Prompted by someone else making a topic about iced tea, I'm going to update what I am currently doing for chilled or cool teas lately. I start essentially all of them off in boiling water, and when I am at home I start the leaves with boiling water in an inexpensive porcelain gaiwan. After a few minutes, I pour the gaiwan contents, leaves and all, through a funnel into a water bottle or sparkling water bottle that already has a little cool water in it, so I minimize the risk of the hot water weakening the special sodastream bottles specifically and minimizing the hot water contact with the plastic of my other water bottles. Then I fill up with cool tap water, let all chill a few hours and take out to drink (
or carbonate and drink) when hot and thirsty.
I usually set up a few bottles at once ahead of a hot day. Sometimes I've got 4 or 5 identical gaiwans on the go at once as I prep them while making and drinking my morning sencha.
I like a lot of light or green oolongs this way, many Korean Balhyochas and Taiwanese red oolongs, some low bitterness black teas, white teas (although these can get either boring or bitter easily and don't always come out right), and some green teas (Long Jing, An Ji Bai Cha, sencha, and Tai Ping Hou Kui are often good).
When prepping the leaf, you have to remember that the volume that counts is the total volume of the drinking vessel, and you won't be preparing multiple infusions--in that sense, it's more like drinking tea western style with little tea in a large pot and a long steep.
How much tea to use, how long to infuse, that becomes a matter of experience and preference. Keep in mind too-strong tea can often be saved by diluting it.
