As always when brewing this consider how many people you are serving when taking into account the size of the pot you are going to us. I am using a 1 oz cup for myself, so I am using a 60 ml yixing, which will produce slightly more than the cup can hold (do not worry that is not a problem).
So materials:
- Enough cups for everyone.
- A yixing pot or gaiwan that is paired at about 25 ml in size per half ounce cup.
- One or two faircups (one if you are using a teapot, two if you are using a gaiwan).
- A high roast oolong, typically High fire TGY.
- Crush enough of the tea leaves to fill 1/3 of the yixing or gaiwan. Note do not crush as in mortar and pestle, but crush by hand till you get small broken bits, a bit of a step up from fannings. For this step I like to use a gaiwan to crush just because it gives a firm surface that I can push the tea against with my thumb. Some prefer to crush in their hands, but depending on the tea that can leave your hand feeling rather raw. (I have had some hard as rock High fire TGY).
- Repeat the process for nearly another third of the pot, but crush it a lot less, try and get medium sized pieces.
- Finally fill the rest of the gaiwan or yixing to about 80-90% full with full leaves. And, yes this method does use quite a large amount of tea!
- This is the hard part, you want to steep the tea so that it is very dark in color and very strong, think 30+ seconds first infusion. And for subsequent steeps you want to get identical brews. Typically going for 4 identical infusions.
- When pouring with a yixing pot have the cups arranged close together and preferably in a circle so you can go around and around and around till all cups are evenly distributed. With a Gaiwan it is easier to pour into a faircup then repeat the process. Any excess should go into the other fair cup to be saved for later.
- After those are over, drink the cold excess infusions in the other fair cup, there should really only be enough for one or two cups.
You are supposed to be done after 4 identical infusions, but should you feel uncertain about using that much leaf for only four infusions go a head and steep the rest of the tea out, though this is not considered part of Chao Zhou Gong fu.
This method produces an amazing brew, that my friend has likened to the Turkish coffee of the tea world.
7 comments:
It is nice to have a detailed instruction on this subject! I had kind of been wondering what it really was, because I had heard about it so often.
It seems like a 30 second brew for that much leaf would be quite strong!
Wait - I fill my yixing pot for about one fourth of its capacity and yet in fourth-sixth infusion it's full of tea leaves.
How much water can it hold when filling it with crushed leaves until its full??
Yesterday I was focused on one of the the other sides of Chou Zhou style brewing: heating water with a small charcoal stove (brewing a mid-grade Milan Dancong in a Chou Zhou teapot).
Will-- This is supposed to create a very strong infusion but with a well done High fire TGY it will be strong but not unplesant. Think about it as the equivalent of Espresso compared to coffee.
Tou Cha Tea-- High fire TGY leaves do not expand that much, but often with this you need to force the lid on for the final infusions. It is also why I said aim for 25-30 ml for half ounce cup, which really should only hold 15-20ml.
Cinnabar-- I would really like to heat water using Charcoal sometime, but I have to see what my living arrangements are next fall.
Cinnabar interesting tip, I will have to try it some time.
Adam thanks for the insight, I enjoyed the post.
One question, I am curious what type of Oolong did you use in the pictures?
Jordan-- The tea was the High Fire TGY from The Mandarins Tea Room. I have also had great success with the Tea Galleries High Fire TGY, and Just4tea's High Fire TGY. Basically for this I do not like to venture away from High Fire Tie Guan Yin.
Yes, having the right place to use a charcoal stove is important. The charcoal I'm using is very clean burning without smoke or airborne ash, but I break up the pieces and light the coals outside since that part is a little messy.
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