White Tea Using Gaiwan

Temperature  Generally use near boiling water, 194 to 212°. White tea flavor is often heavily reliant on polyphenols and partially oxidized substances that extract best close to boiling temperatures.

Amount 5.0 g to 7.1 g (1/4 oz) tea in 4 oz of water. Amount may vary by tea, sometimes the amount may be less.

Gaiwan Heating Fill the Gaiwan full with boiling water. Close the lid. Dump the water after 10 seconds. This warms the Gaiwan to prevent a drop in temperature when brewing tea.

Brewing Fill the Gaiwan with the correct amount of water (4 oz) from a height so as to agitate the leaves, unless the leaves are delicate, in which case use the low position. Infuse for about about 10 seconds. Or, try a longer time for a more extracted concentrated style. Pour into a pitcher if desired to even out the resultant brew, or go between serving cups to accomplish the same goal. Subsequent brews may follow the “touch and go” routine, while later brews may benefit from the addition of 1 to 3 seconds. 6 to 10 brews are possible. Keep the lid off between infusions to limit continued heat accumulation and to prevent further oxidation of the leaves.

Oolong Tea Gong-Fu (Chao Zhou) Technique

Temperature  Use boiling water, as close to 212° as possible. Oolong tea flavor is heavily reliant on polyphenols and partially oxidized substances that extract best at boiling temperature.

Amount 7.1 g (1/4 oz) tea in 2 oz of water.

Gaiwan Heating Fill the Gaiwan full with boiling water. Close the lid. Discard the water after 10 seconds. This warms the Gaiwan to prevent a drop in temperature when brewing tea.

Tea Rinse Place the leaves in the tea Gaiwan (7.1 g or 1/4 oz). Fill the Gaiwan 70% full with boiling water. Discard immediately. Repeat the process a second time. This allows the tea leaves to become warm, hydrate and unfurl. As the tea leaves expand their greater surface area means they are adequately prepared to brew a great cup of tea.

Brewing Fill the Gaiwan with the correct amount of boiling water (2 oz) and immediately pour off.  Repeat the process a second time. These first 2 tea brews can be set aside in a pitcher if desired to even out the result. For subsequent brewing let the tea infuse for 1 to 2 seconds before pouring off. 10 to 20 “touch and go” brews are possible. Keep the lid off between infusions to limit continued heat accumulation and to prevent further oxidation of the leaves.

Result This method works well for brewing oolong tea, particularly phoenix oolong. It will provide an unmatched, full-flavored cup with excellent extraction, viscous liquor and a long finish.

Pu-erh Tea Gong-Fu (Chao Zhou) Technique

Temperature  Use boiling water, as close to 212° as possible. Pu-erh tea flavor is heavily reliant on polyphenols and partially oxidized substances that extract best at boiling temperature.

Amount 5.0 g tea in 2 oz of water.

Gaiwan Heating Fill the Gaiwan full with boiling water. Close the lid. Discard the water after 10 seconds. This warms the Gaiwan to prevent a drop in temperature when brewing tea.

Tea Rinse Place the leaves in the tea Gaiwan (5.0 g). Fill the Gaiwan 70% full with boiling water. Discard immediately. Repeat the process a second time. This allows the tea leaves to become warm, hydrate and unfurl. As the tea leaves expand their greater surface area means they are adequately prepared to brew a great cup of tea.

Brewing Fill the Gaiwan with the correct amount of boiling water (2 oz) and immediately pour off. Repeat the process a second time. These first 2 tea brews can be set aside in a pitcher if desired to even out the result. For subsequent brewing let the tea infuse for 1 to 2 seconds before pouring off. 10 to 20 “touch and go” brews are possible. Keep the lid off between infusions to limit continued heat accumulation and to prevent further oxidation of the leaves.