TeaChat

For non roasted tightly rolled oolongs (i.e. tiewanese & tieguanyin) I've been covering the bottom of my gaiwan w/ just enough leaves so that I can not see the bottom.

So... If I'm brewing a high roasted tightly rolled oolong in a small yixing, should I fill the pot just like I do w/ a gaiwan and nonroasted... or should I add more leaf?

Thanks for the help.

I've heard a lot of people use "covering the bottom" as a good guideline and than from there you can give or take. I know when I brew oolongs in my gaiwan they expand so much they push up my lid, and I only cover the bottom, so expansion is also something to keep in mind.

trent wrote:For non roasted tightly rolled oolongs (i.e. tiewanese & tieguanyin) I've been covering the bottom of my gaiwan w/ just enough leaves so that I can not see the bottom.

So... If I'm brewing a high roasted tightly rolled oolong in a small yixing, should I fill the pot just like I do w/ a gaiwan and nonroasted... or should I add more leaf?

If it's roasted enough that the leaves don't expand, you might want to try using more leaves.

I usually use ~ 1/4 of the pot or a little less for tighly rolled oolongs that *will* open up fully, and sometimes half or more for ones that won't expand that much. It will depend on the tea and your personal preferences (and how quick each brew is / how many infusions you're intending to get out of the tea). Start with an in between amount and see how it goes.