I cannot have caffeine, so have learned to decaf tea on my own. Whenever I mention this, people are curious about how to do it. So, I thought I’d share. It’s quite easy.
Just brew your tea as normal, but leave it in only 30 seconds. Pour off that water, then pour hot water over your tea and brew as normal. Almost all the caffeine is now down the drain with the first brew that you’ve thrown out. It’s as decaf as the commercially available “decaf” tea.
Bear in mind that you are getting minute amounts of caffeine even in what is labeled “decaf” in the store, and the same is true for what you decaf at home.
In a restaurant you can always ask for another cup and just brew the caffeine away in one cup then but the tea into a fresh cup to brew what you’re going to drink. Of course, in tea places they will know, and in some places – like the tea house at the Portland Chinese Garden – they will do it for you. But, if you want to be sure you can always do it yourself.
Leave a Reply