Effect of pour speed on flavor?

[kyarazen]

Can you post a pic of the Hokujo gaiwan. I've never seen one by him and I'm curious about how it looks.

I've noticed the same thing about the color of the drying tea leaves left in the shibo.

One of the other qualities about this clay with Dancong is that it seems to reveal the full spectrum of a tea. If a Dancong is of poorer quality, it just dies in the pot, more so, than in a gaiwan. Interesting phenomenon.

it pushes the spectrum forward, with the floral type dancongs, i.e. jasmine, osmanthus, etc, these notes immediately present themselves with some fruity notes and good fullness in the first steep, whereas in a porcelain gaiwan only the delicate florals are there without much fullness of the brew.

with some tetsubin and other toko shudei experiments, it seems that the iron rich clay of such wares benefit the brewing. tea extracts iron from clay more efficiently than water anyway due to the presence of polyphenols as chelators..

[Tead Off]

Interesting that he makes a gaiwan like this. I wouldn't think that this shape gaiwan is ideal for the longer leafed Dancong teas. In the shibo, the leaves have a chance to fully open and I'm able to extract every bit of the tea. I have a wider and shorter porcelain gaiwan that I sometimes use for Dancong that allows for the full opening of the leaves. It does make a difference.

[kyarazen]

Interesting that he makes a gaiwan like this. I wouldn't think that this shape gaiwan is ideal for the longer leafed Dancong teas. In the shibo, the leaves have a chance to fully open and I'm able to extract every bit of the tea. I have a wider and shorter porcelain gaiwan that I sometimes use for Dancong that allows for the full opening of the leaves. It does make a difference.

i think at this size/dimension anything goes, gaiwans are rather versatile. the brewer's decisions on steep, temp, leaf quantity can be calibrated with the ware to one's personal preference.

[steanze]

My hunch is that with a more porous vessel you can push a tea more without it getting too bitter. So it has stronger body, but as you were mentioning Tead Off poorer quality teas run out of flavor faster. More generally this also means that comparing different vessels of the same size but different material using the same amount of leaf might not make too much sense - a bit more leaf can be used with the more porous material for best results.
I think gaiwans are very versatile - what I miss most when I use a gaiwan is the option to pour boiling water on it to keep it hot in later infusions.

[debunix]

what I miss most when I use a gaiwan is the option to pour boiling water on it to keep it hot in later infusions.

I sometimes use a small bowl just a bit larger than the gaiwan as a 'tea boat'.

[steanze]

My concern is that the gaiwan's lid usually is smaller than the body, and rests inside the body. Pouring boiling water on it, I'd be worried about non-infused water getting into the tea that is being infused. Also doesn't the whole gaiwan get extremely hot if you pour boiling water on it? I am afraid I'd need to use gloves to pour out the tea

[debunix]

Put the gaiwan in the bowl, and pour hot water *outside* the gaiwan but inside the bowl, to increase the thermal mass around the leaves.

[steanze]

good strategy

[Noahwhiteman24]

That is a goergeous gaiwan! How does it conduct heat compared to porcelain? In terms if porous vs. non porous clay, particularly with sencha, I've found porcalain to give more sweetness while definitely neglecting some of the depth of umami I get with with my nosaka reduction teapot from Hojo.