hi

i want to make an Earl Grey ganache. I had some bad experience with it : after a few days the interior turned bitter and i don't know why, is there any reaction between cream and tea? may i infuse it too long ? i would like to have some insights. thank you

updated by @corinne-mendelson: 04/11/15 20:46:00

Try making a cold infusion. Just put your tea and cream in a jar and leave in the fridge for 24-36 hours. DO NOT SQUEEZE THE TEA when done, just let it drain. Use as you would use any normal cream. Use a little more than you would need to compensate for what will be absorbed by the tea.

thank you very much for your suggestion i will try it

I think the idea of cold infusion is an excellent idea. My method for cold infusing tea is to let it steep in the cream overnight. The next day I put the mixture into a sauce pot and heat the liquid and tea leaves until warm. I immediately strain. Heating the tea mixture up releases a lot of the infused cream that is trapped in the tea leaves. This method works for me and I never have that over extracted bitter taste. I encourage you to experiment and discover which method works for you. Good luck!

The thing about tea is that the flavor characteristics we tend to like (essential oils, etc) come out first during an infusion. The things we tend not to like (tannins, etc) come out later. Tannins typically result in a "bitter" or "astringent" taste. It's a "chewy" sensation toward the back of your mouth. Whether we're talking about tea, coffee or wine, a little tannin can be very good. A lot almost never is.
If you are experiencing this in your ganache, the most likely reason is not any type of reaction with the cream. Rather, you are most likely over-infusing your tea into the cream. Generally speaking, there are three ways to pull back on this. First, infuse the tea in cream for less time. If there's any way to infuse the tea for a shorter period of time and still get the final flavor you want, this is the way to go. Second, lower temperatures. Heat brings out the tannins. Turn the heat down. Third, surface area. Some teas have large leaves, some have small. The smaller the leaves, the faster the tea will infuse and the faster those tannins will rush into your cream.
As a side note, Earl Grey gets its distinctive flavor from oil of bergamot. If you add this oil directly rather than infusing tea into the cream you might have more luck, along with more control over the flavor profile of the final ganache. Just a thought.

thank you so much for your help i definitly do as you say and i will look for the bergamot oil!