Many notes have been written about the caffeine levels in different
brews but I would like to ask if the good stuff in tea remains in
subsequent brews? I was just thinking that I had brewed a very nice
little cup of Gyokuro last night and then to sleep. This am saw the
little gaiwan with the pretty green leaves and and rebrewed it. It was
mighty fine in taste. I was wondering if all the good poly..
catche..etc things are still there in the brew?
Jenn

On Apr 7, 3:12*pm, Jenn wrote:
Many notes have been written about the caffeine levels in different
brews but I would like to ask if the good stuff in tea remains in
subsequent brews? I was just thinking that I had brewed a very nice
little cup of Gyokuro last night and then to sleep. This am saw the
little gaiwan with the pretty green leaves and and rebrewed it. It was
mighty fine in taste. I was wondering if all the good poly..
catche..etc things are still there in the brew?
Jenn

There is a tradition in Japan to never drink tea from leaves left over
from the day before. When you ask people why, they say that in the
Edo period (roughly 1600 to 1868), the last "meal" of a condemned
criminal was a cup of tea made from leaves that were left from the day
before! They admit that at night they'll make tea from leaves used
early in the morning, but not stuff that has been waiting
*overnight*. I've met *many* people with this aversion.

On Apr 7, 12:12*pm, Jenn wrote:
Many notes have been written about the caffeine levels in different
brews but I would like to ask if the good stuff in tea remains in
subsequent brews? I was just thinking that I had brewed a very nice
little cup of Gyokuro last night and then to sleep. This am saw the
little gaiwan with the pretty green leaves and and rebrewed it. It was
mighty fine in taste. I was wondering if all the good poly..
catche..etc things are still there in the brew?
Jenn

Yes. The good stuff is there plus more mold from airborne mold and
fermentation.
Shen

On Apr 8, 3:12*am, Jenn wrote:
Many notes have been written about the caffeine levels in different
brews but I would like to ask if the good stuff in tea remains in
subsequent brews? I was just thinking that I had brewed a very nice
little cup of Gyokuro last night and then to sleep. This am saw the
little gaiwan with the pretty green leaves and and rebrewed it. It was
mighty fine in taste. I was wondering if all the good poly..
catche..etc things are still there in the brew?
Jenn

According 2 a professor Herve Huang, an environmental cancer
researcher, a tea that is brewed 3 times would have about 90% of its
beneficial contents leeched out. If you brew it only once, we might
assume that only 30% is leeched out, with 70% more in the leaves.

However, he also cautioned that once the leaves are brewed & left
aside, bacteria will fester on the leaves, & some of these might not
be beneficial 2 us.

After you brewed the tea, polyphenols, essential oils, vitamins &
proteins will continue 2 leech from the leaves, if you do not drain
the gaiwan dry, these would leech in2 the water left over in the
gaiwan & aid in oxidizing the leaves while turning the liquor in2 a
bacteria pool. When you brew the tea again, you are drinking from this
full flavored but not so healthy cup of tea. It might taste heavenly
because of all the stuff in it, but it might not be beneficial.

I know of people who leave a gaiwan of brewed leaves in the
refrigerator overnight, I doubt this does any good 2 the tea leaves or
the health, anyway.

Best 2 drink the tea as fresh as it is brewed. You dont want 2 find
out years later that instead of keeping you healthy, tea is killing
you slowly.

Kevo

I've been meditating for 45 years. That discussion is too lengthy for
this post. I generally know the history of the teas I buy and cherish
because I do not have money to throw away. I have spent nearly 45 years
trying to simplify my life. I was sharing what gong-fu means to me. Of
course, by now, I know how to do gong-fu. You are most likely looking too
carefully into words. Let it go. I have. Shen "Slow" is the way my spirit
moves with gong-fu.


Shen, I appreciate your poetic relationship with the tea you drink. My interest was more mundane. I was simply wondering about the style; that is, the vehicle you use for your meditations, so to speak. There is a common feeling out there that if you use a little pot, fill it with leaf, use real hot water, and steep quickly, you've done Gung Fu. For all I know, that's quite right.
Michael

On Apr 8, 1:59*pm, Michael Plant wrote:
I've been meditating for 45 years. *That discussion is too lengthy for
this post. I generally know the history of the teas I buy and cherish
because I do not have money to throw away. *I have spent nearly 45 years
trying to simplify my life. I was sharing what gong-fu means to me. *Of
course, by now, I know how to do gong-fu. You are most likely looking too
carefully into words. Let it go. *I have. Shen "Slow" is the way my spirit
moves with gong-fu.

