First of all, tea leaves can definitely be brewed multiple times without any problem. The only thing that changes is the content of dissolved substances in the tea soup, which affects the taste of the tea. When the dissolved substances in the tea soup become too sparse, the tea is still drinkable, but it may taste bland.

As for whether multiple brews affect the dissolution of effective components in tea, refer to the following table, which shows the dissolution study of Huangshan Maofeng brewed at different temperatures multiple times. Here, C1-C5 represent five brews, each brewed for 1 minute, and the dissolved components were measured afterward.

From the table above, it can be seen that when brewed with 100°C water, except for caffeine, the dissolved substances in the first brew are generally less than in the second brew. From the second brew onward, the dissolved substances gradually decrease (meaning the tea flavor becomes lighter). However, when the water temperature is lowered, this situation changes. When the temperature is reduced to 70°C, the dissolved substances in each brew are roughly the same.

This shows that when brewing green tea like Huangshan Maofeng, it is generally acceptable to brew it up to 3 times.

Practical experience:

Once, at a tea market, a merchant served orchid-scented Mengding Ganlu brewed with water at around 50°C. Three people drank over 10 brews, and the tea still had a rich aroma. This indicates that the tea had a high content of various substances, and brewing at a lower temperature slows down the dissolution of effective components.

Here are some tips for brewing tender green tea:

1. Use lower water temperature, around 80°C.

2. There’s no need to rinse the tea leaves. If you must, pour water quickly and discard it immediately.

3. If brewing in a glass (without separating the leaves from the water), don’t wait until all the water is drunk before adding more. Instead, add water when half or two-thirds of the cup remains to balance the concentration of each brew.

4. Generally, tender green tea is best brewed up to 3 times.

Finally, here’s a study on how brewing conditions affect the dissolution of substances in Pu-erh tea. The table shows that for both raw and ripe Pu-erh tea, the dissolved substances decrease as the number of brews increases. Therefore, when brewing, the steeping time should be gradually extended to allow more effective components to dissolve and maintain the tea’s flavor.