How to read this list
How to brew it the same way
The most common disappointment is that tea brought home from a retreat is somehow “not the same”. Usually it is not the tea and not your hands, but three things: the water, the vessel and the length of the infusion.
The basics
- 1
Water. Soft, not twice-boiled. Hard water flattens the sweetness and draws out bitterness — even an expensive tea sounds dull on it.
- 2
Ratio. 5 g of leaf to 100 ml. This is noticeably more than feels right. That ratio is what gives the density you remember from the retreat.
- 3
Short infusions. Pour in, pour out completely, repeat. First infusion as in the table, each following one five seconds longer. The leaf should work ten times, not once.
- 4
Empty it fully. Water left sitting in the gaiwan keeps brewing and spoils the next infusion.
The rinse
Pressed teas — puerh, lao bai cha, cakes — get five seconds of water that is then poured away. It is not for drinking: it opens the compressed leaf.
Storage
Green and jasmine
Airtight, dark, ideally cold. Drink within a year — they do not improve with time.
Oolongs
A tightly closed jar, away from spices and coffee. The roasted Wuyi teas keep for years.
White tea and puerh
The opposite: they need air. Paper or card, steady humidity, no plastic. These teas age, and the ageing is part of their value.
General rule
Tea absorbs smells. A shelf next to the kitchen extractor will ruin any of them within a month.
The minimum set of vessels
A 100 ml gaiwan, a pitcher and two cups will handle every tea in this list. A gaiwan is preferable to a teapot: it holds no scent, so one vessel works for both green tea and shou. A clay pot is worth acquiring later, dedicated to a single type.