Tuesday, February 24, 2009

How To Decaffeinate Your Tea Right at Home

There is a Chinese method of infusing tea that has led to a simple way for anyone to remove most of the caffeine from their tea, at home - in less than one minute.

Many commercial methods of extracting caffeine from tea are harsh and can affect the taste, the flavor and selection of the finished product. This 'Gongfu' method is approved by the Specialty Tea Institute.

Because most of the caffeine found in tea leaves ends up on the outside of the leaf during the drying process, a simple 'leaf washing' or 'pre-brewing' is all that's needed to remove 80-90% of the caffeine from any black, oolong or green tea.

This method allows decaf tea drinkers to experience a whole world of teas.

  • Measure the correct amount of tea leaves into the teapot.

  • Bring fresh, cold water to a rolling boil in a kettle or saucepan.

  • Immediately pour this water over the dry tea leaves in the pot, only covering the leaves with the water. Do not fill up the tea pot just yet.

  • Wait 30-45 seconds. Pour away this small amount of water using a strainer to catch any stray tea leaf. Put strays back into the pot. By doing this procedure, you allow the caffeine to dissolve, then you pour this concentrated caffeine solution down the drain.

  • Now fill up the tea pot with your hot water and brew as usual.

That's it! You've done it - decaffeinated your own fine quality loose teas at home, in less than one minute!

You may notice a slight decrease in flavor or strength with a few teas after using this technique. If this is the case, simply add an extra teaspoon of tea to the pot prior to the procedure.

Note: Anything over 1 minute really affects tea flavor and does not insure additional caffeine reduction.

2 comments:

Betty said...

How amazing! Thanks for sharing! I did not realize I could decaf my tea myself.

I always buy decaf tea because caffeine keep me awake if I drink it after 5 pm.

Coffee,Tea n' Potpourri said...

I hope you give it a try! Let us know how well it works for you :)