How long shall we brew tea on 2nd brewing?

I noticed that many people are uncertain about how long to infuse tea for the 2nd brewing. Often, they tend to brew the 2nd infusion longer than the 1st, perhaps thinking that this is necessary to extract flavor properly.

2nd brewing must be kept short

During the 1st brewing, the tealeaf is dry, so it is necessary to infuse a little longer—or rinse the leaves once or twice, similar to Gong Fu brewing—to warm up and soften the leaves. However, the 2nd brewing is different. The leaves are already unrolled, soaked, and warmed up. Even while waiting for the next infusion, extraction continues naturally. Therefore, a very short infusion is sufficient. For the 2nd brewing, I often infuse for only a few seconds—sometimes I pour the water over the leaves and immediately pour it out.

We tend to brew longer due to the threshold of taste

Many people believe that brewing the 2nd infusion for a minute or more produces the right taste. Interestingly, even if you brew for 1 second, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, or 60 seconds, you can still enjoy the tea. This is because of the human threshold of taste: our sensors cannot precisely detect concentration. Even if the tea is twice as strong, our perception may not distinguish it. This explains why we tend to brew tea thickly, without realizing that it may already be strong enough.

How to maintain good flavor over the 6th infusion?

Some customers say they only enjoy Japanese green tea or black tea up to the 2nd infusion, finding later brews too light. Often, this happens because the 1st brewing was too long. I suggest shortening the 1st infusion slightly and keeping the 2nd brewing to just a few seconds. Over-brewing the 1st infusion opens the leaves too much, causing most flavor compounds to be lost in the 2nd brew.

To maintain consistent taste and flavor over multiple infusions, I sometimes mix the 1st and 2nd brews in a pitcher to even out the concentration. From the 3rd infusion onward, I generally brew for just a few seconds, extending only slightly if the flavor begins to lighten.