Gungfu Cha Beginner

[xcRupert]

Hello All,

I'm relatively new to this sub-forum, but I've been occasionally lurking on B&B for quite some time. Finally decided to register so that I may pick the brains of the resident Tea Gurus (and at some point in the future develop a shave starter kit). I'd like to make the transition to loose leaf teas, having previously only experienced the bagged variety. I've read through the most recent 15 pages of Cafe threads in order to avoid repeat questions and I'd appreciate any assistance or guidance The Cafe can offer as I begin my fine tea journey.

Teas:
Pu'erh from my browsing is a mythical tea that is reserved for/enjoyed by the fine tea connoisseurs. As such I think it'd be best to start out with white, green, black and oolong - but if I'm mistaken by all means correct me. I'm inexplicably drawn to the Silver Needle White, but I'm open to all recommendations as well as sampler recommendations.

Equipment:
Gaiwan - The standard recommendation seems to be for the 100ml Gaiwan at Jas-eTea. Does one consume directly from the Gaiwan or transfer to tea cups? Is it worthwhile to invest in tea cups when I don't plan on entertaining with my setup?
Electric Kettle - I'm looking at either the UtiliTea Variable Temp or the PINO Digital Kettle Pro, both of which seem to have a following here.

I believe this covers the basics but if anyone has additions, recommendations or suggestions they would all be greatly appreciated!

 

[arghblech]

I don't generally drink from the gaiwan because it gets too hot. I'm told, however, that it is common for folks in China to drink straight from a gaiwan.

Try as many different types of teas as you can reasonably afford. One learns by drinking. Drink any tea you find (within reason, of course) and soon you will begin to understand your preferences.

 

[SiBurning]

I'm pretty much a beginner myself, but for what it's worth...

Definitely get a couple of tea cups. I also appreciate having a filter and a pitcher. The starter set has all of this, although you might do better to pick out the particulars yourself. For example, I really like the ceramic filter, although I was a bit too thorough cleaning it and popped the filter mesh off and now use the ceramic holder with a stainless steel filter. You can also pick out a particular pretty gaiwan and cups. There's plenty of places to go from the starter stuff, and you can and should start off small and simple. After trying 3 or 4 things, I gave up the gaiwan for a kyusu with an integrated ceramic filter. Tried a couple of cups--one was a hit, another with ceramic interior has an awful tasting clay on the outside and I'm not sure if it's supposed to be seasoned. Lots to learn and try.

You should definitely try puerh. I especially like shu (ripe or cooked) puerh at night because a lot of teas keep me awake at night, but not the cooked puerhs. It might be the antioxidants, but who knows. It's not the caffeine, since I can down a liter of coffee and not have trouble sleeping.

 

[Born2bwire]

I don't generally drink from the gaiwan because it gets too hot. I'm told, however, that it is common for folks in China to drink straight from a gaiwan.

Try as many different types of teas as you can reasonably afford. One learns by drinking. Drink any tea you find (within reason, of course) and soon you will begin to understand your preferences.

Gotta build up a technique and some pads on your fingers. Really, the trick is not to fill it up too much that the water goes past the lid and then hold it with your thumb and middle fingers on the lip and the knuckle of your index finger on the lid. As long as you do not fill it up too high the lip should be cool enough to handle on its edge. You can also handle it by holding the bottom edge as well but I would only hold it like that if you are going to drink straight from it. I prefer to hold it by the lip for pouring.

As for the OP, don't be afraid to try the Puerhs. In fact, get some cheap cooked puerhs as the wet storage method that they use to age them can give them a strong earthy flavor that I think a lot of Westerners would find appealing given their tastes for strong coffee and black teas.

 

[Shavely Manden]

Teas:
Pu'erh from my browsing is a mythical tea that is reserved for/enjoyed by the fine tea connoisseurs. As such I think it'd be best to start out with white, green, black and oolong - but if I'm mistaken by all means correct me. I'm inexplicably drawn to the Silver Needle White, but I'm open to all recommendations as well as sampler recommendations.

Pu-erh has traditionally been mysterious because it wasn't available in the US for a long time (evidently, there was a problem with somebody in the FDA for a long time that didn't like it). It's not that inaccessible a tea, though, though some might find it an acquired taste. Don't get an expensive sheng to start out with, but I'd definitely get a nice shu to go with the greens & oolongs.

Equipment:
Gaiwan - The standard recommendation seems to be for the 100ml Gaiwan at Jas-eTea. Does one consume directly from the Gaiwan or transfer to tea cups? Is it worthwhile to invest in tea cups when I don't plan on entertaining with my setup?

