Did I buy too big of an yixing for TGY?

[Fredrik]

Hi, I think I might have made a mistake, I'm still very much a novice in loose leaves teas.
I bought a teapot that is 190ml (or 6.4 oz) to use with Tie Guan Yin and other light roasted oolongs.
But now I think that it might be too big because I hear its better to use a lot of leaves and many short infusions rather than less leaves and less (longer) infusions. This would mean I would have to drink quite a lot of TGY if i do full 190ml brews.
What's your opinion?

Thanks,
Fredrik

[iannon]

i think it depends on how YOU like to drink.. if you like doing the smaller quick infusions or gong fu style then it will be too big..Im more on the lines of the 4 to 6 oz at a time myself so the size you got would be perfect for me

[Fredrik]

Thanks for the quick answer.
I personally like the idea of using less longer infusions for this kind of tea. Do you think that the taste differs between the two metods?

[debunix]

What differs, in my experience doing two extremes of brewing--75mL gaiwans gongfu cha, vs filling a thermos full with a series of larger infusions from my kamjove infuser--is that the shorter brewing allows certain flavors to stand out more, that diffuse out of the tea at different rates. The all-in-one will give everything mixed together, the many shorter infusions may be more floral then spicier than sweeter or fruitier etc etc.

And both are perfectly valid ways to enjoy your tea.

I use my 180mL teapot principally when I am filling the thermos, but sometimes I want fewer larger brewings, and just do a semi-gongfu cha. All ways can be good ways when the tea is good.

[Fredrik]

Thanks for the replies. Very informative.

[britt]

I have one Yixing dedicated to Dan Cong that does such a good job with it that I even use it when brewing gong fu style. When it's packed full of leaves and the leaves have expanded, it holds much less water than 180ml. I do prefer 120ml or less, but I'm more concerned with how the pot brews the tea than I am with the size.

[bagua7]

Remember that the rolled oolongs expand after you pour hot water into the pot. 190mL is OK and teapots with a larger capacity are also recommended.

No need to add too much oolong into your pot for that very reason. I would say enough to cover the floor.