How to Brew Chinese Black Tea Gongfu Style?
Chinese black tea can be brewed Gongfu style by using a small brewing v...
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Liu Bao is exceptionally well suited to thermos brewing because its leaves generally tolerate prolonged contact with hot water, and the method can produce a smooth, convenient tea without requiring gongfu equipment.
The best way to brew Liu Bao depends on its fermentation level, age, compression, and personal taste, but a good starting point is gongfu brewing with boiling or near-boiling water, a moderate amount of leaf, and progressively longer infusions.
To brew Pu-erh in a gaiwan, use approximately 5–8 grams of tea for a 100–120 ml gaiwan, rinse the leaves briefly, and then use short repeated infusions while adjusting temperature and steeping time to the tea's style. Raw and ripe Pu-erh require different brewing approaches.
The right amount of tea leaf depends on the tea type, brewing method, water volume, leaf shape, and desired strength, but a practical starting point is about 3–5 grams per 250–350 ml for Western brewing and around 5–7 grams per 100–120 ml for gongfu brewing.
These numbers are starting points, not universal laws.
The same tea can taste completely different when you change the leaf-to-water ratio.
The common advice that green tea must never see boiling water is just as oversimplified as the opposite claim that every Chinese tea should be brewed at 100°C.
