Simple, reliable preparation

[Ethan Kurland]

Last week as soon as I emptied a teapot of an infusion, I filled it w/ water for the next infusion. All infusions (usually 3) were poured into a pitcher. Thus, I never drank a single infusion. All I drank were the stacked infusions. It was an excellent week for tea w/ no nasty surprises & no disappointment.

I think the main benefit of this routine is not having some liquid steeping for the time between infusions. It is easy to be distracted & not pour out all that is inside a pot. Even a small amount of water sitting for ten minutes can lead to bitterness that ruins a whole round of tea. With no pause between infusions, a bit of water left in a pot accidentally won't have time to have much negative effect.

I have found that being by my kettle, teapot, & pitcher (only once) for a couple of minutes, is a pleasant anticipation of the drinking to be done. Also, I like having a pitcher of hot tea holding a few infusions waiting for the moment I want some of it....

[Bok]

I think this method works well if you know the particular tea you are brewing. I wouldn’t dare to risk it for a new or unfamiliar tea.

Tasting in between steeps also lets you adjust to the tea/situation.

I personally like my tea on the hot side, so a full pitcher would cool down to much until I reach the bottom. A further concern would be the continuous interaction with oxygen which will alter the taste. Fine for some teas, others do not take well to it and turn bitter.

[pedant]

ethan, how do you think that three combined back-to-back infusions compares to just doing a single infusion with the same combined volume of water (basically western style one-shot brewing)?

[Ethan Kurland]

The teas that I have been drinking lately taste better when steeped quickly & are stacked. I am not changing anything from what I would do if drinking each infusion alone. I've been stacking for a couple of years but drinking half of each infusion by itself & half combined. I was preparing each infusion when I was ready for more tea. As Bok wrote, when in a pitcher very long, the brew can get somewhat bitter. Since doing all the infusions one right after another, I think I am drinking most of what I prepare more quickly & because of what I mentioned before, what is in the pitcher to begin with, is better. I am getting a better drink w/ "quick stacking" but have not done it w/ every tea that I have in my room. (I will eventually). If 100% of the brew in the pitcher does not make it to my cup before changing for the worse, I would not mind tossing it; however, it has not happened yet. I don't mind room temperature tea nor a second or third cup not quite as good as a first cup.
It's easier for me to pay attention & brew well when I know that what is going into the pitcher will be my tea for the next hour or two or so; not just for a cup....

[Victoria]

Ethan I have been stacking my morning infusions for many months now. Mostly roasted high mountain oolongs, ShanLinXi, Muzha etc. I only stack the first two infusions and also sip part of the first infusion while waiting for the second. In the morning I like to focus on having my tea but also get going with work at the computer or my table. I enjoy my teas a little cooler, probably residual from drinking Japanese for so long. I stack medium to high grade teas, but not my finest, those I have in the afternoon when I can really focus and take a break. I was lucky to get a dobin style Seto-ware glazed teapot with a rustic wabi-sabi vine handle that I really love handling. This aesthetic addition has made stacking that much more enjoyable.

pedant, I think going western style would overall result in less rich, less dense infusions, because we’d be using less leaf /to water, with longer infusion time.

Here is a snapshot of my Seto-ware glazed beauty. Light to handle and perfect pour. The curved sack on the spout is proportioned perfectly to the round billowing body.

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