Brew assistant
Pick a tea and a brewing style. Everything below is transcribed from that tea's own authored parameters — nothing is scaled from another style, because a ratio and a steep time do not transfer between styles.
Water temperature
98–100 °C
Typically 100 °C
Leaf for 250 ml
12.5–20 g
Typically 15 g
Ratio
5–8 g /100 ml
Rinse recommended
Infusion schedule
A session of 8–12 infusions is typical. The schedule below is authored to 6; beyond that, extend each steep noticeably rather than repeating the last time.
- Infusion 15sRinse — discard. Standard practice for compressed shou.
- Infusion 28s
- Infusion 310s
- Infusion 415s
- Infusion 520s
- Infusion 630s
Equipment
- Gaiwan — A small pot works equally well; the gaiwan is conventional rather than required.
- Fairness pitcher (cha hai)
- Tea tray (cha pan)
- Tea scale
- Tea strainer
- Tea pick (cha dao)
- Tea boat
- Tasting cup
- Aroma cup
- Tea cloth
- Tetsubin (unlined iron kettle)
- Cha he (tea presentation vessel)
- Waste water bowl (jianshui)
- Cup stand (chatuo)
- Tea pet
- Cha dao utensil set
- Tea tongs
- Quick-brew infuser press
- Gooseneck kettle
- Brewing timer
- Tea dosing spoon
- Tea mat (chaxi cloth) — Dry-table brewing works with a gaiwan as well as with a pot; the mat replaces the plumbed tray.
- Celadon tea ware — A pale cool interior shows liquor colour clearly, which matters where colour is part of the judgement between infusions.
- Ru-glaze crackle ware — Crackle-glazed gaiwans and pitchers are common on modern tea tables; the crazing darkens with use, which is the point of buying it.
- Sha diao (clay water kettle) — The same charcoal-and-clay water arrangement, boiling small amounts repeatedly rather than holding a large kettle hot.
- Electric ceramic tea stove — The radiant plate takes glass boiling pots and clay kettles that an induction plate will not.
- Travel gongfu set — Travel sets are usually built round a small gaiwan with cups nested inside it.
What this does not tell you
Leaf weight is a weight. A teaspoon is not — a fluffy white tea and a tightly rolled oolong differ several-fold by volume, so scales beat spoons here.
Other authored styles for this tea: Western brewing (teapot or mug) · Gongfu brewing (Yixing pot) · Boiling aged and dark tea (zhu cha)
Methods TeaHQ describes but cannot give numbers for
1 of 28 brewing methods have no authored parameters on any tea. They are listed rather than hidden: the method exists and is described, the numbers are simply not written yet. Nothing here is estimated from a neighbouring style.
- Herbal infusion (tisane)
Herbal infusion is on that list for a second reason as well: the herbal catalogue is two records held in review, so there is nothing to brew even once parameters exist.