Need some help with the whole gong-fu thing...

[omegapd]

Need some help with the whole gong-fu thing...

by omegapd » Jul 18th, '08, 03:16

Hey All,

I was lucky enough to receive some Pu erh samples from our friend and neighbor, Salsero, and after reading so much about how much more complex Pu tastes when brewed gong-fu style, I decided to finally try my hand with it.

I even ordered a new Yixing which should be here Saturday. It is now the smallest pot I own at a whole 3 oz. I picked that size because my favorite cups are 3 oz. cups and that should help the whole experience.

So, my question is- how much tea should I use for a 3 oz. pot brewed gong-fu style? I do not have a scale (yet) so if you could help me in teaspoon terms, that would be wonderful.

Thanks in advance,

EW

[Space Samurai]

by Space Samurai » Jul 18th, '08, 04:05

Disclaimer: of course any answers/results will depend on your taste.

I'd say start off by eye-balling it to about 1/3 - 1/2 full. If the puer has been compressed, you might use less, as more tea will take up less space, but be sure to rinse.

[Victoria]

by Victoria » Jul 18th, '08, 10:45

Congrats! Good luck on your new tea adventure!
I think the deeper richer flavors of Pu will
will a good fit for you. And for weekends
you may find gongfu to be a relaxing experience.

Of course it means more teaware!!!
And a tea tray!!

[Geekgirl]

by Geekgirl » Jul 18th, '08, 12:05

Of course it means more teaware!!!
And a tea tray!!

It was my curiosity about puerh that led me to gongfu, that led me to the www-dots for tea information, that started my warez-buying binge, and eventually landed me here.

[hop_goblin]

by hop_goblin » Jul 18th, '08, 12:41

I would certainly buy a scale. It makes life so much easier. But yes, go with space's advice. However, try to separate the leaves as much as possible in order to better gauge how much is really going into the pot. When you do get a scale, a good ball park figure would be 1g for every 30ml of water. GOOD LUCK!!

[omegapd]

by omegapd » Jul 19th, '08, 02:53

Thanks for all the advice and inspiration.

I know I've read it here before but now can't find the answer...what does a teaspoon of tea measure into grams? 2.5 or something like that?

EW

[Geekgirl]

by Geekgirl » Jul 19th, '08, 03:00

It's really hard to estimate with loose leaf. Depending upon the type of tea it can vary widely.

F/I, a teaspoon of tightly rolled leaves like TKY or pearl is much more tea than a tsp of dragonwell. Or a tsp of assam could be up to twice as much by weight as a tsp of a long leaf wuyi. That's why gram scales are recommended here over and over.

That being said, I do not use one. For gongfu the type of leaf determines how full I fill the pot dry. Generally, my guestimate is: tightly rolled teas = scant 1/4 pot, loose large leaves 1/2 full, loose small leaves 1/3 full. When steeped, you want the pot to mostly fill with leaves, without being too crowded. This is where having accurate weight can help, but it's not absolutely necessary for most teas.

[omegapd]

by omegapd » Jul 19th, '08, 14:00

Thanks for the help. I broke down and bought a scale this morning. May as well do it right...

EW