Tea

[cowgrrl]

If you re-steep the same tea bag you used for your first cup of tea, does it count as a second cup of tea (caffeine-wise)? Or is it still your first cup of tea, just extended?

Comments

[plumtreeblossom]

First cup, I would certainly think. I'm pretty sure the caffeing measurement is total of the tea leaves in the bag. Ther's only a finite amount of caffeine in there, so you should be able to steep it as many times as you want and still have it on;y count as on cup.

[quezz]

That depends on the strength of the tea. Cafeine-wise, you're getting whatever steeps out of the tea twice, so you are definitely getting more of it if drink a second cup of tea. How much depends on how strong the first cup of tea was. The chemicals don't just "wash out" with the first cup of tea.

[awfief]

Actually, most of the caffeine comes out in the first 30 seconds of steeping.

you can Google search for "tea caffeine steep" to find a bunch of sites that say that, and I haven't found anything that says "that's an old wives' tale".

(It's on lifehacker.....)
http://lifehacker.com/software/caffeine/cut-80-of-the-caffeine-from-your-tea-206574.php

[moonpuppy61]

Re-steeping your tea bag is a new cup of tea. Just has diminishing returns. I normally do it when I'm in the office.

[verucas_chaos]

It can't possibly be as much caffeine, so no it doesn't count as second :-) in MHO !

[logisticslad]

If I remember correctly, most of the caffeine diffuses into the tea very quickly when the leaves meet the hot water. So there isn't much left to caffeinate a second steeping.