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There is no one "correct" way to make a cup of tea. The most important thing is that it tastes good to you. If you like your tea with cream and sugar, butter and salt, or on its own, then that's the "right" way for you to do it. There are, however, a few guidelines that people (sort of) agree on when it comes to steeping the different types or categories of tea.
If you've never tried a particular tea, try infusing it according to the following general guidelines. If it turns out too strong, use less tea, use a lower temperature, and/or steep the leaves for less time. If it is too weak, use more tea, raise the temperature, etc. Each tea is unique, so experimentation is the key until you get comfortable with the process. Don’t forget that most teas can be re-infused several times, and some teas, particularly Oolong and Pu’er, can yield dramatic differences in flavor between infusions. A note on how much tea to use: Since tea leaves are rolled or compressed in many different ways during processing, the only way to get consistent results when preparing tea is to weigh the leaves you are using. Our recommendation is to use 3 grams per standard 6 oz cup and adjust to taste. For Gong-Fu tea preparation (see below), start with 7-8 grams in a 150ml Gaiwan or Teapot and adjust to taste for future sessions. White Tea: Because of their delicate and subtle nature, we recommend that white teas be infused at a relatively low temperature (165-180°F) for a longer period of time. Try starting out with about 3 grams (±1 heaping Tablespoon) per cup, and steep for about 5 minutes. Green Tea: Most green teas will turn out bitter if steeped for too long or at too high a temperature, so green teas is best infused at or below 175°F. Start out with 3 grams (±1-3 tsp) of leaf per cup and steep for 2-3 minutes. Oolong Tea: We recommend that this stylistically diverse category of tea be infused using water just under a boil (195°F). Use about 3 grams (±1-2 tsp) per cup, and infuse 3-6 minutes. Don't forget that most Oolong teas can be re-infused three or more times! Black Tea: To infuse black tea, we recommend using about 3 grams (±1.5 tsp) per cup and boiling (212°F) water. Let it steep for 3-5 minutes and enjoy. Most commercial, chopped leaf black teas are not really worth infusing a second time, but higher quality, whole leaf black teas can be re-steeped two or more times. Note: Most Darjeeling teas are ideally infused using 195°F water (under a boil) since, in my opinion, most should technically be considered oolong teas in terms of processing and level of oxidation. Dark/Pu’er Tea: To steep Dark/Pu’er tea, pry a small amount of leaves off of the compressed tea cake, brick, etc. We recommend infusing about 3 grams (±1-1.5 tsp) per cup the first time you make a particular Pu’er and adjust the amount used to your taste in future sessions. Use water that is as close to boiling as possible for both Sheng/Raw and Shu/Ripe Pu’er teas. Steeping times will vary greatly from tea to tea. Start by steeping the tea leaves for 3 minutes and adjust according to your taste. Gong Fu TeaThis is a video I made in 2010. Please disregard and/or make fun of fashion & facial hair choices.
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Gong Fu Tea Preparation
Gong Fu (sometimes spelled Kung Fu) means to do something "with skill," and, contrary to popular belief, it is not a term reserved solely for martial arts. Over the past several hundred years, this method of preparing tea has evolved into a very precise and elaborate ceremony in parts of the Chinese tea world, but it is also a very practical and economical way to enjoy higher quality tea. Ultimately, we think that once you get a feel for the basics, it is an easy and intuitive process that allows tea drinkers to enjoy the entire experience of preparing and enjoying their tea. To get started, you are going to need a vessel to steep the tea leaves in. A small, usually less than ½ Cup (as in baking) volume "Yixing" style teapot or Gaiwan (lidded bowl) are the vessels traditionally used. Really, any small teapot, French Press, or just a mug with a removable infuser insert will work just fine. Other items needed are cups and an optional serving pitcher. The cups are typically very small and hold approximately two Tablespoons (30 ml), and the pitcher should have the same or greater volume as your brewing vessel. The amount of tea used varies greatly by tea type, how tightly rolled/compressed the leaves are, and your own personal taste, but the general rule of thumb is that you want to at least cover the bottom of the steeping vessel if the leaves are tightly rolled or fill about 1/4 to 1/3 of the steeping vessel with larger, non-ball-rolled leaf styles. Many people prefer to measure their tea leaves by weight vs. the volume of the brewing vessel, and the usual recommendation is somewhere around 7 grams (1/4 oz) of tea per 150 ml (about 2/3 cup) water. We strongly recommend investing in a small, pocket-sized scale to weigh your tea leaves. Bring the water to just under a boil for oolong tea, and to a full boil for Pu’Er tea. The first step is to rinse the tea leaves and pour the liquid into the serving pitcher and cups to rinse them out and warm them up. This rinse is more tradition than anything else, but it serves the purpose of washing away any dust or foreign matter from the tea leaves and to prime them for steeping. Now you are ready to enjoy your tea. Start with a short infusion of 10-20 seconds. Pour the infused liquor away from the tea leaves either into the serving pitcher (for portion control) or directly into the teacups. Enjoy! The tea leaves in your steeping vessel will slowly open and release their flavors during subsequent infusions. As they open up, increase the steeping time used to get the deepest layers of flavor out of the tea. Oolong teas can usually be infused at least 3 times, while Pu’Er teas can be steeped up to 10 or more times. |