The age of the Machine?
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27243269
On a technical point of view, I wonder how well it can work. Could anyone give more in-depth explanation and opinion?
Re: Vacuum Gongfu
probably suitable for "english tea" brewing.. or like what we call it here.. "angmoh teh.."
for chinese tea its still difficult. especially for the 2nd machine, you cant squeeze rolled up tky or taiwanese oolongs into a capsule when they swell like 4-5 times or more of their sizes. and you cant crush them into powder because that affects the extraction too..
the way chinese do tea is :
1) draw out mainly the aromatics
2) some pigments and the "body taste"
3) minimal astrigency
the gongfu way of tea brewing is geared towards achieving this, and also allowing one to discard either the front or the rear of the brew depending on one's perception
also.. chinese tea brewing does not occur at constant temperatures
for chinese tea its still difficult. especially for the 2nd machine, you cant squeeze rolled up tky or taiwanese oolongs into a capsule when they swell like 4-5 times or more of their sizes. and you cant crush them into powder because that affects the extraction too..
the way chinese do tea is :
1) draw out mainly the aromatics
2) some pigments and the "body taste"
3) minimal astrigency
the gongfu way of tea brewing is geared towards achieving this, and also allowing one to discard either the front or the rear of the brew depending on one's perception
also.. chinese tea brewing does not occur at constant temperatures
May 2nd, '14, 14:24
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teaformeplease
Re: Vacuum Gongfu
I've seen this machine in action at the Teavana Tea Bar by Central Park. Each tea is individually programmed so they have quite a bit of control over how they are brewed. Those settings are also manually calibrated by a human to taste as close as possible to a standard brew. The chambers allow quite a lot of room, even for rolled oolongs. When I'm in the area I'll order "monkey picked" oolong just because I like to see the leaves unfurl in the vacuum. Not all retailers will use it the same way of course but I think the machine does show promise.
Re: Vacuum Gongfu
I think it is more of a fancy gimmick rather than anything else. Sure, it might make a very nice cup of tea and is nice to look at, but at that price... It is not a thing you would buy to have at home, and I am sure that the company knows that. But if I saw this in a bar, I would surely order a cup, out of curiosity.