Do you rock your kyusu?
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.
Re: Do you rock your kyusu?
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.
Re: Do you rock your kyusu?
I never disturb the leaves while they are steeping either.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.
Sep 16th, '17, 13:31
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victoria3
Re: Do you rock your kyusu?
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.
Sep 17th, '17, 01:09
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debunix
Re: Do you rock your kyusu?
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.
Re: Do you rock your kyusu?
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?
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?
Sep 18th, '17, 12:54
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victoria3
Re: Do you rock your kyusu?
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.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?
Re: Do you rock your kyusu?
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.victoria3 wrote: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.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?