Mar 5, 2010

Gongfu vs. mug brewing (0)

Index:
Introduction - this piece
Gongfu vs. mug brewing (1) -- Mt. Wudong Zhi Lan Dan Cong;
Gongfu vs. mug brewing (2) -- Yong Chun Fo Shou;
Gongfu vs mug brewing (3) -  Oriental Beauty;

I love glass mug, and use it for green tea all the time. But for oolong, I had almost always used a small teapot (or gaiwan). Recently I tried more glass mug brewing of oolong, curious in finding out how well can mug brewing illicit flavors of oolong.

Overall I prefer gongfu brewing for most oolong teas. But there are a few reasons why I would like to find out about mug brewing. First of all, I guess when I send teas to other people, I can’t assume everyone uses the same brewing method as I do, and it’s important for me to find out how the tea turns out when not gongfu-brewed.

Secondly, when I introduce tea to non-frequent drinkers, I prefer to introduce an easy way of brewing which doesn’t require immediate shopping of equipment. A mug is what I first think of. I always like glass mug, know it usually doesn’t ruin a tea, but am very interested in finding out how well a tea can taste in mug brewing.

Thirdly, although I assume it can hardly be comparable to gongfu brewing, I somewhat believe it will work better for oolong than brewing with a big teapot (larger than several ounces). Consider its convenience to most people, I think it’s worth trying if the outcome of mug brewing is 70% as good as gongfu brewing.

In addition, I have to admit sometimes I feel a bit guilty spending so much time on tea drinking. I would be happy if I can do more casual drinking without sacrificing much taste.

Before I start recording some gongfu vs. mug brewing comparisons, let me define the terms first.

By Gongfu brewing, I mean small vessel, boiling water, and short infusions. In my typical gongfu session, I use 110ml (4oz.) vessel (teapot or gaiwan), 5 grams leaves, hottest possible water, and short initial infusions (5-30 seconds).

The typical glass mug I use holds 150ml (5oz.) to 200ml (6.8oz.) water when 70% full. I plan to always use hottest possible water. Like in green tea brewing, infusion time will be a few minutes; drinking starts when leaves naturally sink to the bottom or expands to certain extent. Mug will be refilled when liquor is down to the 1/3 mug volume.

Subject teas: I plan to try out various oolongs.

So far I’ve tried comparing Gongfu vs. mug brewing of a few teas. My first report is on a Dan Cong, which I had never thought of mug brewing in the past. 

2 comments:

Alex Zorach said...

I definitely use brewing in a mug more than gongfu brewing. However, for many teas, I've developed my own techniques that are more influenced by gongfu brewing...I like using multiple infusions even with mug brewing and I often prefer teas that can be brewed in this way.

I think the important thing with brewing tea is to experiment and form one's own opinions and preferences. Each person has their own tastes, and the possibilities for how to brew tea are endless.

Gingko said...

"I think the important thing with brewing tea is to experiment and form one's own opinions and preferences. Each person has their own tastes, and the possibilities for how to brew tea are endless."

Very well said Alex!