Green Tea Forum

streetspirit · Posted: Apr 23, 2007 10:57 pm Post subject: Multiple infusions vs. nutrition

Has there been any scientific study that measured how antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, etc... are distributed over multiple infusions?

I read that caffeine is mostly spent on the first infusion, but is this true for all the other compounds as well?

Ryan · Sensei Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 475

Streetspirit I have wondered the same thing. I read one website claiming most of it comes out in the first infusion.. But that could be marketing...

I agree, what we really need is scientific evidence in order to authoratatatively conclude to what extent subsequent infusions impart the nutrients...

RichardThrower · Uh, Can I Add Sugar? Joined: 30 Mar 2007 Posts: 10

As I have had it explain to me that a bulk of beneficial aspects of green tea would be leached out in the first infusion. Chemically that is usually how something as low in processing anddensity would react when coming in contact with hot water. The amount of each concentration of vitamins, antioxidants etc, would probably matter how much tea and water you use during each infusion.

syntheticpanda · 2nd Degree Black Belt Joined: 07 Nov 2006 Posts: 198

I'm not so sure about this idea. If everything were to leech out in the first infusion, shouldn't we also expect the bulk of the flavor and color to come out in the first brew as well? Clearly this isn't always the case, so I get the feeling that nutrient extraction is more complicated than that. Sure, caffeine seems to follow this rule, but different compounds have different physical and chemical properties that have to be accounted for. Unfortunately, I don't have anything useful to contribute to this discussion-- I just wanted to restate this point.

spacesamurai · 2nd Degree Black Belt Joined: 02 Feb 2007 Posts: 204

I am with you. I think if you're still getting color and flavor, you're probably still getting nutrients and anti oxidants as well.

I re-steeped a tbsp of silver needle four times in an hour, and I was definitely buzzing a bit.

NebulaMask · Uh, Can I Add Sugar? Joined: 31 Jan 2008 Posts: 3

My wife recently bought a tea diet book by Mark Ukra and it says,

"caffeine is very soluble and leeches out when in contact with water. L-Theanine, EGCG and the other cellular structures that make up tea are not anywhere as soluble and remain in subsequent steeps."

FataliTEA · Posted: Feb 01, 2008 12:46 am Post subject:

NebulaMask, did the book cite a reference for that passage?

NebulaMask · Uh, Can I Add Sugar? Joined: 31 Jan 2008 Posts: 3

No... but the author is well known as an authority on tea, has been on all sorts of TV programs (including being featured on modern marvels on the history channel) and runs a tea shop in LA... (although is not a nutritionist, etc.)

Below is a link to his shop's website which has information about him, his shop, videos, contact information, etc.

http://www.teagarden.com/default.asp

olivierco · Brown Belt Joined: 01 May 2007 Posts: 71 Location: France

according to "new tastes on green tea" by Mutsuko Tokunaga

one third of the solid matter of tea leave is watersoluble.
You will get from the watersoluble components:
40% in first batch
30% in second batch
20% in third batch
10% for the additional servings

FataliTEA · Posted: Feb 01, 2008 4:28 am Post subject:

All the he said/she said stuff is interesting, but what the author of this thread implied is that they're looking for a scientific study on the subject.

syntheticpanda · 2nd Degree Black Belt Joined: 07 Nov 2006 Posts: 198