What Technique Do You Use for Brewing Loose Tea?
- Thread starter Kapnosis1988
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Here’s a quick description from an excellent source of teas:
www.teaspring.com
Chinese Tea Info - TeaSpring.com
TeaSpring sells fine Chinese tea at great prices. Our main categories of Chinese tea are Green Tea, Black Tea, Oolong Tea, White Tea and Herbal Tea. Our teas are guaranteed fresh as we ship them directly to you from Asia.
Gong fu is the same word as Kung Fu. Both just mean doing a thing in the most artful way possible. In the west, we associate Kung-fu with martial arts, but in parts of China, it is pronounced more like Gong, so using the correct word in this case helps prevent confusion due to western misconceptions.
Gong fu cha is tea brewed carefully, with intent to make the perfect cup(s). A Gaiwan is a teacup with a lid that is used as a teapot. More tea is used than would typically be expected, but if brewed properly, one gaiwan of leaves can produce between 7 and 25 cups of tea. Because the flavonoids enter solution before the tannins, you can brew over and over without the tea becoming bitter. Or you can brew until you hit a your maximum bitterness threshold, or there is simply no flavor left. The catch is, you must use a proper ratio of tea to water, and use exactly the correct temperature of water, all of which change with every different tea and cut. At first this takes a lot of research, trial, and error.
After awhile, it's all second nature, especially if you are familiarized with the tea being brewed.
In fact, Gongfu brewing allows for a deeper understanding of the tea, much like pipe smoking allows for a deeper understanding of tobacco and how it reacts to temperature, cadence, and pipe selection.
While a very decent cuppa can be brewed from bags, there is no comparison to the depth of flavors that can be experienced with proper brewing of tea cakes and whole leaf teas. Very much like the difference between a pack of nails and tins of high quality pipe tobacco.
I find so many parallels can be drawn between pipe tobacco and good tea, all the way from their exotic origins, imperial propagation, growing regions, production and packaging methods, consumption, and combination of relaxing and stimulating properties.
I could obviously go on all day?
I get the water boiling in a medium sauce pan. Then add a large family sized tea bag. I wait three minutes, then remove the tea bag, and add a fistful of mint that grows in my window boxes. I also dissolve three cups of sugar in there.
I then pour this concentrated mixture into a gallon sized glass jug full of ice. Not just any ice, but the ice from the bottom of the ice bin. The good stuff, coated in frost.
Then, I top it off with cold water. Squeeze and drop a whole lemon in there, amd put it in the fridge. Best served in a large clean glass full of ice and another sprig of mint.
We prefer Louisiana, but never that cold brew shit. That’s for commies.
I then pour this concentrated mixture into a gallon sized glass jug full of ice. Not just any ice, but the ice from the bottom of the ice bin. The good stuff, coated in frost.
Then, I top it off with cold water. Squeeze and drop a whole lemon in there, amd put it in the fridge. Best served in a large clean glass full of ice and another sprig of mint.
We prefer Louisiana, but never that cold brew shit. That’s for commies.
I place the tea leaves and hot water into a pot with a spout, and strain with a fine mesh strainer into the cup.
Just like Mama used to make! Though we didn't do it so sweet in Tennessee as y'all do in Alabama.
I have an electric kettle at work and I use a bottom dispensing steeper. Can't beat the convenience!
Like one of these:
Like one of these:
Yes. And it can be poured from the gaiwan either into a pitcher or directly into your cup.
French press seems like a good one, but I dislike cleaning the thing out afterward.
A bit. This can be a good thing with some greens. But to avoid that with other types, I pour directly from the gaiwan into a small espresso cup and drink while steeping the next round. After a few rounds I take a break, then when I want to drink more I reboil the remaining water, or if I want an optimal cup, I brew a fresh kettle. It's not uncommon for the best flavor to come from the 3rd or 4th brewing, but the most caffeine is always in the first couple of cups.
This is a fantastic guide that explains much better than I can.
yunnansourcing.com
*although, I use a bit less heat with lighter Oolongs. I believe this guide is referring to the darker Fujians and roasted Taiwan Oolong.
Brewing Guide for Green, Black, Oolong and Pu-erh Teas
Brewing Guide for Green, Black, Oolong and Pu-erh Teas Green/White Tea: Water temperature should be close to 85C Use 5-6 grams of green/white tea per 100ml of volume. Brief 10 second wash... then 10s, 15s, 20s, 30s, 45s, and then maybe a minute each time until it's brewed out. I prefer to...
yunnansourcing.com
*although, I use a bit less heat with lighter Oolongs. I believe this guide is referring to the darker Fujians and roasted Taiwan Oolong.
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