So what is the correct way to use a gaiwan?

[ndw76]

I bought myself a Gaiwan the other day and today I finally got to use it. First I just used it as a tea cup. It felt a tad bit small as I usually use a big mug.

But at dinner tonight I tried brewing some green tea in it. The process I used was to put about a tea spoon of tea in the Gaiwan and then to add almost boiling water, steaming hot but not bubbling.
Then I let it sit a minute or two at the most and started drinking. I used the lid to strain the leaves, although I found this to be a little bit cumbersome.

After I had finished, when I had finished my meal, I heated up some more water and tried a second brewing with the same leaves. This time I let it sit for a little longer. I was able to notice that the flavour was considerably different the second time. I would say it was a more mellow flavour. Then just now I have gone for a third brewing with the same leaves and a very slightly different flavour again.

I think I must have done something right because in the past when I have tried to use this particular tea in a ceramic pot the tea tasted bitter and not very nice. But this time it was surprisingly delicious. I'm happy with the result, but if I'm doing something not quite right I want to be able to avoid my Chinese Thai father in-law from looking down his nose at me and saying I'm doing it wrong.

Thanks for your help.

Nathan

[LauraW]

There are different ways to use a gaiwan, but you've hit on the technique I usually use. I don't normally use it for greens (but that's partially because I'm still "discovering" them), my use for the moment is mostly oolong.

Some people will also use smaller cups and use the gaiwan basically as a teapot, but I find that too cumbersome unless I'm trying to share - and even then, I don't have the right size cups, so most of mine are too big or don't match.

So it's totally up to you how you use it, but what you're doing definitely isn't wrong.

[debunix]

I don't drink the tea fast enough to prevent it from getting bitter if I tried to drink straight from the gaiwan, so I use the lid to strain the liquor into another cup for drinking. If I could drink it fast enough without burning my tongue or making the tea bitter, straight from the gaiwan would be simpler.

[Alucard]

You may want to reduce the 2nd infusion time. I've sampled some sencha green tea over the last few days. First infusion 60 seconds and second infusion was 15 seconds.

[AdamMY]

This is the method I use for Drinking Greens from a gaiwan, which I forget exactly how close it is to the method that was taught to me by another T-Chat member.

Add leaves to gaiwan just enough to cover the bottom about two layers deep.

Then pour boiling water into a fair cup, let it sit for a few seconds 20-30 seconds, then fill the gaiwan 1/3 to 1/2 full depending on the size and heat retention abilities of the gaiwan. ( you do not want the heat to dissipate too fast).

Then here comes the shocking part, wait roughly 10 minutes. In the mean time fill up the fair cup with boiling water so it should cool just below 180* F by the time the 10 minutes is over. The water in the Gaiwan should be rather cold, but very strong... this will be the "root".

Once the 10 minutes is up, add water from your fair cup to the gaiwan, by mixing these two it should be close enough to drinkable in a minute or so. It will be a bit on the stronger side, but it is quite good, then you drink down to 1/3 full and re add water just below 180* F, until the brew is too weak.

But you can always use a gaiwan just like a tea pot which is what I do when brewing non Greens in my gaiwans.


For normal brewing of a gaiwan I made this video, which I hope to add annotations to later (youtube won't let me right now).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgjSNQOCT2U