Brewing white tea

[ummaya]

Hi,

I just ordered the Adagio white tea sampler and I would like to know if you recommend the 2 brewing methods on this page (I picked this web site because it seems quite a reliable one with high quality products): http://hojotea.com/item_e/w01e.htm

I also have seen on other web sites such recommendation as : "Only steep the tea for about a minute for the first steeping" (3 sites recommended the one minute steeping) or "Steep the white tea for three minutes" others 2 minutes. One minute instead of two minutes is understandable , two instead of three also but one minute instead of five! It seems like they are talking about different teas.

About the temperature, in some sites they recommend a temperature of 175F-180F on other sites 195F and even 210F


Is brewing white tea with my kyusu , out of question ?

[eoolongcom]

Actually differenct brewing time and water temperature will have different taste and Nutrition.

Generally, around 2 to 2.5 grams of tea per 200 ml (6 ounces) of water, or about 1.5 teaspoons of white tea per cup, should be used. White teas should be prepared with 80°C (180°F) water (not boiling) and steeped for 2 to 3 minutes. Many tea graders, however, choose to brew this tea for much longer, as long as 10 minutes on the first infusion, to allow the delicate aromas to develop. Finer teas expose more flavor and complexity with no bitterness. Lower grade teas do not always stand this test well and develop bitter flavors or tannins. On successive brews (white teas produce three very good brews and a fourth that is passable), extend the time by several minutes per brewing. The third brew may require as long as 15 minutes to develop well. Temperature is crucial: if it is too hot, the brew will be bitter and the finer flavors will be overpowered.

[Rainy-Day]

I don't know about kyusu, I just ordered my first one today. But I've been a great fan of white teas for many years, my favorite all time tea (of all kinds) is silver needle, and, first of all, I liked some adagio teas but they're probably not the greatest source of whites. But, with that in mind, I always brew whites in a large glass pot without an infuser, and then decant into a 2nd glass pot. For infusion time you have to look at what type of white it is, and how big the leaves are, and how many broken up leaves/ dust is there. I would say for a decent Pai Mutan (white peony), you're talking about ~165F - I actually don't have an accurate thermometer so this is more of a guess, and a brewing time of 3-3.5 minutes. For a good silver needles, let's say 170-180F and 4-5.5 minutes. If there's a lot of broken up leaf, dust, you might try 2-2.5 minutes, but it probably won't be very good anyway.

By the way, I only ever liked Pai Mutan and Silver needles, all other whites have been a disappointment so far. But Pai Mutan and SN are some of the best teas out there..

[Oni]

If you get authentic Bai Hao Yin Zhen, you will need more leaves than for green tea, I only tried An Ji Bai Cha, it was very sweet, no bitterness, but to feint with 3 grams, I suggest 5 - 10 grams/150ml - 200ml, I use a 220 ml tall glass, I fill it acording to tasting and visuals, so I start with 150 ml, if it is too strong I add more water to dilute, that is as easy as it gets, do not watch time, relax and drink when you feel it is brewed enough.

[AlexZorach]

Many types of white tea I like to steep for only a single infusion of 10 minutes or more. But it varies hugely on the tea. I don't really like silver needle, but when I drink it I like to steep it for a very long time.

The only thing to watch for is astringency--some of the cheaper white teas can become very astringent if brewed for that long.

Just experiment!