Brew assistant

Infusion schedule

A session of 3–4 infusions is typical. The schedule below is authored to 4; beyond that, extend each steep noticeably rather than repeating the last time.

1. Infusion 1150sUnhurried by Japanese standards, and correct. At this temperature the leaf gives up its sweetness slowly and its harshness barely at all.
2. Infusion 245sat 60 °CHotter and far shorter. The leaf is already open, and the second steep is where most of the remaining volume comes from.
3. Infusion 325sat 70 °C
4. Infusion 420sat 80 °C

Equipment

• Houhin
• Shiboridashi
• Kyusu
• Thermometer
• Water cooling bowl (sukwoo)
• Yuzamashi (water cooler) — Broad surface, shallow layer, fast heat loss — the standard way to reach gyokuro temperatures without guessing.
• Kyusu filter — Shaded leaf sheds a great deal of fine material, so filtration area decides whether the cup arrives clear.

Vessel: A houhin or shiboridashi: handleless, because at this temperature there is nothing to burn a hand on, and broad and shallow, so pouring cools the water further. Drain it to the last drop — leaf sitting in warm water starts the next steep already spent.

Note: The temperature range is for the first steep; the schedule carries the rest. Long shading is what makes this worth doing: the leaf carries more of what dissolves readily in cool water and less of what needs heat, so cool water selects rather than merely slows. The liquor is a mouthful rather than a cup, and that is the method working rather than a mistake.

What this does not tell you

• These parameters are a synthesis of common practice rather than recorded practice for this specific tea.

• 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) · Kyusu brewing (Japanese style) · Cold brew tea · Gongfu brewing (gaiwan) · Ice steeping (kōridashi)