Gaiwan Search: The Empire Strikes Back

[nimpercent]

Hey guys, I got my new gaiwan from China on ebay and it arrived a few days ago. Now I got a smaller gaiwan (about 3.5 ounces I think), and I am completely new to the gong-fu method. So I looked up how to do it, and it said to fill the pot up one-third with leaves and then seep 30 seconds (5 seconds cumulatively for the next brewings). So I got one of my favorite teas (Tung-Ting / Dong Ding Oolong) and followed the instructions....

MAN, was it bitter as all heck.

My question to you is this: What am I doing wrong? Did I add too many leaves? Is the seep time wrong? Both?

Thanks!

[thanks]

Hey guys, I got my new gaiwan from China on ebay and it arrived a few days ago. Now I got a smaller gaiwan (about 3.5 ounces I think), and I am completely new to the gong-fu method. So I looked up how to do it, and it said to fill the pot up one-third with leaves and then seep 30 seconds (5 seconds cumulatively for the next brewings). So I got one of my favorite teas (Tung-Ting / Dong Ding Oolong) and followed the instructions....

MAN, was it bitter as all heck.

My question to you is this: What am I doing wrong? Did I add too many leaves? Is the seep time wrong? Both?

Thanks!

I don't agree with those settings as it changes depending on the tea a great deal. For Dong Ding, since it's tightly rolled, you need just enough to cover the bottom of the gaiwan relatively speaking. First steep I'd go about 45 seconds, then 12s, 15s, 30s, etc. Feel the tea out. It'll let you know how to brew it.

[tsverrir]

I agree with thanks, but I usually do a quick rinse and a shorter first steep if it's a rolled Oolong.
You should also watch the water temperature. Instructions usually say 95° for Oolong, but when brewing Taiwanese and other green Oolongs you should begin with 85° and up the heat from that if required.

It's good to get tips from others when you're new to a tea / brewing method, but the key is experiment and find out what is right for you.

[nimpercent]

Yeah and experiment I will.

Thanks, did you mean add 15s, 30s, to the original 45?

[thanks]

Yeah and experiment I will.

Thanks, did you mean add 15s, 30s, to the original 45?

No, just these times.

[gingkoseto]

MAN, was it bitter as all heck.

Ah! I experienced this feeling at least three times in the past year, on dong ding alone! Is your dong ding a newly obtained one or you did it in other way and it was ok with another way? What did you do with non-gaiwan method?

My first feeling when reading this is, very possibly it's not you or the gaiwan, it's the tea I personally like using shorter infusions for Taiwan oolong (starting from 15-20 sec.). But I heard from quite a few Taiwanese friends that even 60sec infusion is not uncommon. Good dong ding (or any good Taiwan oolong) shouldn't get bitter even with 2 minutes brewing. 1/3 gaiwan-ful of tea sounds a bit much to me, but if it's bitter in 30sec. I would still blame the tea.

[nimpercent]

I used to brew Dong Ding in a ceramic pot using 1tsp for every 8oz of water at 195 degrees for about 3minutes. It was never bitter then. I got mine from Teavana - which I realize is not the best source - but I have never had problems with their Dong-ding in the past and it is convenient since it is like 5min from my house.

I tried some TKY - "monkey picked" from Teavana - today and it was good. What is the general rules to follow for these kind of green Oolongs. Here are some questions I still have:

1. Do I use a rinse for all types of tea, or just rolled tea?
2. How long should the rinse be and what temp should the water be?
3. What temperature do I generally start with for green Oolongs? Darker ones? Rolled? Unrolled?
4. Then, what second increases do I use generally, or for the teas above,
5. How, in the name of all that is good and holy, do I not burn my hands when pouring the tea out of the gaiwan?

[tsverrir]

1. Do I use a rinse for all types of tea, or just rolled tea?

I do for all teas, but some don't rinse if they trust the quality of the tea. The reason I do it is not only for the sake of rinsing but I like to give the tea a few seconds to wake up before the first brew.

2. How long should the rinse be and what temp should the water be?

For Oolongs I do a short rinse (~5 sec) with slightly hotter water than I use for the first brew.

3. What temperature do I generally start with for green Oolongs? Darker ones? Rolled? Unrolled?

For green un/low roasted ones I would recommend starting at 85°C and up the heat if you find the tea dull. for darker/more roasted I would try 90-95°C. Better to start with lower heat and then increase since to high heat can destroy greener leaves.
I think there shouldn't be any heat difference for rolled and unrolled, the rolled just need a bit more time to wake up.

4. Then, what second increases do I use generally, or for the teas above,

Got no recommendations there. Depends on the tea. You'll just have to experiment.

5. How, in the name of all that is good and holy, do I not burn my hands when pouring the tea out of the gaiwan?

Don't fill it up to the rim

[Oni]

The Dong Ding I tried from Teaspring, was the type that includes the twigs and it has 2 or 3 leaves on a twig, it was very tightly rolled, and very heavy, so only one chinese measuring spoon, just to cover the bootom, because it will take up the whole space of the gaiwan, so try to use a 5 second rinse, and infuse for abou 20 seconds for the first 2 infusions, ps where have you bought your DD from?

[thanks]

To be honest I'd brew everything at 95c, if it's a good tea, it'll handle the heat no matter what style it is. If it's not good, then adjust accordingly.

[tsverrir]

To be honest I'd brew everything at 95c, if it's a good tea, it'll handle the heat no matter what style it is. If it's not good, then adjust accordingly.

This is not my experience with high mountain oolongs. I find teas grown above ~1500 meters to be very delicate and don't handle high heat very well.

[ABx]

To be honest I'd brew everything at 95c, if it's a good tea, it'll handle the heat no matter what style it is. If it's not good, then adjust accordingly.

This is not my experience with high mountain oolongs. I find teas grown above ~1500 meters to be very delicate and don't handle high heat very well.

I've always gotten better results with boiling water. However, I have found a sort of 'intermediary' state at which I couldn't get much; cooler water would produce fine results, slightly hotter would kill off aroma, but then with lots of heat and an energetic pour it really opens up.

[bi lew chun]

I find myself liking boiling water more and more, even for greener oolongs, but the Tea Spring Dong Ding mentioned above seemed to really suffer with boiling water, whereas another Dong Ding that was every bit as green took it in stride. Moral of the story: no hard and fast rules for me.

[nimpercent]

Thanks guys.

Is the first seep after the rinse commonly longer that subsequent seepings? Or is it a gradual increase. I just need some kind of basic guideline here to experiment with.

[tsverrir]

Thanks guys.

Is the first seep after the rinse commonly longer that subsequent seepings? Or is it a gradual increase. I just need some kind of basic guideline here to experiment with.

In the first steep the leaves are still absorbing the water instead of just giving away flavor. So yes, especially for rolled oolongs, the first steep is usually longer than the subsequent ones.