Search the Sip Tip

Looking for something on this site? Use this search to find it.

Monday, September 3, 2012

The Different Types of Tea sessions

So the more and more I drink tea, and talk with others about drinking tea, you tend to find that the types of brewing methods/ procedures change depending on the situation.  I have already written quite a bit on Gong Fu, and Grandpa Style brewing, but currently I am doing a method I can only describe as the Office gong fu.

Its actually quite simple, pick any brewing vessel you have around that you would brew gong fu style with.  A gaiwan or teapot works great.  Now here is the trick, pick a huge cup, something that can hold 2-4 brews from the gong fu brewing vessel.  Then simply brew several infusions in a row and fill the cup.  Brew them how you normally would for that tea, and this method requires a bit of familiarity with the tea you are brewing.

The result a nice big cup of tea, which while not completely as nuanced as each individual brew is a nice large cup of gong fu style tea.  Even better is once the cup is finished go back and repeat the process again until the leaves are dead.

I call it the office gong fu, because it is great for being able to have a big cup of tea while working diligently on a project or assignment.  I think I like it so much I might start doing this quite often.

Currently I am doing it with a 100 ml gaiwan, a Yunomi from Julie Devers, and some Ali shan from Pheonix tea shop.  Just curious if any of my readers might have some notes on brewing tea this way?  I did note with the gaiwan I did have to pause a bit between infusions to allow the gaiwan to cool enough to ensure I didn't get burnt fingers.

2 comments:

Centranthus said...

This is precisely what I do at work. We're given a 20 minute morning break. In that time, I can "rapid-fire gaiwan" tea, and put it in my coffee mug. I'll usually go for the more can't-screw-up brews like hongcha or a Taiwanese oolong for such occasions. Currently I'm working on the 2012 Ye Sheng hongcha from Norbu.

Emily Bolton said...

I do this for Silver Needle tea, but everything ends up in a cha hai after it goes through the gaiwan. It really brings out the more vegetal flavors of the tea, which I like.

Bottom Banner