Need Help Brewing Tea in a Gaiwan

[nsudharsanan]

Hello everyone,

I recently got my first gaiwan and I have been trying my best to brew all the appropriate teas in and so far I have white teas down...but then it all goes down hill. I know for gong-fu the tea to water ratio is a whole different thing, but I wanna first deal with just normal tea preparation in it. I feel like the teaspoon is a poor measure for the gaiwan, since it is intended for a 6-8 oz cup and my gaiwan is 3.5-4 ounces. For example, I tried the adagio gunpowder tea in my gaiwan: I used a level teaspoon then added 180 degree water and steeped the tea for around a minute and a half. When I drank the tea, it was amazingly bitter...so much so that i couldnt finish the cup. I then removed half the tea from the gaiwan and tried again, this time resulting in a somewhat palatable tea. Overall I am really inconsistent with my gaiwan tea to water ratio and it shows in the poor quality of tea I am producing. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[elf_man]

Western brewing, as you say, is generally 1 tsp. per 8 oz. So for that gaiwan, you should use slightly less than one half tsp. as a starting point. At that point I would think steeping times would be what you're used to, although given gunpowder's tendency towards a bitter edge, you might err on the side of less time to begin with.

The amount you used is more like the starting point for gongfu brewing (usually around 5g).You could try it again with one teaspoon and a twenty or thirty second infusion, and see what happens.

[Ironica]

Hi there,

I'm very new to tea myself and have found I really enjoy brewing in my gaiwan.

The problem I'm having is not wanting to drink directly from the gaiwan simply because I don't want my tea to keep getting stronger. My cups are to small, and I drink tea primarily by myself so filling three small cups from an infusion and then sitting here drinking them in succession seems silly. I did buy a second inexpensive gaiwan from a member here and have started brewing in one, then pouring it into the second to then sip and enjoy.

I'd love to hear feedback on my solution. I really am just winging it!

[LauraW]

To answer part of the original question, what I end up doing it enough tea to completely cover the bottom of the gaiwan (so I can't see the bottom), then just do shorter infusions. That will help it not be quite so strong. The other thing I've done, particularly if it's still too warm to drink once it's done steeping (or I don't feel like drinking directly from the gaiwan), is pulled a small teacup from another set and used that as my drinking cup and the gaiwan for steeping only. Works best the first couple times, and by then the leaves are far enough along that it takes longer to steep and the tea's cool enough to drink once it's finished steeping.

Basically, just keep playing around with it until you find something that works. Good luck!

[debunix]

Two things have made more difference in my brewing than anything else: a good scale, because teas have such different weights that this is the best way to keep track of what I'm doing as I learn a new tea (http://www.flickr.com/photos/debunix/4354042479/), and a thermometer.

I hate bitter too, and start with about 1 gram to 2 oz water, moving up to 2 grams/2 oz if the tea is mellow enough. And for green teas, like that gunpowder tea, I start with cooler water, 160-180 degrees F.

Take the gaiwain full of tea, and pour out a sip every 30 seconds or so to see if you like it yet, until it's just right for your taste.

[LauraW]

Take the gaiwain full of tea, and pour out a sip every 30 seconds or so to see if you like it yet, until it's just right for your taste.

That's a really good idea... hadn't thought of that. I always just lift the lid until it looks right, and then consume

[gingkoseto]

That sounds too much gunpowder to use for that volume. Your choice will be either reduce leaf amount (probably let it cover just 1/3 of the cup bottom) or shorten the infusion time. Gunpowder gets bitter easily and I always think it's mainly for people who even likes bitterness to certain degree.