Laughable but inventive Gong Fu set

[Tea4Todd]

Ok, so, I just ordered the start to my set, which I posted about yesterday in this section of the forum. However, this morning I got the idea to try my hand at using a makeshift pseudo-gaiwan gong fu method. I have pictures of my experience and my tools include

1. Tea Kettle
2. 8 oz Japanese tea cup
3. 2 2 oz ramekin/sauce bowls
4. measuring cup
5. strainer

I was originally going to use 1 ramekin as a lid for the tea cup, to try pouring like a gaiwan, that resulted in me scalding my fingers...soooo I added the strainer and just decided to pour directly into the measuring cup.




Pretty craptastic, but it actually worked! I did a 10 second wash of the leaves (like you would a gaiwan) then did 30 sec, 35 sec, 40 sec, and 45 sec steeps. Turned out pretty well, first infusion was a little harsh, I think my tea to water ratio was a bit high. 2nd and 3rd infusions came out great though!

[debunix]

So hot water to cup, pour from cup to pitcher through strainer, but try to keep most of leaves in cup, then pour from pitcher to drinking cup (aka ramekin)?

Looks quite functional. Hard to work with super short infusions (10" comes up at the start of my gongfu with young loose puerh), but very practical for 30" and up you'd use for oolong.

[Tea4Todd]

So hot water to cup, pour from cup to pitcher through strainer, but try to keep most of leaves in cup, then pour from pitcher to drinking cup (aka ramekin)?

Looks quite functional. Hard to work with super short infusions (10" comes up at the start of my gongfu with young loose puerh), but very practical for 30" and up you'd use for oolong.

Exactly! Yeah, I've never done the 10 sec infusion yet, still getting the hang of Oolong. I feel like Pu-er is for experienced tea people...I need to learn the ropes with Oolong and green first, then I'll go to black teas, and then eventually hit Pu-er's

[Proinsias]

That's pretty much how I started out doing gong fu, with mainly green tea.

I upgraded it a little to this not long after:

which is functionally pretty much the same but look s a little nicer. Then one sad day I lost my little jug and my greens have been steeping in porcelain or clay ever since.

[Tea4Todd]

That's pretty much how I started out doing gong fu, with mainly green tea.

I upgraded it a little to this not long after:

which is functionally pretty much the same but look s a little nicer. Then one sad day I lost my little jug and my greens have been steeping in porcelain or clay ever since.

That actually looks really nice, and I like the tea tray a lot too. Where'd you get the serving pitcher? Is it celadon or ceramic?

[Proinsias]

It's a milk jug from a charity shop, cost me 50 pence. There's not many cha hai serving pitchers in Scotland but there are lot of nice little milk jugs.

[Tea4Todd]

It's a milk jug from a charity shop, cost me 50 pence. There's not many cha hai serving pitchers in Scotland but there are lot of nice little milk jugs.

Blends in nicely! I would've never guessed.

[Mr. Usaji]

That's a sweet gong fu cha setup!

As much as I like the look of the beautiful handmade ceramics people are always posting here, there's a lot to be said for the simple and functional.

I used the cup-and-strainer method for years, but I was never sophisticated enough for the pitcher and the little cups. Now I have a small glazed kyusu that I use for everything, and no plans to "upgrade" any time soon. I'm wary of accumulating unnecessary stuff, and I like using teaware that I don't have to be fussy about.

There's some great stuff in this thread:
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=12560.
My favorite is this one by Silverneedles.

[Tea4Todd]

That's a sweet gong fu cha setup!

As much as I like the look of the beautiful handmade ceramics people are always posting here, there's a lot to be said for the simple and functional.

I used the cup-and-strainer method for years, but I was never sophisticated enough for the pitcher and the little cups. Now I have a small glazed kyusu that I use for everything, and no plans to "upgrade" any time soon. I'm wary of accumulating unnecessary stuff, and I like using teaware that I don't have to be fussy about.

There's some great stuff in this thread:
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=12560.
My favorite is this one by Silverneedles.

