tea spoon vs scale?

phier
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Sat Dec 05, 2020 5:50 pm

Victoria wrote:
Sat Dec 05, 2020 3:50 pm
pedant wrote:
Sat Dec 05, 2020 3:19 pm
due to different leaf shapes and sizes, different teas have different densities. a scoop of one tea won't weigh the same as another, and that can result in unexpected flavor and strength differences.

i've seen a couple of really nice photos that people have prepared that beautifully demonstrate this, but i can't find any right now.
if anyone has one, please share.
I think debunix posted an image showing different teas by gram weight somewhere. Here is an example showing 3 grams of six different teas;


Image
which might be an issue if producer of tea doesnt provides measurement in grams instead of 1cps ;-(
phier
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Sat Dec 05, 2020 5:57 pm

does it mean if producer/manufacturer doesnt provide measurements in grams/ml it means that tea is low quality?
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Victoria
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Sat Dec 05, 2020 6:04 pm

phier wrote:
Sat Dec 05, 2020 5:57 pm
does it mean if producer/manufacturer doesnt provide measurements in grams/ml it means that tea is low quality?
Not really, the traditional way to measure leaves was to use a spoon or a scoop, before scales became available.
phier
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Sat Dec 05, 2020 6:09 pm

Victoria wrote:
Sat Dec 05, 2020 6:04 pm
phier wrote:
Sat Dec 05, 2020 5:57 pm
does it mean if producer/manufacturer doesnt provide measurements in grams/ml it means that tea is low quality?
Not really, the traditional way to measure leaves was to use a spoon or a scoop, before scales became available.
so you need to test it by yourself how many scoops of specific tea for specific milliliters is required.. but if someone dont know whats the proper taste its hard :(
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Bok
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Sat Dec 05, 2020 7:08 pm

Life is hard.
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StoneLadle
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Sat Dec 05, 2020 8:23 pm

...and scary...
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pedant
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Sun Dec 06, 2020 1:18 am

lol

over time, you will brew it different ways and learn what you prefer. it's not a big deal.

a scale is helpful for consistent results.
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debunix
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Sun Dec 06, 2020 2:09 am

1 gram each of several different teas....
Image
Why I prefer a scale by debunix, on Flickr
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OCTO
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Sun Dec 06, 2020 8:41 am

I go by gut feel.... scale only if I'm cupping several teas. Otherwise... I'll usually use my fingers and grab some tea and put it inside the pot. No rocket science here. Keep it simple... No timer, no parameters, no thermometers...

Cheers!
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debunix
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Sun Dec 06, 2020 11:21 am

Many of us around the world did not have a deep tradition of tea drinking and informal guidance to help us develop that 'gut' feel for how much is enough, or when the temperature is right. I start my tea days now with green teas, but had such bad experiences with getting them *wrong* at first that I avoided them for years. Scale and thermometer changed that.

And I have now graduated to not needing my scales, or measuring cups, or referring to notes for the vast majority of my sessions, although I still use my temperature control kettle, because I was able to use the scales and thermometers and notes as training wheels in the absence of more traditional guidance.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with, or to be ashamed of, in the use of training wheels. Or in continuing with them if that is what it takes to not waste all the resources that go into growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, marketing, and shipping the teas to us. Or going back to them from time to time if we get a bit rusty, or if we are trying to share enough detail about a session for someone else to understand and perhaps reproduce our results.
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OCTO
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Tue Dec 08, 2020 10:28 pm

Don't get me wrong.... I'm referring to a simple "gut feel" where the tea should be brewed to one's own liking. My 10g of DC in a 70ml pot may not be to another's liking... hence adjust accordingly. I am a strong advocate of brewing tea that suits your own taste preferences. I tend to go a little rogue on this.... hahahaha...
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Baisao
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Thu Dec 10, 2020 2:26 am

@phier, after using a scale you’ll quickly begin to be able to do what OCTO does. I measured leaves by sight and water by the sound the bubbles made in my kettle. I knew how much each was by my senses alone.

Or so I thought.

I needed to have instructions to give students when I started teaching classes. I decided to weigh various teas and take temperatures for the first time since I began drinking tea. Over many years my measures had drifted significantly from what I thought they were!

There were a couple lessons in that alone. I now use a scale and thermometer but I can grab and guess now more accurately. Also, sencha and gyokuro are notoriously difficult to “weigh” by sight.

Lastly, I don’t remove leaves with a scoop. I pour them into a long bamboo scoop called a sago. I them slide the tea from the sago to the teapots.

All of this becomes easier with a little practice.
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