Using a gaiwan for oolongs

[garrettmc]

Hey guys. I just bought my first high quality Tie Kuan Yin and gaiwan as well. the gaiwan is 90 ml. About how much leaf should I use?
what about for dragonwell?
bai mu dan?
Yunnan gold?

Could you please give the answers in terms of teaspoons/tablespoons. I don't have a scale to measure mass. Thanks so much everyone

[wyardley]

I would just eyeball it. Assuming it's a greener style of tieguanyin, try ~ 1/4 full by volume or a little less, and adjust from there.

And if you are the sort who measures everything, do yourself a favor and buy a cheapie scale.

[hopeofdawn]

A good starting point for beginners (as told to me when I started out) is to just cover the bottom with leaf--with less leaf for ball-shaped oolongs/greens (they expand out bigger) and more leaf for other, thinner kinds of tea. Especially if you're still experimenting with how you like your tea, that gives you more leeway on brew times than filling up your gaiwan a third of the way or more, as full gong fu drinkers do. Then you can adjust for more/less leaf depending on the kind of tea and your individual preferences.