I experimented with my green tea by first covering it with cool water (about 1/10 cup) from the faucet (filtered water) and then adding slowly hot water after they boiled. I find the taste stronger and and better overall. Other than heat shock I wonder what can cause it. Any ideas?
Heat shock and tea?
- Thread starter alexo
- Start date
Perhaps the tea was able to prehydrate???
Sounds like an interesting technique. Your technique prevents the delicate leaves of these teas from becoming scalded.
This is why I often recommend the following technique particularly for fine green and white teas: Use water between 165 - 175F. Preheat the gaiwan with your water and pour out. Place the tea in the cup and swirl it around the bottom and smell the aroma. Now fill it about a third of the way with the heated water and swirl for about 15-20 seconds. Savor the aroma from the tea. Now add the remaining 2/3 of the heated water and allow to sit for the remaining infusion time. Open the lid of the gaiwan and smell the aroma from the tea. Now place the lid back on and pour your first infusion off into cups or a fairness pitcher. During subsequent infusions, the tea has been soaked so it is not necessary to use the 1/3, 2/3 routine but it is useful to try to pour the heated water off to the side of the tea if possible to keep from scalding the delicate leaves. YMMV but that is pretty much my routine with the more delicate teas.
This is why I often recommend the following technique particularly for fine green and white teas: Use water between 165 - 175F. Preheat the gaiwan with your water and pour out. Place the tea in the cup and swirl it around the bottom and smell the aroma. Now fill it about a third of the way with the heated water and swirl for about 15-20 seconds. Savor the aroma from the tea. Now add the remaining 2/3 of the heated water and allow to sit for the remaining infusion time. Open the lid of the gaiwan and smell the aroma from the tea. Now place the lid back on and pour your first infusion off into cups or a fairness pitcher. During subsequent infusions, the tea has been soaked so it is not necessary to use the 1/3, 2/3 routine but it is useful to try to pour the heated water off to the side of the tea if possible to keep from scalding the delicate leaves. YMMV but that is pretty much my routine with the more delicate teas.
Sounds a bit like how you do coffee. First pour just enough water to wet the coffee and let it bloom. It really just wets the grinds evenly.
- Thread starter
- #5
I finished 200 gr of simple dragon well that tasted a bit mediocre and this technique worked wonders but I didn't expect it to work so well on my on Taiwan TGN. This is definitely going to be my technique from now on.
