Steeping Time Gaiwan GONG-FU

[teagenesis]

How long do you steep your teas in the gaiwan? How much do you use?
What is your infusion duration...?

I'm talking small leaves and buds, red teas, steeping several infusions. I have started to avoid the almost completely full gaiwan "one second steep" method. I started to lose my hold on the tea after doing that for awhile. So, a less-leaf but also not too long steeping time method is what I am looking for.

Thank you.

[MIKE_B]

I rarely gong fu red tea. I only pack a full gaiwan when I'm brewing balled oolong. But I would suggest trying 1/3 full for 10 seconds and adjust from there. If you're looking to minimize bitterness, start at 5 seconds or lower your brew temp.
You can really experiment with time, water temp and leaf ratio. Have fun finding out what works best for you and the tea you have on hand.

[tingjunkie]

Please read the following and try to absorb as much as possible. Brewing gongfu style is far more improvisational jazz than it is following a recipe. Listen to the tea, and it will tell you what to do!

http://themandarinstea.blogspot.com/201 ... ation.html

But just as a starting point to begin learning...

Greener Rolled Oolongs- Cover the bottom of the gaiwan, start with a 15 second infusion.
Greener Wire Oolongs (Oriental Beauty, Baozhong, Dancong)- Fill gaiwan 2/3, start with 10 sec infusion.
High Fired Anxi TGY- Fill gaiwan 2/3, start with 15-20 sec infusion.
High Fired Taiwanese rolled oolongs- Fill gaiwan 1/2, start with 15-20 sec infusion.
High Fired Yancha- Fill gaiwan 4/5, start with a 10-15 sec infusion.
Red Tea- Fill gaiwan 1/3-1/2, start with a 10 sec infusion.
Loose Puerh- Fill gaiwan 1/2-2/3, start with a 10-15 sec infusion.
Broken Puerh cake pieces- Fill gaiwan 1/3, start with 20 sec infusion.

After the first infusion, that's when you taste/smell the tea and it will give you the feedback needed to go on from there.

[debunix]

In general, I make the 2nd steep shorter than the first for most teas, because the 2nd steep of already wetted tea yields more flavor faster.

With that modification in mind, what matters on each steep is how you liked the previous steep. If the previous steep was too strong, shorten the next one. If too weak, lengthen the next one. And when you've gone as long as you have patience for, and the flavor is no longer interesting enough to continue, stop.

[ethan]

I'll add one observation: w/ some oolongs, overly high temperature &/or overly long first infusions ruined consequent infusions. I needed to start all over to determine whether a particular oolong would benefit from gongfu. Even if that particular tea's best preparation is not gongfu, I sometimes learn something useful about parameters for Western style prep from the gongfu session(s).

[teagenesis]

In general, I make the 2nd steep shorter than the first for most teas, because the 2nd steep of already wetted tea yields more flavor faster.

I have noticed this. Some gong-fu charts show a six second first steep, and four seconds on the second steep. I like the results from this.

I've seen recommendation for 1/4 gaiwan of red tea while most others were 1/3 or 1/2. For 6, 4, 6, 8, 10 second steeping progression, I thought a solid third would be enough for a flavorful brew. What do you think...?"

If the previous steep was too strong, shorten the next one. If too weak, lengthen the next one. And when you've gone as long as you have patience for, and the flavor is no longer interesting enough to continue, stop.

I'm familiar with the shortening and elongating of infusions based on the taste of the previous one. But this doesn't really show me how much tea to use in the gaiwan for red teas. I really should have been more specific.

I'll add one observation: w/ some oolongs, overly high temperature &/or overly long first infusions ruined consequent infusions.

Red tea is the exact same way. If you mess up too much at the beginning, and you can't easily correct in one steeping, the entire brew becomes weak, poor tasting, and impossible to complete. I think even green, yellow, and white teas are the same way. For me, they seem to be.

[teagenesis]

Please read the following and try to absorb as much as possible. Brewing gongfu style is far more improvisational jazz than it is following a recipe.

Once I find the way I like to make it, I follow that recipe (amount, steeping times).

But just as a starting point to begin learning...

Red Tea- Fill gaiwan 1/3-1/2, start with a 10 sec infusion.

Have you ever filled your gaiwan halfway with red tea and steeped it for 10 full seconds...? Try it. It is not pleasant.

After the first infusion, that's when you taste/smell the tea and it will give you the feedback needed to go on from there.

Yes, but it doesn't really indicate how much one should use. Of course, it's all personal preference. But there is a defined margin for good, flavorful tea, with weakness and nastiness lying beyond that margin.

[debunix]

Yes, but it doesn't really indicate how much one should use. Of course, it's all personal preference. But there is a defined margin for good, flavorful tea, with weakness and nastiness lying beyond that margin.

