How to Brew Black Tea

One can roughly distinguish between two infusion methods: the Grandpastyle and Gongfu Style:

Grandpa style: means relatively large vessel (cup, pot, bowl) with relatively little tea. One does not pour off the tea, but lets the tea brew constantly in hot water. Depending on your needs and the strength of the tea, you simply add some hot water to dilute the tea. This can be done until the infusion no longer has any taste according to your subjective perception.

Gongfu style: means a relatively small vessel with a relatively large amount of tea. Many infusions are made with relatively short infusion times. This usually also includes a dispenser vessel (pitcher) and possibly a small, fine sieve.

With the Gaiwan one differentiates between 3 classical sizes: small: approx. 80ml; medium: approx. 110ml; large: approx. 140ml. These are the classic, white Gaiwans as they are mainly taken when testing tea.
Of course there are also all kinds of other gaiwans with different volumes.

Yixing or Chaozhou pots: there are no standard ones. But most of the pots for Gongfu style have between 100ml and 150ml. It is a good idea to determine the volume before the first use by weighing to get a feeling.

In principle, any tea can be prepared using the two methods mentioned above. Whether green tea, black tea, white tea, wulong tea, Puerhtee etc. It depends mainly on the infusion temperature and the amount of tea in relation to the water to achieve a good result.

Water temperature: as a rule always preferably at about 100 degrees, as the tea is usually processed from ripe leaves that have formed a cuticle. In addition, the temperature needs to be as high as possible in order to dissolve the aromas created during processing.

Grandpa style:
Ratio tea – water approx. 1:50. A large Gaiwan (cup, bowl, pot) with 150ml approx. 3g. On 500ml pot approx. 10g
Brewing time: Drinkable at any time. If the infusion is too strong simply add some hot water to dilute it.

Gongfu style:
Small Gaiwan: 3-5g; medium Gaiwan: 5-8g; large Gaiwan: 8-10g
Yixing/Chaozhou teapot: ratio tea – water: about 1:20

All figures are approximate and should only be used as a guide at the beginning. With a little experimentation you will quickly find an intuitive feeling for quantity, brewing time and infusion temperature.

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