Do you rock your kyusu?

Made from leaves that have not been oxidized.


Sep 1st, '17, 09:55
Posts: 1
Joined: Aug 24th, '17, 20:08

Do you rock your kyusu?

by TravLavenski » Sep 1st, '17, 09:55

Hey Teachat! Long time lurker and new time poster here. I have recently gotten into Japanese Greens and have been heavily researching online. Many brewing guides instruct the brewer to gently rock the kyusu back and forth every few moments when decanting to "extract a deeper flavour". Have any of you notices a substantial difference in taste/mouth feel in comparison to just straight pouring? Sometimes I think I get a bit more astringency and a touch more grassiness, but nothing overly noticeable.

User avatar
Sep 15th, '17, 22:05
Posts: 401
Joined: Nov 8th, '08, 20:46
Location: NYC
Contact: chingwa

Re: Do you rock your kyusu?

by chingwa » Sep 15th, '17, 22:05

No. Never. I just let it sit for the required time and pour it out. Any "flavor" that is not extracted in the first steeping will do well to influence successive steepings.

Sep 15th, '17, 23:42

Re: Do you rock your kyusu?

by brlarson » Sep 15th, '17, 23:42

chingwa wrote: No. Never. I just let it sit for the required time and pour it out. Any "flavor" that is not extracted in the first steeping will do well to influence successive steepings.
I never disturb the leaves while they are steeping either.

User avatar
Sep 16th, '17, 13:31
Posts: 813
Joined: Nov 13th, '12, 13:49
Location: santa monica, california, usa
Contact: victoria3

Re: Do you rock your kyusu?

by victoria3 » Sep 16th, '17, 13:31

I rock preheated kyusu with dry leaves to wake up the leaves and enjoy the aroma. Once the steep starts I let the leaves rest and do their thing.

User avatar
Sep 17th, '17, 01:09
Posts: 5896
Joined: Jan 10th, '10, 16:04
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Contact: debunix

Re: Do you rock your kyusu?

by debunix » Sep 17th, '17, 01:09

If I have too little water to fill the brewing vessel and the leaves are stacked up against the filter or pouring lip from a previous infusion, then I rock n' roll it until they're covered in what water I have. Otherwise, no.

User avatar
Sep 18th, '17, 06:21
Posts: 26
Joined: Aug 4th, '17, 15:59
Location: Europa's

Re: Do you rock your kyusu?

by plod » Sep 18th, '17, 06:21

I tried it out, just to see why most recommend not shaking the kyusu while the leaves are steeping. Having made the same tea in the exact same way for several days in a row, I had a good baseline. Rocking whilst steeping brought out more astringency, a touch of that cooked vegetable thing I don't care for, and for some reason I experienced the brew as more acidic. Not 100% percent sure the last thing was caused by rocking. But no rocking the tea boat from now on.

How about when you pour, if it's just for one person...do people prefer to pour slowly, evenly in one gentle pour, or do you rock the kyusu back and forth, as you would between two or more cups?

Actually: how do people go about pouring from a kyusu? Does it matter much?

User avatar
Sep 18th, '17, 12:54
Posts: 813
Joined: Nov 13th, '12, 13:49
Location: santa monica, california, usa
Contact: victoria3

Re: Do you rock your kyusu?

by victoria3 » Sep 18th, '17, 12:54

plod wrote: I tried it out, just to see why most recommend not shaking the kyusu while the leaves are steeping. Having made the same tea in the exact same way for several days in a row, I had a good baseline. Rocking whilst steeping brought out more astringency, a touch of that cooked vegetable thing I don't care for, and for some reason I experienced the brew as more acidic. Not 100% percent sure the last thing was caused by rocking. But no rocking the tea boat from now on.

How about when you pour, if it's just for one person...do people prefer to pour slowly, evenly in one gentle pour, or do you rock the kyusu back and forth, as you would between two or more cups?

Actually: how do people go about pouring from a kyusu? Does it matter much?
I pour into a small pitcher if it's for more than one person. When pouring I go slowly until most of the liquid is out so as to not disturb the leaves too much, then I rock the kyusu and hit the inside of my other hand squeezing out the last drops. I'm left handed so use right handed kyusu with either hand complicating my description, but basically I rock and tap a few times, at the end only, to get last liquid out, till the next round.

User avatar
Sep 18th, '17, 18:16
Posts: 26
Joined: Aug 4th, '17, 15:59
Location: Europa's

Re: Do you rock your kyusu?

by plod » Sep 18th, '17, 18:16

victoria3 wrote:
plod wrote: I tried it out, just to see why most recommend not shaking the kyusu while the leaves are steeping. Having made the same tea in the exact same way for several days in a row, I had a good baseline. Rocking whilst steeping brought out more astringency, a touch of that cooked vegetable thing I don't care for, and for some reason I experienced the brew as more acidic. Not 100% percent sure the last thing was caused by rocking. But no rocking the tea boat from now on.

How about when you pour, if it's just for one person...do people prefer to pour slowly, evenly in one gentle pour, or do you rock the kyusu back and forth, as you would between two or more cups?

Actually: how do people go about pouring from a kyusu? Does it matter much?
I pour into a small pitcher if it's for more than one person. When pouring I go slowly until most of the liquid is out so as to not disturb the leaves too much, then I rock the kyusu and hit the inside of my other hand squeezing out the last drops. I'm left handed so use right handed kyusu with either hand complicating my description, but basically I rock and tap a few times, at the end only, to get last liquid out, till the next round.
I did a second session this afternoon, taking even more care than usual this time to pour gently until the last drop, otherwise using exact same parameters as before. A full, smooth brew, sweet and with very little astringency. Very different from this morning's sessions. The rocking thing does seem to make quite a big difference, or at least it does with this tea.

+ Post Reply