Yes, it is personal preference. I brew most of my teas more dilute than many people here. There is no

how much one should use

: there is enough to make tea that you like.

[tingjunkie]

Please read the following and try to absorb as much as possible. Brewing gongfu style is far more improvisational jazz than it is following a recipe.

Once I find the way I like to make it, I follow that recipe (amount, steeping times).

But just as a starting point to begin learning...

Red Tea- Fill gaiwan 1/3-1/2, start with a 10 sec infusion.

Have you ever filled your gaiwan halfway with red tea and steeped it for 10 full seconds...? Try it. It is not pleasant.

After the first infusion, that's when you taste/smell the tea and it will give you the feedback needed to go on from there.

Yes, but it doesn't really indicate how much one should use. Of course, it's all personal preference. But there is a defined margin for good, flavorful tea, with weakness and nastiness lying beyond that margin.

What's that saying about horses and water?

[teagenesis]

What's that saying about horses and water?

I believe it's, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink..."

Thanks a lot for your help.

[teagenesis]

Yes, but it doesn't really indicate how much one should use. Of course, it's all personal preference. But there is a defined margin for good, flavorful tea, with weakness and nastiness lying beyond that margin.

Yes, it is personal preference. I brew most of my teas more dilute than many people here. There is no

how much one should use

: there is enough to make tea that you like.

I'm glad we agree it's a personal preference. How much red tea do you use in a gaiwan?

[PatrickCamellia]

It depends on the quality of the red tea.
Well i think tingjunkie gave you good indications to start with. On red tea i would do touch and go infusion with the amount of tea he indicated.

Try and "listen" to the leaves.

[debunix]

I vary the amount I use in a gaiwan, or pot (my brewing parameters change little between them) by whether or not I want to brew a little tea (then less tea for the same amount of water and increased infusion time, maybe enough to fill the gaiwan about 1/4 full when the leaves are fully wetted) or a lot of tea (then more tea, sometimes enough to fill the gaiwain 1/2 to 2/3 full when wetted), and also it varies by tea--I've found some where I can use more because they're less prone to bitterness.

I'm not trying to be evasive or frustrating, it really does vary a lot depending on what I'm trying to do.

Here's an example of a tasting session with some very mellow black teas.

[teagenesis]

I vary the amount I use in a gaiwan, or pot (my brewing parameters change little between them) by whether or not I want to brew a little tea (then less tea for the same amount of water and increased infusion time, maybe enough to fill the gaiwan about 1/4 full when the leaves are fully wetted) or a lot of tea (then more tea, sometimes enough to fill the gaiwain 1/2 to 2/3 full when wetted), and also it varies by tea--I've found some where I can use more because they're less prone to bitterness.

Very helpful.
So, when I went back to less tea, (a firm fourth of dry leaf) I realized that I had been sometimes over-steeping the tea. Only by a few seconds, but too much. It created a sudden sourness taste. Any more than a fourth, and the infusions would have to be momentary, for me, because dark red Yunnan tea has really bright, sharp flavor that quickly changes from bittersweet to bittersour. Your posts have given me a standpoint to scrutinize my own technique. Reducing the leaf a little proves to be a good fallback to correct your steeping time.

I find Yunnan "tipsy" red teas to be sort of temperamental--really easy to make sour. Naturally it is not hardly bitter, but in a high dose from a few extra seconds and the sweetness mounts into an overwhelming sour flavor. Easily corrected by a slightly shorter-than-expected steeping to follow...

Of all teas, it seems like there is a hidden pitfall for each variety, like a discreet quirk.

Thanks.

[bob]

So, when I went back to less tea, (a firm fourth of dry leaf) I realized that I had been sometimes over-steeping the tea.
...
Reducing the leaf a little proves to be a good fallback to correct your steeping time.
...
I find Yunnan "tipsy" red teas to be sort of temperamental--really easy to make sour.

I hope you don't mind if I add my "2 cents": I have a feeling that you are generally brewing this red tea too strongly and I would suggest you try brewing it "western style".

I've been drinking red (black) tea daily for a long time, and I found that I almost always prefer it prepared with ~3 g of leaves (2 teaspoons) in 250 ml of water for ~3 minutes, compared to gaiwan brewing. This way it is easy to control bitterness/astringency and extract the full flavour from the leaves. With gaiwan brewing I would too often get too diluted / too strong brews.

For example, I get very good results with Yunnan Sourcing's Wild Tree Purple Varietal Black Tea of Dehong and Old Arbor Black Tea Mu Shu Hong Cha, as well as with various Taiwanese, Japanese and Indian blacks.