To use a timer for gongfu, or not?

[tingjunkie]

If the infusion is longer than 20 s, then gimme a timer. It would be nice if there were a timer that didn't sound like an alarm clock, though--crickets, croaking frogs, something like that, that would be nice.

I'd like to invest in a nice set of hourglasses if I found some of the right time lengths. Maybe 10s, 30s, 60s all in one housing.

[tea fish]

Yes the hourglasses are nice looking...tho I can see myself forgetting to check them while puttering around/reading/spacing out.

[DJ3riple]

Everytime you use a timer a tea fairy loses her wings...

lol

[Chip]

... I hate tea fairies ....................... one more reason to use timers, scales, and thermometers ... all digital for increased pain as well.

[Chip]

If the infusion is longer than 20 s, then gimme a timer. It would be nice if there were a timer that didn't sound like an alarm clock, though--crickets, croaking frogs, something like that, that would be nice.

My timer has a count up feature that has forever done away with the bleeping beeping.

I hit it once at the beginning of a session and pay as little or as much attention to as the tea/session requires.

[Komsip]

If I brew longer than a minute and a half, like black or white tea brewing, or "western style" oolong or Pu'er brewing (mostly only use it for Dongfeng meiren (Oriental Beauty) I might use a timer.
But with gongfu brewing the times are so short that fiddling with a timer would probably just make it less accurate, and it's easier to just count slowly in my head. Otherwise if available, I might watch/listen to the clicks of a clock on the wall or at the computer or something and notice where the seconds hand is at, and look back now and then (I do this even with long time brewing).

I just think a timer would take away from the feeling, same with digital scales, measuring cups or thermometers.

But I use such things for non-gong-fu brewing though.

[tingjunkie]

Since posting this topic originally, I've come to a minor realization: after the 3rd infusion, most oolongs and puerhs can be pushed much harder with good results. In other words, counting in my head for the first few short infusions is easy enough, but then once I get up to infusions over one minute, it doesn't make too much of a difference if the 4th infusion is 1:20 or 2:00, so I stop counting anyway.

[gingkoseto]

I don't have a timer. I don't count seconds for Chinese green and black tea. But very often I can't help counting seconds for gongfu oolong. I don't know what tea fairy thins about counting seconds (playing human timer?)

[tea fish]

My timer has a count up feature that has forever done away with the bleeping beeping.

I hit it once at the beginning of a session and pay as little or as much attention to as the tea/session requires.

Apologies for the way delayed reply and thanks for the suggestion. In fact I recently, inadvertently, discovered this function on my tea timer. Very nice!

[Chip]

My timer has a count up feature that has forever done away with the bleeping beeping.

I hit it once at the beginning of a session and pay as little or as much attention to as the tea/session requires.

Apologies for the way delayed reply and thanks for the suggestion. In fact I recently, inadvertently, discovered this function on my tea timer. Very nice!

Yes, I have received positive feedback from even TeaFairies!

Good to hear this.

[tatsumi09]

I used to use a timer for about a year, then I switched to something a lot simpler. Pretty much once I want to start counting I look at a clock and use the current time as a base point.

If it's an analog clock and the second hand is at 6, then I know when it reaches 12, 30 seconds have passed. Same thing applies to digital clocks where I look at the time and add whatever the infusion time I need and pour when I reach that time.

Also, the higher quality the tea is, the more exact I time my things (almost looks like I'm running an experiment whenever I get a new tea)

Regardless, sometimes I do count when the infusion time is really short, but I don't do the "one thousand...two thousand", rather I imagine hearing the second arm of an analog clock moving and count that way.

[brad4419]

If the infusion is longer than 20 s, then gimme a timer. It would be nice if there were a timer that didn't sound like an alarm clock, though--crickets, croaking frogs, something like that, that would be nice.

I agree with tea fish, If Im brewing pu erh for 5-10sec infusions a timer is not needed but for oolongs I do 20-30sec infusions its very very nice to have a timer. My stop watch died for about a month, so I got to do the counting thing. When I fixed my watch I was extremely happy to say the least and will never go without it again.

Another thing to consider is that if your making tea and talking to someone its nearly impossible to count to 30 and talk at the same time.

[beecrofter]

I would consider timers , thermometers,scales, and clear brewing vessals to be training wheels to use on the way to developing gong fu skills.
Consider that you are trying to develop the mindfulness that leaves such devices behind as your full attention is focused upon the tea.
Balance that against whatever you require to get a consistantly good cup of tea.

[beecrofter]

Here is a quote from Stephane's Tea master blog that says it far better than anything I have written-

"Gongfu cha isn't the repetition of the same parameters for every tea. Gongfu cha is a technique refined with experience. The goal is simple: bring out all the good tastes and energy that nature and man put into these leaves. And enjoy!"

And a link to his article-

http://teamasters.blogspot.com/2009/12/ ... -shan.html

[tea fish]

I don't think that using a tea timer amounts to a quasi scientific attempt to repeat "the same parameters for every tea." Even when I use a timer I sometimes go over time and it's no big deal, obviously. In other words, using a timer does not amount to believing that previous tea 'results' should be reproduced exactly. That's impossible, obviously. The timer just offers a helpful guideline.

Anyway, I love Stephane's blog and approach and would emphasize the "enjoy!" part of his advice (as others have on this very forum).