Now
you have mastered the English method of making tea. There are no other
worlds to conquer, no other horizons to explore, right? (buzzer sound)
Wrong! "Johnny, tell our player what he gets for comin' on the
show....." Today, we'll cover the first of my favorite methods of
brewing: the Gaiwan method.
What's a Gaiwan?
"Gaiwan" means, basically "covered cup" (go figure) and is one of my favorite methods of enjoying tea. In a nutshell, heat water to the desired temp, and put it into a thermos of some sort (or, in my case, I have a Zojirushi that electronically maintains water at whatever temp I desire, but I'm a nut case). Drop your tea into the Gaiwan, add water, cover with lid, wait a few minutes, and drink. The initial water will cause the leaf to float on the surface in the cup.
Hold the Gaiwan, with its saucer in your dominant hand, thumb stretching up to hold the cup in place, and use the other hand to crack the lid just enough to allow the tea to be sipped, tilt and drink. In formal method, you use two hands, informally, with practice (lots), you can hold the cup and saucer in your palm, shift and hold lid with the thumb of the same hand, and tilt/ drink.
Another method is to remove the lid and fan back the floating leaves enough to sip the clear liquid. By the second addition of water, the leaves will be saturated enough to sit contently on the bottom. With some practice, you can pour the water in such a manner that you will invert the tea leaf, before it settles to the bottom.
A great tea will take up to 8 waters! Quite a method of stretching tea. Additional pouring of water will require increased steeping time. Each subsequent water will bring out different characteristics of the tea. In a formal Chinese setting, each of the guests will comment on the different nuances that each new water brings. I find this the most "meditative" of the methods of enjoying tea. Gazing into the green leaf at the bottom of a cup... it's like having your own, personal garden. Some green teas, such as "jade flagged spear", will actually rest on the bottom of the Gaiwan with its ends pointing upward, kind of like having a bird's eye view of the top of a forest. Tranquility in a cup, without the liver damage, great stuff!
Yours in "Tea Life, Tea Mind",
Bear, International Tea Masters Association
What's a Gaiwan?
"Gaiwan" means, basically "covered cup" (go figure) and is one of my favorite methods of enjoying tea. In a nutshell, heat water to the desired temp, and put it into a thermos of some sort (or, in my case, I have a Zojirushi that electronically maintains water at whatever temp I desire, but I'm a nut case). Drop your tea into the Gaiwan, add water, cover with lid, wait a few minutes, and drink. The initial water will cause the leaf to float on the surface in the cup.
Hold the Gaiwan, with its saucer in your dominant hand, thumb stretching up to hold the cup in place, and use the other hand to crack the lid just enough to allow the tea to be sipped, tilt and drink. In formal method, you use two hands, informally, with practice (lots), you can hold the cup and saucer in your palm, shift and hold lid with the thumb of the same hand, and tilt/ drink.
Another method is to remove the lid and fan back the floating leaves enough to sip the clear liquid. By the second addition of water, the leaves will be saturated enough to sit contently on the bottom. With some practice, you can pour the water in such a manner that you will invert the tea leaf, before it settles to the bottom.
A great tea will take up to 8 waters! Quite a method of stretching tea. Additional pouring of water will require increased steeping time. Each subsequent water will bring out different characteristics of the tea. In a formal Chinese setting, each of the guests will comment on the different nuances that each new water brings. I find this the most "meditative" of the methods of enjoying tea. Gazing into the green leaf at the bottom of a cup... it's like having your own, personal garden. Some green teas, such as "jade flagged spear", will actually rest on the bottom of the Gaiwan with its ends pointing upward, kind of like having a bird's eye view of the top of a forest. Tranquility in a cup, without the liver damage, great stuff!
Yours in "Tea Life, Tea Mind",
Bear, International Tea Masters Association
