marshbrewer]

I always squeeze the bag to obtain the correct colour, otherwise its too wishy washy, and wifey says I make the best cup of tea in the world, which definitely isn't a wheeze to get me to make every single cup of tea in the house.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I'm now wondering whether people will start acidifying their kettle on the same way we do with our mash water...

Oh yes, serious tea and coffee people obssess over their water just as much as brewers.

And Yorkshire and I think others do a version for hard water areas.

 

[WillFrites]

Loose tea drinker here.

 

[clib]

Loose tea drinker here.

Loose tea costs lives.


I think I heard.