Gong Fu tea takes time and concentration, a good mood and good company also desired if possible. If you think gong fu style is the only way to make a good cup of dan cong oolong, here is an easy way out, the result is also very tasty. Some times I think it is even better this way.
Take 2 to 2.5 grams of dan cong tea leaves, for commercial grades you can use up to 3 grams. Any more than that might be too strong.
Use a large and THIN gaiwan, 200 ml would be ideal. A big thick coffee mug does not bring out the same result.
You can see the ratio in the picture below
Fill up the gaiwan with boiling water with the water landing on the side of the gaiwan not hitting the leaves directly. Do not cover.
Good tea leaves are packed with substance hence heavy in weight, it sinks to the bottom of the cup quickly, the quicker it sinks the better the quality of the leaves, it must have a rich texture!
Do not disturb the tea while steeping, drink as you go, each level of tea has its own complexity, as the taste intensify, your sense of taste awakens.
Fill up for another cup of tea and more
What can be easier than making a cup of tea by just adding hot water! I actually like drinking old bush dan cong teas this way more than gong fu nowadays. It allows the personality of tea to reveal naturally under any parameter.
This method also works very well for WuYi rock teas and quality green teas, not recommended for teas that are high in astringency and bitterness.
7 comments:
Mhm! I love to drink tea that way, especially Dancong. Somebody called it Granpa' Style, I think? Anyway.
I also use this technique to drink shu puerh when I feel lazy... Didn't try it with sheng yet, but with a very small amount of it (1 gr. maybe?), it might be really good too!
Grandpa style is another name for Gong Fu tea, mostly used by the Taiwanese.
I think a good green puerh would work well too. Start with a small amount is always a good practice. :)
You say this method is "not recommended for teas that are high in astringency and bitterness." But doesn't that describe Dancong?
Lew,
I would not lump all the teas in a single category or sub category together and tag it with a single general taste profile. Dan Cong contains thousands by veriatal, grade, age of plant, crop condition, mountain location, altitude, and so on. There are many dan cong teas that aren't astringent and bitter.
Grandpa style is another name for Gong Fu tea, mostly used by the Taiwanese.
Ah no, actually I was talking about MarshalN's version, which is very much tea leaves and water in a bowl. ;)
http://www.marshaln.com/whats-grandpa-style/
That is actually one of the Kung Fu skills of chao Zhou. It is mainly for brewing aged teas and high fired low end teas. This is a skillful and more complicated way to brew a pot of kung fu tea.
Oh! Okay. Sorry about the misunderstanding! ^^
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