These days, I have been doing Gongfu with only pots. I have moved
away from Gaiwans nearly altogether sans when brewing teas of odd
shape like some kind of Dancong or some kind of large-leafed tea. I
really do think now that pots give more flavor than a Gaiwan could
ever, but this debate has been covered many times here.

I am also beginning to think the idea that one tea is fit for only one
pot is nothing more than a myth. I have a few really good zisha pots,
some of more porous clay and some larger grained, and as long as you
clean it well after use, it won't retain any residual flavors. This
fact has been backed-up by some vendors I know from Yixing that said
this idea was created by merchants that simply wanted people to buy
more pots. Now, if you leave some old pu'er in a pot for 3 days, you
may have some difficulty getting it clean again, but if you clean up
your mess and let the pot dry properly, there is no scent left! All
my friends from Taiwan also laugh at this idea.

The Gong Dao Bei (the vessel you pour the tea from your pot into if
you have left-over...or pour all of your tea into if you do it that
way) I was using for the longest time was your simple, small glass
pitchers you can get cheaply at any wholesale market. They usually go
for a quarter or something. I always liked this type of glass GDB
because you could see the color of the tea much more easily after
brewing.

I have been experimenting more with using my other teapots as the GDB
and just using them to pour tea with. I think the results have been
quite good in many aspects. Pouring from zisha into zisha will
definitely keep the heat and it seems the flavors and scents are more
robust and pronounced this way. I also have a few zisha cups that I
use sometimes but I have gravitated towards these days as well.

Anyway, what do you guys use for your GDB? I suggest keeping it 100
percent zisha! Believe one pot, one tea?

"Mydnight" writes:

These days, I have been doing Gongfu with only pots. I have moved
away from Gaiwans nearly altogether sans when brewing teas of odd
shape like some kind of Dancong or some kind of large-leafed tea. I
really do think now that pots give more flavor than a Gaiwan could
ever, but this debate has been covered many times here.

I am also beginning to think the idea that one tea is fit for only one
pot is nothing more than a myth. I have a few really good zisha pots,
some of more porous clay and some larger grained, and as long as you
clean it well after use, it won't retain any residual flavors. This
fact has been backed-up by some vendors I know from Yixing that said
this idea was created by merchants that simply wanted people to buy
more pots. Now, if you leave some old pu'er in a pot for 3 days, you
may have some difficulty getting it clean again, but if you clean up
your mess and let the pot dry properly, there is no scent left! All
my friends from Taiwan also laugh at this idea.

I don't really have a firm position in the zisha wars, mainly because,
since I live in a tiny apartment, I use a few gaiwans for everything.
That said, it does seem kind of strange to say at the same time that
zisha pots add something to the beverage that a vitreous gaiwan can't,
and that a properly maintained zisha pot retains nothing from the
liquor brewed in it. So the pot must leach something into the liquor,
right?

The Gong Dao Bei (the vessel you pour the tea from your pot into if
you have left-over...or pour all of your tea into if you do it that
way) I was using for the longest time was your simple, small glass
pitchers you can get cheaply at any wholesale market. They usually go
for a quarter or something. I always liked this type of glass GDB
because you could see the color of the tea much more easily after
brewing.

Me too, though they're more expensive on this side of the water.

I have been experimenting more with using my other teapots as the GDB
and just using them to pour tea with. I think the results have been
quite good in many aspects. Pouring from zisha into zisha will
definitely keep the heat and it seems the flavors and scents are more
robust and pronounced this way.

But if you're pouring off contents of the gongdao bei immediately,
heat *retention* is immaterial. What counts then is minimizing the
amount of heat *absorbed* by the vessel, and the thinner and lighter
the better.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

But if you're pouring off contents of the gongdao bei immediately,
heat *retention* is immaterial. What counts then is minimizing the
amount of heat *absorbed* by the vessel, and the thinner and lighter
the better.

I don't follow the methods most tea shops use to try and peddle their
teas. They usually do pour all of the tea from the brewing vessel
directly into the GDB to try and show off the color of their tea.
Flavor, odor, and the other more important aspects of the tea have
taken a backseat to the more immaterial. I also have stopped using
the metal strainers mostly too. I think these things can effect the
flavor slightly or add elements to change the tea.

I pour my tea directly from the pot into the people's cups now. The
flavor comes out especially well this way, I think. I am also a fan
of using the sniffer glasses.

Something really cool that everyone should try, I think, is what I
learned from a shop specializing in Taiwan teas; real taiwan teas, not
mainland forgeries. With your Taiwan tea, make sure you select a good
sized pot for the number of people you are serving, first. After
brewing, take the remaining little bit of the tea and pour it into
your GDB as usual but don't drink this tea. The subsequent brewings,
also pour your left-over into the GDB mixing the different brewings
together. After you think the tea is spent, mine usually go 7-8 times
before I won't consider going on, then drink the mixed brews in the
GDB.

My god, some of the teas I've done this with, I've gotten the most
amazing sensations. I had a nong xiang that I swear had a finish so
sweet, it reminded me of some cookies or gram crackers.

Anyway, give it a try.