How To Brew Pu

[thommes]

I bought a gaiwan which might be 120 ml (need to actually check) which is good for gong fu cha brewing and learning about the tea for one person. It's the only way I've been brewing pu since I've started seriously learning about the tea a couple months ago. Issue is, I'm a tea drinker and I want to brew a cup of tea at times, not get my daily exercise by constantly pouring water/tea. I don't have a pot yet, but I do have several infusers. My experience with loose leaf tea spans decades but with the pu often being in clumps, I'm not sure steeping in an infuser would work well. So how do you peeps brew your pu when you don't want to follow the gong fu process? Maybe I just need a larger gaiwan. Still looking for my pot, see thread title Finally Found The Pot I Want, but I'm willing to buy whatever is needed now. I already want to get a new teapot for heating the water. The one I have doesn't have a spout and steam burns my hands as I pour the water into the gaiwan. DOH! It's more of a carafe than a teapot.

So how do you brew your pu when do don't gong fu?

[swordofmytriumph]

Depends on how much I want. If I really want a whole lot, I just use a larger teapot and scale up accordingly, and reduce the temp around ten degrees. I only do this when I intend to be drinking the same the throughout the whole day, like several 16oz glasses. If I only want say, just one large cup 16oz or so, the. I use my larger gaiwan and do three or four gongfu style steeps one after the other.

Either way, I never step my puerh western style, it makes it way too bitter for me.

Of course ideally, I just bring my tea tray and electric teapot over to wherever I am. This is the exact reason I got a tea tray so I could have perfect tea and not have to get up all the time.

[thommes]

I'm wondering if a pot with a built in removable infuser might work? I could make a large quantity but be able to control the steeping time by removing the filter. A buddy at work brought in his betty which he has been using for lose leaf. I just don't know if the clump of tea would have enough room to expand. I suppose the the pot wouldn't have to have a built in filter. Could just add the tea to a large pot and when steeped, transfer it all to an insulated mug to keep it warm while drinking.

[mrmopu]

They make a brewer called Kamjove if I recall correctly that keeps the water off the leaves and is a bigger size than a Gaiwan. You can also use a French press, just put the leaf on top so as you lift it up it brings them out of the water. Just the opposite placement if you brewed coffee. That is a trick from my old bud KS that isn't around anymore.

[thommes]

I was actually thinking about a french press, as I read recently that a french press can be used for steeping tea, but I haven't ever used one. I could see how a loose leaf might brew well in a press, but not sure about a tuo as the leaves aren't loose. The kamjove looks interesting and I could see how the tou would have the freedom to separate.

So mrmopu, your reputation proceeds you. In fact I have an article written about you and your storage of pu, open and bookmarked to study. How do you steep your tea? Do you use a press? My biggest concern is at work where I don't have the time to gongfu my pu.

And let me ask you one more question which is more pressing than how to steep a tuo of tea. That is immediate storage while I research, learn and build/buy something for more permanent storage. I received a shipment with another on the way. The shipment came in thick ziplock bags. I plan on keeping the tea in the basement which is cool and more humid. I also have a mostly empty mini fridge which I was happy to see in the article about your storage methods. How would you store the tea? Bag open or closed, in the fridge or on a shelf? I have to keep the fridge on due to a medication I take that has to be refridgerated.

[Victoria]

They make a brewer called Kamjove if I recall correctly that keeps the water off the leaves and is a bigger size than a Gaiwan. You can also use a French press, just put the leaf on top so as you lift it up it brings them out of the water. Just the opposite placement if you brewed coffee. That is a trick from my old bud KS that isn't around anymore.

@mrmopu Brilliant idea to use top of french press. Very clever way to keep leaves compressed and away from water.

[aet]

So how do you brew your pu when do don't gong fu?

sheng or shu?

[thommes]

sheng or shu?

Yes.

Literally both. But until I learn how to brew sheng better mostly shu.

[aet]

for the sheng you can use some infuser but long time of brewing even with small amounts might cause quite bitter tea. There is a tea bottle with infuser in separate compartment, so can keep control on strength of the tea.
There are few types on market, one is the 1:1 ( same volume of both parts - brewing and tea compartment ) and other is that brewing compartment is small , fits like 6g of loose leaf and can brew in around 400ml of water.
The 1:1 model makes no sense to me. It's same as gongfu ,just handier to take out , so for me no practical. I use the other one.
For shu , we have special glass kettle where you can brew / boil the tea ( also using for some hei cha ) . It mostly diminishes the earthy notes and tea tastes like Cha Gao ( puerh paste ) ...which basically it's the same way they produce it. It is very smooth , sweet but for serious shu puerh drinkers might taste a bit "flat" , coz missing mentioned soily notes.

[thommes]

Unfortunately I learned about over steeping sheng this morning. First time with sheng. I knew it was a green tea, but didn't really know follow instructions on how to steep it. I watched videos of quickly steeping, like seconds. I steeped too long. Even the fifth infusion of 10 seconds was a bit long. However, I just steeped some for about 5 seconds and the bitterness in the after taste isn't there. I think I'll brew up some shu to change the tastes in my mouth and then try this sheng again to get a new impression of the tea.

[wave_code]

I don't drink much of it anyway, but I wouldn't brew sheng in a western or grandpa style, unless it was with a VERY small amount of leaf and I wanted something strong with some bitterness. often for morning shu I am feeling lazy and/or just want a mug of something strong and dark, so I have a glass pot that is I think around 350ml, basically size of a typical mug. I usually use boiling water and around 5g of tea, give the chunk a rinse of a few seconds but make sure to fill the pot all the way to really heat it up. then, after pouring that out let it sit closed for a couple of minutes so the tea can soften up and break apart a bit from the heat/steam. then add more water and wait until it looks as dark as you would like it to be.

[mrmopu]

@thommes
I normally brew with a Japanese style Shiboridashi. Similar to a gaiwan . In terms of parameters, I usually do 10 grams to 100-120 ml of water. I do a rinse and let it sit for 10 minutes. Lots of time the tea will take up 3/4 to almost all of its weight of water after the rinse. I think the wait period allows the water to get in there and make the brew better. It is really up to you though. Every can get a different note or perception or nuance from the same tea. I would just experiment and find your sweet spot.

In terms of storage. The fridge needs to be odor free if you plan to store in it. You mentioned keeping it running. That is fine for sealed green tea and such. Don't put your puerh in there as heat has a lot to do with the tea aging. Taste your new teas or get a sample of a cake you are buying. If it is smoky keep it away from the others. If it seems aged enough for you then seal it. Puer needs air and humidity as well. Sheng and shou always apart as they are different processes all together. Always check you storage regularly and go through an isolation period if you get a new tea in you haven't tried. Lots of variables for sure.