Every box of Gunpowder green tea I buy ends up making a cup full of particles...
I do not mind that much but does every rolled tea have this problem?I use the cheaper stuff from Asian stores,about 3 bucks for 500 grams.
One trick I have found is to "wash" the tea the way North Africans do when they make their Mint tea which is just Gunpowder green tea with fresh Spearmint.it helps a lot but I still get a noticeable amount of small particles....
Do the higher end gunpowder teas have this problem as well?
.Oh I use a strainer,I think the holes in the strainer I have are as fine as you can get.I have one of those metal teapots which have a strainer in the spout.
To wash the tea you put in a small bit of water and let it sit for about a minute,this opens up tea.You keep this minute infusion in a cup and after that pour more water and swirl the teapot by the handle in a circle motion for about 20 seconds and then pour the tea water out.The water that comes out will be dirty and I mean very dirty.Repeat the cleaning phase again and brew as usual.
I have some friends from Tunisia and this is how they do it but I can never get it as clean as they do,I suppose I should ask how they do it... I'm Middle Eastern also and when they come over I serve coffee or black tea with cardamom but I'd like to be able to make them Mint tea as well but fear the particles in the cup.In Middle Eastern culture any sort of film or dirt on or in the cup can be seen as disrespectful as it may be taken that the host did not care enough to prepare things properly...
To wash the tea you put in a small bit of water and let it sit for about a minute,this opens up tea.You keep this minute infusion in a cup and after that pour more water and swirl the teapot by the handle in a circle motion for about 20 seconds and then pour the tea water out.The water that comes out will be dirty and I mean very dirty.Repeat the cleaning phase again and brew as usual.
I have some friends from Tunisia and this is how they do it but I can never get it as clean as they do,I suppose I should ask how they do it... I'm Middle Eastern also and when they come over I serve coffee or black tea with cardamom but I'd like to be able to make them Mint tea as well but fear the particles in the cup.In Middle Eastern culture any sort of film or dirt on or in the cup can be seen as disrespectful as it may be taken that the host did not care enough to prepare things properly...
Jun 30th, '09, 20:54
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When you pour the tea, perhaps pour it through another strainer, though I know many Middle Easterners take a lot of "pride" in the pouring of the tea ... which I always found interesting and fun to watch.
One problem with the strainer in a pot, as you pour water into the pot through the strainer (especially dry leaf) the particles tend to get forced through the strainer since they are not yet expanded and there is some degree of turbulence in pouring hot water through the leaves and strainer.
Possibly pouring the water into the pot first, then somewhat gently dropping the infuser into the pot of water might reduce this problem. Also gently shaking the dry leaf in the strainer before putting it into the pot will reduce this problem.
But cheap gunpowder is always going to have a higher degree of particles than other loose leaf green teas.
One problem with the strainer in a pot, as you pour water into the pot through the strainer (especially dry leaf) the particles tend to get forced through the strainer since they are not yet expanded and there is some degree of turbulence in pouring hot water through the leaves and strainer.
Possibly pouring the water into the pot first, then somewhat gently dropping the infuser into the pot of water might reduce this problem. Also gently shaking the dry leaf in the strainer before putting it into the pot will reduce this problem.
But cheap gunpowder is always going to have a higher degree of particles than other loose leaf green teas.
blah blah blah SENCHA blah blah blah!!!
Jul 1st, '09, 21:20
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Oh, and I've long been fond of a little mao jian from JingTeaShop with some fresh mint from the garden on a sunny day.