Various brewing methods

[YSLondon]

Ah I see, well regardless what vessel I’m using —unglazed or glazed clay, or porcelain— tetsubin is a must for me

[KapnoPhilia88]

YSLondon why a cast iron tetsubin instead of a steel kettle?

[YSLondon]

I like the added body I can get from it, it comes at the cost of some high notes but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make haha

[KapnoPhilia88]

So as far as Western methods go, I think I understand those generally. As far as Eastern methods go, those seem to be a bit more diverse. Pardon my ignorance, but the most popular appears to be the one using a gaiwan to steep. However I've read about another that steeps in a bowl which is drunk without filtering. And I've been reading about others thanks to your links. I have also seen on this website Chinese ceramic teapots with spout, etc. vaguely similiar to a British teapot. Is this a traditional way to brew tea in the East?

[pedant]

So as far as Western methods go, I think I understand those generally. As far as Eastern methods go, those seem to be a bit more diverse. Pardon my ignorance, but the most popular appears to be the one using a gaiwan to steep. However I've read about another that steeps in a bowl which is drunk without filtering. And I've been reading about others thanks to your links. I have also seen on this website Chinese ceramic teapots with spout, etc. vaguely similiar to a British teapot. Is this a traditional way to brew tea in the East?

i'm not sure what's most popular, but i think people like the gaiwan because it's simple, easy to clean out (it's just a cup with a lid), and inexpensive.
also, glazed porcelain has a relatively neutral effect on flavor and does well to preserve "high notes" (aromatics). you almost can't go wrong with porcelain. that said, some are better than others. the gaiwan's design has a big impact on usability. it's very easy to burn your fingers on some of them.

bowl brew is popular, yes. sometimes you drink from the bowl. sometimes you spoon it out into a cup.

teapots are also very popular in the east.
there are many examples if you look around here and elsewhere. for example:
japanese pots (note that many of these have side handles instead of back handles)

[KapnoPhilia88]

Thank you pedant, in those Eastern teapots, how do they filter the leaves out? External strainer? Basket?

[pedant]

how do they filter the leaves out?

good question.

here are some examples of japanese teapot filter construction:
https://www.artisticnippon.com/product/ ... eapot.html


some teapots have no filters at all. here is an article about adding metal filters to chinese yixing pots:
https://www.kyarazen.com/installing-teapot-filters/
i personally think this is unnecessary because the leaves are too big to pass through the narrow spout anyways, but i'm sharing it because you may enjoy the images.

[debunix]

Why would it be such a task for anyone to share how they typically brew tea?

Why? Because I brew different teas differently at different times according to what time, what tea, what brewing options are available, and how I will be drinking the tea.

Some examples...

I heat water in an electric kettle to 160 degrees, pour a tiny amount in a large wide bowl over a little matcha powder, whisk it, then pour in more of the (now cooler) water, whisk until a foamy head forms, and then drink it down quickly.

I pour near-boiling water over chunks of ripe puerh in a steel thermos and seal it up to drink several hours later and over a full day away from my tea tray.

I toss a few curled up leaves of high mountain taiwanese oolong into a large cup, cover with boiling water to fill the bowl halfway, wait a few minute, add cool water to nearly fill, and sip over 20 minutes wandering in the garden, go back inside and start over again until the leaves are spent.

I infuse a small quantity of a fine black tea with abundant very hot water in a small vessel for a few seconds, pour it out, sip it quickly and repeat with longer infusion times until the leaves are spent or it gets bitter.

I do not brew one type of tea the same way every time, much less all teas the same. That is why it is a hard question to answer.

[Ethan Kurland]

....

I do not brew one type of tea the same way every time, much less all teas the same. That is why it is a hard question to answer.

+1 Yet, you kind enough to answer extensively, kind lady. Cheers

[KapnoPhilia88]

Thank you debunix and pedant, that is helpful.

It seems that I am now beginning to get a better picture of how you all like to brew tea. I might be so bold as to say that it seems the members of this forum for one reason or another tend to favor Eastern brewing methods. It appears that these methods yield a higher quality result and a fuller understanding of the tea and it's infusion, yet are indeed more time and energy intensive.

[faj]

I might be so bold as to say that it seems the members of this forum for one reason or another tend to favor Eastern brewing methods.

There is no right or wrong way to brew tea. But the "one reason or another" part of your question may have to do with the fact that tea originates from Asia, and has a much richer history there than anywhere else. To this day, Asia produces the widest variety of teas (by far). It is not entirely surprising that a group of people generally interested in tea would be influenced by Eastern brewing methods. I would say that is to be "mathematically" expected unless the group is specifically interested in Western-style teamaking.

[Youzi]

I brew by color.

[Bok]

I brew by color.

That’s a good way as well! It’s one thing I factor in.

[KapnoPhilia88]

Here I found a little guide: https://redblossomtea.com/blogs/red-blo ... e-leaf-tea

[debunix]

I wrote up some brewing notes on what I was doing with different teas some time ago, and this is still not too far off some of my brewing, although it does not include matcha, sparkling sencha, cool-infused teas to carry outdoors and hiking, or grandpa-style anything.