Kyusu for fukamushi?

[taitea]

I'm putting this in the green tea section, maybe I shouldn't?

I have only tried one japanese tea: a fukamushi from a local vendor. It's pretty amazing and I see what all the fuss is about. I don't know anything about kyusus, but apparently it's blasphemous for me to be drinking fukamushi out of a gaiwan. Will any kyusu work well with fukamushi, or should I look for certain properties? I don't know anything about kyusus, but there seems to be a variety of filter types. Does any of this matter? What should I care about?

[devites]

I drink a lot of Sencha and although I only have 2 kyusus, I think that my ocha one is awesome for fukamushi http://www.o-cha.com/green-tea/tokoname ... ki703.html The filter makes it so even if you don't pour all the water out, it won't leach the flavor out of the leaves for the next infusion. The Den's one is pretty good place to start, but the ocha one is only 10 dollars more.

[murrius]

I used to use a glass teapot with a metal infuser for brewing sencha, including fukamushi. I later got a white clay Kikumaru kyusu with a sasame style clay filter. The difference in taste is really quite remarkable. The broken leaves of sencha fukamushi style green tea are particularly small so you need some sort of filter. A gaiwan would not filter out much of the leaf. The clay filter of the Kikumaru does the trick very well. I'm sure there are many other kyusu that would work as well as they are designed specifically with sencha in mind.

[Space Samurai]

I use a sasame (clay filter) for my fuka and I don't have problems with it. But a stainless steel filter like the ones at ocha are probably easier to get a good brew.

[Wesli]

Some people have problems with using sasame filters for fukamushi, but all one needs to do if the filter gets clogged, is to start with a slower pour.

[Oni]

I use ball shaped kyusu with metal screen in front of the sprout, those were invented for fukamushi.

[olivierco]

I use a sasame (clay filter) for my fuka and I don't have problems with it. But a stainless steel filter like the ones at ocha are probably easier to get a good brew.

+1

[Sydney]

Fukamushi in a gaiwan isn't really blasphemy. It's just a serious challenge and tends to produce a ridiculously strong brew that's scary to look at. A bit of technique and finesse can solve the challenge completely.

I've done it.

However, I almost always use a kyusu. The cheap metal-screened ones from Den's do it just fine.

[taitea]

Thanks for the replies.

I didn't understand what the big deal with doing sencha in a gaiwan was either... I just pour it through a strainer like I do any other tea.

It seems like the different kinds of kyusus are all a matter of what kind of filter they have. And so far that seems like it's just a matter of personal preference. Are there any japanese greens that are usually/always paired with a certain kind of filter? How would your fukamushi kyusu differ from, say, your gyokuro kyusu?

[Ed]

The stainless steel mesh screen is the way to go for fukamushi. You might want to use a smaller size kyuusu for gyokuro, as it is usually consumed in small servings. A good kyuusu with a capacity of 9 ounces or so is good for all round brewing, IMHO. You can use that for gyokuro or sencha and will work for brewing one serving or two.

[Chip]

I also prefer the stainless screens for fukamushicha. I can use the sasame if I wanted to, but it requires more care in the pour, imho, although some of them are pretty good.

But for ease of use and speed in pour, I have a few oversized stainless screens that permit lightning fast pours, around 7 ounces of fukamushi in less than 5 seconds except for some drops.

My gyokuro kyusu are much smaller, from 2- <5 ounces.

[Oni]

I would recomend Hohryu from hibiki-an, not because I am using it for fukamushi, but it is made with woodturning technique, that makes its walls thin and it is lightweight, ball shaped (that is good for deep steamed too) and it pours fast never gets clogged, but it is expencieve, I am using it for a year now and I cannot complain.

[toastedtoads]

My gyokuro kyusu are much smaller, from 2- <5 ounces.

Where do you get kyusus so small? I don't usually share with anyone, and I drink very slowly, so it's best for me if I don't make more than 8 or so ounces at a time. I know there's a big long s-word that is supposed to be for gyokuro, but the smallest kyusu I've seen is about 9 ounces.

[Chip]

My gyokuro kyusu are much smaller, from 2- <5 ounces.

Where do you get kyusus so small? I don't usually share with anyone, and I drink very slowly, so it's best for me if I don't make more than 8 or so ounces at a time. I know there's a big long s-word that is supposed to be for gyokuro, but the smallest kyusu I've seen is about 9 ounces.

There several different names for these vessels. Shiboridashi and hohin are common names.

You can use a larger kyusu for gyokuro. I typically brew such small steeps of gyokuro unless it is priced for everyday enjoyment. Small steeps are a reminder of how special the gyokuro truly is, plus a truly good gyokuro is higher in caffeine than sencha and gives me quite a buzz if I drink too much. But as long as you preheat a larger kyusu, you can use larger ones and use less water. There is no rule that you have to fill the kyusu.

Price points for gyokuro pots vary greatly, from around 20 bucks to hundreds. Maiko has one for 19. Hibiki has some for 100's. Artistic Nippon has some from around 100 to almost 300. Rishi has an intermediate size one for around 50.

Bottom line, you do not have to have one to brew smaller steeps.

[Oni]

Maikotea and maikoshop are great for buying houhins, they have both very expencieve ones and also on maikotea they have introduced recently some really affortable ones as well. These will pronounce the high aromatics and concentration of gyokuro, the main thig that makes gyokuro the best green tea.