Brewing
How to brew loose-leaf tea
Three numbers decide most cups: water temperature, time and the weight of leaf. Here is how we set them.
In a kyusu
1
Warm the pot with hot water, then pour it away.
2
Add 4 g of leaf for 250 ml of water.
3
Pour water just off the boil over the leaf.
4
Pour off every drop, then brew the leaf again.
In a gaiwan
1
Warm the gaiwan and the cups.
2
Use 4 g of leaf for 150 ml of water.
3
Rinse the leaf, then pour the first cup after ten seconds.
4
Add a few seconds to each infusion that follows.
In a teapot
1
Warm the pot, then add 3 g of leaf per 250 ml.
2
Pour water at the temperature the tea wants.
3
Steep for the time on the caddy, then pour.
4
Pour off every drop so the leaf does not stew.