Tea Extracting

[michaelsil1]

I've been extracting Tea with (I consider) little success, to me it isn't strong enough. So I just gave some of it away sadly giving up my quest. Ever since I gave it away I've been getting phone calls regarding the wonderful taste and can you make some more with extra Flavor.

 

[SouthernBliss]

I know I have read, but did you do cold or hot tea extractions? I did a cold extraction on some green tea it turning bitter. But it was bitter anyway and I thought rather weak as well. Since its going to go bitter on me no matter what I think next time I'll just go ahead and do a hot vg extraction and see if it comes up stronger. I've also been thinking perhaps of using weaker flavorings that I do in VG as the vg percentage rather than as a separate flavoring.

 

[michaelsil1]

I used cold extraction with PG. I had a brilliant thought yesterday: why not add more Tea to the previous extraction you'll get more Tea Flavor. Needless to say I ran to the Tea shop and bought more Tea.

 

[SouthernBliss]

Sounds reasonable to me!

 

[buffaloguy]

This is correct. Especially with cold extraction. You need more tea.

Heat extraction will produce faster results, and you can use less tea. However some people feel this produces a bitter result. Yet the key is to know when to pull the tea leaves out. Just as making a cup of tea results in bitter tea if you leave the leaves sit in hot water too long... the same will happen with either hot or cold extraction in pg or vg.

I use heat extraction and about one and a half tablespoons of loose tea per 30 ml of pg. This will yield about 12-15 ml of extract. I use my crock pot and a beaker in a hot water bath at 125° for about 45 mins. Then triple strain thru coffee filters.

Ive yet to make a bitter batch but where I may not taste bitter, you may so adjust accordingly.

 

[michaelsil1]

I had to try something that particular extract has an amazing taste.

 

[glasseye]

Buffaloguy, what percentage of your extract do you end up using? I would love to get my Thai tea to work.

 

[mecocina]

I have some tetley british blend black tea (Kenyan and Assam) maturing just over a week. I used two tea bags with 1 oz each of PG and VG. It smells really good. I hope it come out okay.

 

[Sm0kyBlue]

Any body every try to use one of these??

 

[michaelsil1]

This is correct. Especially with cold extraction. You need more tea.

Heat extraction will produce faster results, and you can use less tea. However some people feel this produces a bitter result. Yet the key is to know when to pull the tea leaves out. Just as making a cup of tea results in bitter tea if you leave the leaves sit in hot water too long... the same will happen with either hot or cold extraction in pg or vg.

I use heat extraction and about one and a half tablespoons of loose tea per 30 ml of pg. This will yield about 12-15 ml of extract. I use my crock pot and a beaker in a hot water bath at 125° for about 45 mins. Then triple strain thru coffee filters.

Ive yet to make a bitter batch but where I may not taste bitter, you may so adjust accordingly.

I'm glad you said something about being careful on the second extraction it was just starting to get bitter today so I stopped it. It tastes much stronger right now.

 

[buffaloguy]

I use the same method for every extraction but I concentrate mostly on black teas and white teas. Im not a huge green tea fan. So my results are pretty consistant for my vapes. Black tea extracts I use between 10%-12% flv but I like my tea vapes strong. White teas I have too use more between 15%-17% but remember white teas are very delicate. Concentrated but delicate flavor wise. You may want to start at 5% and move up from there. Make several 3-5ml samples for yourself at different percentages. Youll find your sweetspot flavor wise.

Add koolada at 2% (low effect)-5% (high effect) if you want more of an iced tea vape.

Buffaloguy, what percentage of your extract do you end up using? I would love to get my Thai tea to work.

 

[michaelsil1]

I like the Black Teas as well.

There's this little shop in Santa Monica that makes their own Bulk Tea Blends. I've found a couple of Spice Teas that have the most unbelievable smell and taste.

 

[subver]

I'm curious about extracting tea with grain alcohol, then evaporating the grain alcohol down to a very manageable size (so it's super concentrated and [ideally] you wouldn't need a lot of it)
Thoughts?

 

[michaelsil1]

I'm curious about extracting tea with grain alcohol, then evaporating the grain alcohol down to a very manageable size (so it's super concentrated and [ideally] you wouldn't need a lot of it)
Thoughts?

I was talking with my buddy about this. He said if you can't get enough flavor from the PG extraction try add 20% Everclear the next time. I don't think you'll need it try just using PG or VG or both.

 

[Sm0kyBlue]

So...

no body has tried the strainer I showed??

 

[basylica]

So...

no body has tried the strainer I showed??

I wouldn't think that would work. PG and VG is thicker and ideally you want the most surface area to leaf ratio to maximize flavor.
thats why people still prefer to brew loose leaf. higher flavor, less time = less bitter.

I haven't tried making this yet, but i'd think starting with lukewarm pg/vg and allowing it to cool would be best?

I will comment that i've been an avid coffee drinker since I was 1 (I kid you not. mom let me have a sippy of the stuff!) and at one point in my late teens could go through a 12pk of mt dew in a day.
So suffice to say, I am a girl who can handle my caffine.
I started making "cold brew" coffee, where you put quite a lot of coffee grounds in cold water and let it sit at room temp or in fridge for 12-24hrs then strain.
I'd mix it with a little vanilla syrup and add milk. and the first few days I had to lie down I was getting woozy and light headed. I thought maybe it was my ADD meds....nope. Evidently I was getting some MAJOR caffine highs!

I'd be worried about that with the extractions....doh~!