Rishi Yunnan Gold - Tablespoon per 8oz?

[shotcaller88]

I was looking at picking up some rishi tea, but realize they recommend 1 tbsp per 8oz. It sounds kind of ridiculous to me. What's the reasoning behind this? Is the tea weaker than Adagio's? Do they just prefer a much stronger cup?

[Mary R]

Yunnan Gold has a much larger leaf size than pretty much any other black. It takes up more space. A tablespoon will likely give the 2.5 grams per cup ratio much better than a teaspoon would.

I use a Tbs for my Adagio YG, too. I like it.

[TexasTea]

What great timing! I just got home from Whole Foods, where I picked up a tin of - yes - Rishi Golden Yunnan. Thanks for the heads up, if I hadn't spotted this thread my first cup probably would have been pretty weak!

[harmyd]

I would also like to know how much people are using per cup. I am using around a tablespoon per two cups.

[silverneedles]

you have to try it out,
tea might vary from year to year, might be some left overs, might be some forgotten somewhere and repackaged etc etc
thus yield a different cup with the "same" tea.

once you know the taste, vary things around so you see what you like better: more/less leaf, more/less time, temps etc

i usually start a black tea with a "tablespoon" (eye'd) then 4oz 200F water 3-4 minutes. sometimes i want it stronger so i add more leaf. i usually also let it longer to see if any nasty tastes come around (one of them i call it "teabag astringency")

a good yunnan gold will not go "bitter" or unpleasantly astringent.

enjoy it.

[Salsero]

... tea might vary from year to year ...

Yunnan Gold (also called Dian Hong by the cognoscenti) is notorious for varying from year to year. I have also heard it said more than once that it can be better after aging for a year or two.

... vary things around so you see what you like better ... a good yunnan gold will not go "bitter" or unpleasantly astringent ...

Good advice, silverneedles. Yunnan blacks (actually most Chinese blacks) seem to be the most forgiving teas in the world.