YMMV on this one, but I find the answer is "yes". For starters, you'll eventually run into somebody that wants to try your tea (you'd have to live in a cave not to), and you'll be a little at a loss if you don't have cups. Also, I find that (whether rationally or irrationally) tea tastes a bit different drunk straight from the GaiWan than decanted into a cup. I generally do both.

 

[beachape]

Another good investment is one of those metal tea strainers. You can also use a fine mesh strainer that you find in a kitchen store. This is especially useful for puerh which can have lots of small bits and pieces that escape the gaiwan. You place the strainer over your cup when you pour from the gaiwan.

As for whether or not you need cups. I would recommend pouring into another cup, but it doesn't need to be anything fancy unless that is your preference. you can use a coffee mug or anything really.

For the puerh. Try it now if you're interested. I would recommend buying from yunnansourcing (google it). They have nice prices for pu. Probably not the best place for greens and oolongs though. If you start out with some american seller's puerh you will get some crappy pu that may turn you off forever.

Also don't forget to check out www.teachat.com

 

[xcRupert]

Also don't forget to check out www.teachat.com

Holy teachat! Thanks for the great link - looks like I have some reading to do!

 

[xcRupert]

Time to report. I ordered a 100ml Gaiwan and a set of 2 40ml cups from JAS-etea, a special thanks to Steve for putting up with all my questions.

Teas:
Spring '10 Bi Luo Chun Green
Spring '10 Yunnan Silver Needles
Spring '10 Chin Jing High Mountain Oolong
Spring '10 Formosa Ruby Black Tea (Taiwan #18)
(Pu'erh will have to wait til my next purchase.)

I've just tried several infusions of the Silver Needle, and managed to make quite a mess using the Gaiwan - that's going to take some practice to get down. I took Born2bwire's advice on holding the Gaiwan using the knuckle and that seemed to work much better for me. I didn't measure the amount of tea I used, just approximated based on all the images I've seen. Now I realize brewing time and number infusions depends on the type of tea, the amount and personal preferences, but I'd be curious what everyone's method of brewing is? For example I did 4 infusions of my white at 15s, 30,45, 60. Just as a guideline, what do you find to be common in terms of infusions and steeping time for each type of tea?

Well, time to give the Gaiwan another go, think I'll move onto the green now and see how that goes.

 

[Born2bwire]

Time to report. I ordered a 100ml Gaiwan and a set of 2 40ml cups from JAS-etea, a special thanks to Steve for putting up with all my questions.

Teas:
Spring '10 Bi Luo Chun Green
Spring '10 Yunnan Silver Needles
Spring '10 Chin Jing High Mountain Oolong
Spring '10 Formosa Ruby Black Tea (Taiwan #18)
(Pu'erh will have to wait til my next purchase.)

I've just tried several infusions of the Silver Needle, and managed to make quite a mess using the Gaiwan - that's going to take some practice to get down. I took Born2bwire's advice on holding the Gaiwan using the knuckle and that seemed to work much better for me. I didn't measure the amount of tea I used, just approximated based on all the images I've seen. Now I realize brewing time and number infusions depends on the type of tea, the amount and personal preferences, but I'd be curious what everyone's method of brewing is? For example I did 4 infusions of my white at 15s, 30,45, 60. Just as a guideline, what do you find to be common in terms of infusions and steeping time for each type of tea?

Well, time to give the Gaiwan another go, think I'll move onto the green now and see how that goes.

It takes a bit of practice to use one. I like to eat at a very traditional dim sum place here that serves tea in gaiwans and even many of the Chinese that eat there have some trouble with the gaiwans since they are not used as much anymore.

Anyway, the real trick is to be quick. Take the lid, holding it by the knob, and use the rim of the lid to sweep back the tea leaves from one side of the cup. Replace the lid and let it angle a bit so that you have a small gap between the lid and the cup where you swept back the leaves. Then, gripping it with your thumb and middle finger on the rim of the cup and your index finger curled so that the knuckle presses down on the lid's knob, very quickly pour the gaiwan. If you do it too slow the tea will just drip down the side but if you are fast enough it will just stream off and then just as quickly right the gaiwan and move it over the cup so that any drops that run down the side flow into the teacup.

It's trickier with the larger gaiwans.

As for infusion time, honestly I pretty must drink pu-er and those times would be ok that kind of tea though I can't comment regarding the tea you are actually using.

 

[Proinsias]

Good video on using a gaiwan from MarshalN over here:
http://marshaln.xanga.com/701007573/using-a-gaiwan/