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Originally Posted by beppe
Very useful post. Personally, I find those high steeping times for black teas too much for my taste. I like tea as it is, without sugar or milk or any flavoring added.
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The steeping for longer than 3 min has the purpose of waiting for the polyphenols to come into play. They change the tannin to be water insoluble and thus to be less agitating. The longer the brewing the less tannin/coffein is your body able to use from your tea.
This is one of the reasons why certain teas are recommended for breakfast and some for evening.
Most breakfast blends are made from broken teas. Steeping times are further depending on what kind of tea you are using. A broken tea will give its contents faster away than a whole leaf tea due to the higher surface rate.