When brewing puerh...

[tieguanyin]

Clumps or bits in the steeping vessel?

I have been wondering for a while what works best: placing a hunk of pu in the gaiwan or teapot? Or taking the time to separate out and loosen a majority of the leaves and then placing them in the pre-heated vessel.

Insights on this topic would be much appreciated. If this has been dealt with in a prior thread, a link would be greatly appreciated!

PS: I guess there can be two extremes here: delicately picking off leaves one-by-one from the cake/tuo/brick with a pair of tweezers or taking a pickax to the affaire

 

[netsurfr]

I never loosen the tea because it risks breaking the leaves and creating additional bitterness. When I am in a patient mood, I might let the tea sit in the pot or gaiwan for about a minute or two after the first rinse. This allows the tea to loosen up quite a bit on its own.

 

[ouch]

I may be in the minority, but I like to keep the piece to be brewed as intact as possible. I use a goodly amount of leaf (fairly high on the Benny-Hobbes scale), and breaking things up too much results in an initial shot not unlike a right cross from Mrs. Ouch.

Many folks suggest a mix of chunks and separated leaf, the logic being that this will yield consistent brews. As the loose leaf fades, the chunks begin to pick up the slack as they slowly release more flavor.

I've grown accustomed to simply brewing a chunk and watching the events unfold. Works for me.

 

[tieguanyin]

Hey folks,

Thanks for the feedback. I have been mostly brewing a hunk with a few loose leaves thrown in. I am partial to brewing clumps. Interesting to see how the leaves slowly unfold and evolve.

Happy brewings!

TGY

 

[arghblech]

I brew chunks because I'm a ham-fisted oaf when it comes to separating leaves. Not many cakes are loose enough for me to try to get individual leaves but I do try when it looks possible.

I always let the tea rest in the gaiwan after my rinse is over. At least 30s.

 

[tieguanyin]

I am partial to the idea that pu cake/brick handling reveals a little of one's personality. Then again Hobbes likes to do ikebana when he loosens his pu leaves (if one reads his blog)

 

[ouch]

Hobbes likes to do ikebana when he loosens his pu leaves

Sounds dirty.

 

[tieguanyin]

Sounds dirty.

Probably not, more like picking off one leaf at a time and stacking them into an attractive heap prior to putting them in the teapot.

 

[netsurfr]

That works OK except for when you are trying to do something with one of the tightly compressed beengs like the "T" series from Xiaguan. Nothing comes off of one of those with less than a chisel or jackhammer.

 

[tieguanyin]

That works OK except for when you are trying to do something with one of the tightly compressed beengs like the "T" series from Xiaguan. Nothing comes off of one of those with less than a chisel or jackhammer.

Any chance that one day they will come out with a laser tuo pick? Something a la Star Wars laser saber but only miniature size. Would be very handy for the iron cakes!

 

[netsurfr]

Any chance that one day they will come out with a laser tuo pick? Something a la Star Wars laser saber but only miniature size. Would be very handy for the iron cakes!

Been tryin' to enhance my laser pointer but have not reached the proper amplification. It's either toast or a rosy shade of red... can't seem to get the inbetween state.

 

[GG1]

Sorry to resurrect a week old thread but this may make a big difference for me.
I just assumed that you go for the outer leaves and try to separate them. But from this thread it seams that you don't have to be too detailed, just break off chunks?

 

[_JP_]

At this time I just break off chunks while trying not to turn the tea into dust in the process. And I let the tea rest after the first rinse so that it has a chance to absorb water and separate.

 

[silvertip beard]

At this time I just break off chunks while trying not to turn the tea into dust in the process. And I let the tea rest after the first rinse so that it has a chance to absorb water and separate.

Me too. Only because I am a lazy, lazy man.

 

[tieguanyin]

Sorry to resurrect a week old thread but this may make a big difference for me.

No problem GG1! I am actually fine if the thread takes a life of its own (although probably nothing like SOTD). Here is my 2 cents on the outer layer .

As you you may have realized, the outer layers of puerh cakes/bricks/tuo can be very different from the rest of the cake. Some puerh producers do it to make the product more attractive (or in the case of counterfeiters / non-reputable producers hide an inner-cake composed of substandard/undrinkable leaves ). What is below outer layer will reveal the true flavor of the cake. So basically... DiG In !!!!

Happy steeping !

TGY

 

[GG1]

Oh ok, I thought the outer layer thing was due to the aging so your peeling away more uniformly.
I'm glad to know that chunks are ok, makes things a lot easier.