"Tea Me" round 2 - the AD's will begin

[JPDyson]

So I'm digging the full leaf tea experience "western style" but I think I want to try my hand at gong-fu. I've decided (note entirely arbitrarily) that I'll be picking up some pu-erh, both raw and ripe, as well as a new vessel or two for this purpose. I've been looking at JAS-eTea since it's run by a member here, and the prices seem reasonable.

But then I get stuck a little.

1. Which vessel? I was thinking the safe/economical bet was the gaiwan, but that I might also really dig the look of some of those yixing pots (particularly the egg-shaped one that's 110ml). It's just a big price difference - is there a matching performance difference somehow?

2. Is a scale necessary or at least very helpful? What about a pitcher for pouring out of the gaiwan/yixing before pouring into your cups? I'm sort of teetering between the pu-erh starter kit vs just a yixing and some tea.

3. How do you store the tea between uses? The only thing I've had so far came separated already, in a zip-lock type bag.

Thanks in advance for the help - the generosity and patience here never fails to amaze me.

 

[chef8489]

Cant help you on the gaiwan, but I really want one. A scale is not really needed but is a good investment if you continue to use a gaiwan as it is far more accurate than a tea spoon. I store my teas either in Ziplock containers, bags, or airtight tins out of the light and in a cool place. The pitcher is useful but also not a nescessity. When puerh steeps you get different concentrations in the container. The bottom part is more concentrated than the top so you either pour into a pitcher to mix it or pour back and forth between the cups so it is even.

 

[SiBurning]

I'd say go with the gaiwan set. If you go with the yixing, you'll still need or want all the other parts, like cups, a strainer, etc. The starter gaiwan set has all the bits you need. You can do better picking out the pieces separately. For example, the porcelain strainer is way better than the stainless. Also, you can pick out prettier matching pieces, pick your sizes, etc. You can always add a yixing, now or later. A gaiwan can be used for any tea, so it gets my vote. A yixing is very porous and takes on the flavors of the tea, so you won't want to use it for lighter teas. If you have to pick one, you may as well start with the cheaper one that can be used for any tea.

The scale's very useful, and probably necessary if you want to be consistent. It's incredibly difficult to judge how much tea to use by sight. I've been off by a factor of 3 with some teas. But the weight also varies by relative humidity, so a scale isn't perfect either. Anyway, it's something you might be able to use for other purposes.

Keep the tea in the pantry--a cool dry place--away from anything that smells. (Except I keep mine near the chocolate. Chocolate goes with everything, right?) I like to put them all in a plastic bin, not even air tight, just to keep them tidy. Air-tight might be good, too. It seems rather hard to find a fancier place with the right humidity and temperature, so unless you're very clever or lucky or rich, there's not much you can do, so don't worry too much about it for now.

The web site's not clear about what exactly is included with the puerh sampler. For example, it doesn't list any cups. So speak to Steve before ordering the sampler pack you picked out.

 

[JPDyson]

I'm solid on gaiwan, for price and flexibility right now. I'm leaning away from the kit, though. I think I want a different gaiwan than what it includes (the da yi branded one, a tad larger at 125ml). I also think I'm going to hand-pick a few raw and ripe teas based on descriptions and things I've read. Either way, I'm looking at spending about what I would have with the set and the things I wanted to add anyway (that being a table and a pick).

 

[Proinsias]

Gaiwan, yay. The dayi one should do the job nicely.

Pu's fine but I'd pick up some other samples too. Some nice oolong will make you and your gaiwan happy. I think history wise the gongfu method was developed alongside oolong, works especially well with wuyi oolong imo.

Scales, it's up to you. I don't like them, others can't live without them.

For the pu: I'd get some old stuff and some new stuff.

Pitcher - I've got a few milk jugs and little vases that work a treat.

Storage - away from light, smelly stuff etc

 

[xcRupert]

Just a suggestion, you may want to consider adding a second gaiwan to your purchase.

About two weeks ago I found my gaiwan on the floor with a chipped bowl and a shattered lid. Not sure how I survived those next few days... Fortunately Steve ships fast. I learned my lesson and ordered two this time around.

 

[SiBurning]

Could do a kyusu for the backup

 

[JPDyson]

Well I had already ordered before I saw the "backup gaiwan" and oolong recommendations, so it looks like I'm already queuing items for my next order. This is a bad sign.

 

[Gophred]

Is it common practice to use a gaiwan for green teas?
-Fritz

 

[Proinsias]

Certainly plenty people, including me, do use a gaiwan for Chinese greens.

Japanese greens aren't ideal for a gaiwan.

 

[netsurfr]

Certainly plenty people, including me, do use a gaiwan for Chinese greens.

Japanese greens aren't ideal for a gaiwan.

You learn something new everyday! Why aren't Japanese greens ideal for a gaiwan?

 

[Proinsias]

I find that many Japanese teas have smallers particles than Chinese ones which means there is a fine line between the liquor not really draining and dumping a lot of leaf into the cup. The filters on kyusus, houhins, easy gaiwans etc make life easier imo.

That said I have heard of people using gawain for sencha and gyokuro, so maybe my gongfu is just not any good or they're drinking more full leaf asamushi type tea than me.

 

[netsurfr]

Thanks Proinsias. Appreciate the insight! I don't drink Japanese greens as a rule so that is great background.

 

[Gophred]

Thanks, guys for sharing your experience and advice.
-Fritz