# brewin' tea **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 21, 2002, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewin-tea/133197 "2002-10-21T06:32:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blown\_Injected](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Blown\_Injected](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blown_Injected)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewin-tea/133197/1 "2002-10-21T06:32:47Z")
one gallon, 8 bags, and 1.75 cups of sugar. does it matter if one dissolves it all in about 1.5 quarts of water and then dumps it in to the balance of water? tia, steve ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewin-tea/133197/2 "2002-10-21T12:00:04Z")
Depends - i’d guess their isn’t too much of an issue BUT Its going to be harder to get the strength right - if you make it all at the same time then you can judge the colour (And strength) a helluvah lot better. ---
**Author:** ![TelcontarStorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ab097/32.png) [@TelcontarStorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TelcontarStorm)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewin-tea/133197/3 "2002-10-21T15:04:58Z")
Flavor can also be affected by the water and it’s temprature. Well water can be nasty. If the water is very hot, past the boiling point, then the tea will be rather dark and bitter. Dark and bitter will also result if you let the bags sit in the hot water too long. If you’re dumping ice in it be sure to make it a tad bit stronger than you like as it will get watered down when the ice melts. To make this easier I’d suggest you use instant powder tea, but that stuff is Nasty. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewin-tea/133197/4 "2002-10-21T16:47:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TelcontarStorm \* > …If the water is very hot, past the boiling point, then the tea will be rather dark and bitter. You’ve got that the wrong way around - tea is bitter if the water _hasn’t_ boiled, not if it has. The aromatic oils are only soluble at higher temperatures, if the water isn’t boiling then you only release tannins which are bitter. > [@](#): > > Dark and bitter will also result if you let the bags sit in the hot water too long. That _is_ true. > [@](#): > > To make this easier I’d suggest you use instant powder tea, but that stuff is Nasty. Instant tea powder certainly is nasty, and not easier than bags either. Eight bags would only be enough for _half_ a gallon of tea the way I make it, so add a couple more especially if you intend to ice it. Ideally, all the water should be boiling when you add the tea bags, so if you don’t have a container big enough make it in batches. ---
**Author:** ![petsm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7c8e57/32.png) [@petsm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/petsm)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewin-tea/133197/5 "2002-10-21T18:53:20Z")
can get help on anything here! 8 bags/half gallon! seems strong! i usually add about 20% water and ice just to cut the sweetness of the near 2 cups of sugar - that is the way my SO likes it. how about squeezing the bags?