I'd love to see pictures of the Kyusu you have. You should post them sometime. I'm glad my crude Gong Fu method is getting some recognition...although, I really screwed up my Pi Lo Chun brew this evening..I don't know if I used too much leaf in the black and brown cup (my makeshift gaiwan) or if the water was too hot (it was 177 degrees when I poured it..) I did a 5 second rinse of the leaves, drained the water, then did a 30 second steep, then pour, then increased the steeps by 5 seconds each time...but...I don't know if I messed up or not. I might've used way too much leaf. :/

I've really got the method down for my TGY from Uncle Lee's Teas....I brewed some this morning and despite the first brew being a bit harsh...the rest were delicious.

[debunix]

I really screwed up my Pi Lo Chun brew this evening..I don't know if I used too much leaf in the black and brown cup (my makeshift gaiwan) or if the water was too hot (it was 177 degrees when I poured it..) I did a 5 second rinse of the leaves, drained the water, then did a 30 second steep, then pour, then increased the steeps by 5 seconds each time...but...I don't know if I messed up or not. I might've used way too much leaf. :/

That's a very touchy leaf in my hands. I keep the first couple of infusions to 160 degrees, and only slowly increase the heat. Also, if the first infusion is off, and you think the water may be too hot or the leaf too much, you can always check by diluting with a bit more hot water--pour in a bit, sip, pour in a bit, sip--and see if that improves it. If it does, try shortening the next infusions, or removing some of the excess wet leaf from the cup before your next infusion, or make the infusion volume larger.

You don't have to wait for the next session to try to fix it.

[Mr. Usaji]

I'd love to see pictures of the Kyusu you have. You should post them sometime.

I'm afraid I don't have photos, but I got it from Den's Tea. (It's lighter colored and more blue than it looks there.) Apparently the teapots from Den's are popular here, so maybe someone else has a picture of one.

I definitely recommend that kyusu. It's simple and functional, and I won't get too upset if it breaks. It's larger than something you would traditionally use for gong fu cha, but since the strainer reaches all the way to the bottom, you can brew even a tiny gong-fu-sized amount of tea in it if you're careful about pouring in the right amount of water. I think a kyusu like that is actually more versatile than a gaiwan: it lets you brew a large amount of tea when you want to, and it easily filters small/broken leaves.

[TwoPynts]

My gear at work. Around $30.

tea gear

teazz.jpg (19.39 KiB) Viewed 1377 times

If I am in a rush, one of Adagio's empty tea bags and the mug make do.
The whisk is for matcha.

[Tea4Todd]

I'd love to see pictures of the Kyusu you have. You should post them sometime.

I'm afraid I don't have photos, but I got it from Den's Tea. (It's lighter colored and more blue than it looks there.) Apparently the teapots from Den's are popular here, so maybe someone else has a picture of one.

I definitely recommend that kyusu. It's simple and functional, and I won't get too upset if it breaks. It's larger than something you would traditionally use for gong fu cha, but since the strainer reaches all the way to the bottom, you can brew even a tiny gong-fu-sized amount of tea in it if you're careful about pouring in the right amount of water. I think a kyusu like that is actually more versatile than a gaiwan: it lets you brew a large amount of tea when you want to, and it easily filters small/broken leaves.

Oh, ok! I was actually considering one of them, but now I am on a mission to save up a nice chunk of money and get a Kyusu that I REALLY want. I figure with my little gaiwan set coming I should be good for a while, especially since I brew primarily oolongs. Getting a Kyusu will prompt me to start looking into more expensive and rare Japanese teas.

[Tea4Todd]

My gear at work. Around $30.

teazz.jpg

If I am in a rush, one of Adagio's empty tea bags and the mug make do.
The whisk is for matcha.

Nice economy set!! How big is the gaiwan that you have? I think that glass pitcher is the same one I ordered from DTH. I don't know if mine comes with the tea strainer or not, but I kind of hope it does as I've seen it on every gong fu video from china lol. I used to do the open tea bag thing a long time ago but still felt as if they trap the leaves a bit too much. I'm sure the people in Boca think you're crazy lol!

[TwoPynts]

Nice economy set!! How big is the gaiwan that you have?

Thanks. I don't remember, but I think 100ml. I need to measure to be sure. I love my strainer.

I'm sure the people in Boca think you're crazy lol!

Yes, but not just for my tea habits!