Using tea for tannins

[VineandFigTree]

Hi everyone. I've used commercial wine tannin as well as raisins in my batches. The notion of trying dark/black tea appeals to me. Would anyone have a recommendation as to what amount of tea I should use (per gallon) in place of, for example, raisins? I do realize it will depend on the type of wine I'm making. I welcome suggestions!

 

[Blacksmith1]

I do approximately 1 cup made with 2 tea bags in a 5 gallon. Have done one cup one bag in a gallon. It's kind of a to taste thing. I have also used fruit herbal teas to good effect.

 

[McMullan]

I'd say if you're making wine use 'wine' tannins. Tannins are a very diverse family of molecules, predominantly plant based. They're generally not interchangeable, to hit the 'x' factor, unless your expectations are met.

 

[bernardsmith]

One POSSIBLE approach is not to ferment with the tannin but to add the tea shortly before you intend to bottle. That way you can bench test to determine the precise amount of tea you want to add. It's certainly more work but you have a great deal more control over the finished wine than dumping a random volume of stewed black tea to your must.