Shen, I appreciate your poetic relationship with the tea you drink. My interest was more mundane. I was simply wondering about the style; that is, the vehicle you use for your meditations, so to speak. There is a common feeling out there that if you use a little pot, fill it with leaf, use real hot water, and steep quickly, you've done Gung Fu. For all I know, that's quite right.
Michael

Michael,
I use a pretty standard gong fu method: I use my rosewood tools to
clear out the spout of the pot and then take my leaves from the
canister using tongs and put them into the leaf display dish and pass
that to my friends or if I'm alone I peruse them myself. I wash out my
cups and rinse the tray, using the water bowl and the wood tongs and
wash out the pot, the aroma cups etc. I then put the leaves into the
pot and wash them. Dump through the tray and steep the leaves. I wait
the necessary amount of time and then pour into the aroma cups which I
sniff and the turn that cup into my small drinking cup (not a gaiwan).
This does take time. It is contemplative for me and meditative as
well. I usually do this in silence.
Roy Fong taught me to do it this way and it's the way I like to do
it.
Truthfully, it is a poetic experience for me. I really don't know if
this is conventional. I've seen gong fu done this way and other ways.
I like it this way.
Shen

On Apr 8, 3:13*pm, Shen wrote:
On Apr 8, 1:59*pm, Michael Plant wrote:

I've been meditating for 45 years. *That discussion is too lengthy for
this post. I generally know the history of the teas I buy and cherish
because I do not have money to throw away. *I have spent nearly 45 years
trying to simplify my life. I was sharing what gong-fu means to me. *Of
course, by now, I know how to do gong-fu. You are most likely looking too
carefully into words. Let it go. *I have. Shen "Slow" is the way my spirit
moves with gong-fu.

Shen, I appreciate your poetic relationship with the tea you drink. My interest was more mundane. I was simply wondering about the style; that is, the vehicle you use for your meditations, so to speak. There is a common feeling out there that if you use a little pot, fill it with leaf, use real hot water, and steep quickly, you've done Gung Fu. For all I know, that's quite right.
Michael

Michael,
I use a pretty standard gong fu method: I use my rosewood tools to
clear out the spout of the pot and then take my leaves from the
canister using tongs and put them into the leaf display dish and pass
that to my friends or if I'm alone I peruse them myself. I wash out my
cups and rinse the tray, using the water bowl and the wood tongs and
wash out the pot, the aroma cups etc. I then put the leaves into the
pot and wash them. Dump through the tray and steep the leaves. I wait
the necessary amount of time and then pour into the aroma cups which I
sniff and the turn that cup into my small drinking cup (not a gaiwan).
This does take time. It is contemplative for me and meditative as
well. I usually do this in silence.
Roy Fong taught me to do it this way and it's the way I like to do
it.
Truthfully, it is a poetic experience for me. I really don't know if
this is conventional. I've seen gong fu done this way and other ways.
I like it this way.
Shen

I di for get two things: I do use a fair cup, a small pitcher to which
I pour the tea from the pot and then pour the tea from the fair cup
into the smaller tea cups. And, I do ask all my guests, or just
myself, to look at the wet leaves the first go round, as they dance
and unfurl.
As I said, I don't know how "real" this all is or if I'm doing it
exactly right, but wabi-sabi..........
Shen

On 2008-04-09, Shen wrote:

I di for get two things: I do use a fair cup, a small pitcher to which
I pour the tea from the pot and then pour the tea from the fair cup
into the smaller tea cups. And, I do ask all my guests, or just
myself, to look at the wet leaves the first go round, as they dance
and unfurl.
As I said, I don't know how "real" this all is or if I'm doing it
exactly right, but wabi-sabi..........

I think the kung fu is in the knowledge, skill, patience, and practice,
not the exact method, tools used, or the amount of leaf used. I don't
know that I have any of these things, but they're at least the things
that I would like to strive for.

My understanding (and I've only been doing this for a year or two, and I
think I can continue to learn no matter how long I keep doing it) is
that the point is not "small pot, lots of leaves", but rather to try and
develop an appreciation for the nuances of the differences between
brews, and to understand how to bring out the best in a particular tea
in a particular situation. Even if I'm brewing tea in an airport
terminal with limited or no equipment, there's still an opportunity to
learn something.

w

Shen wrote:
On Apr 8, 3:13 pm, Shen wrote:
On Apr 8, 1:59 pm, Michael Plant wrote:

I've been meditating for 45 years. That discussion is too lengthy for
this post. I generally know the history of the teas I buy and cherish
because I do not have money to throw away. I have spent nearly 45 years
trying to simplify my life. I was sharing what gong-fu means to me. Of
course, by now, I know how to do gong-fu. You are most likely looking too
carefully into words. Let it go. I have. Shen "Slow" is the way my spirit
moves with gong-fu.
Shen, I appreciate your poetic relationship with the tea you drink. My interest was more mundane. I was simply wondering about the style; that is, the vehicle you use for your meditations, so to speak. There is a common feeling out there that if you use a little pot, fill it with leaf, use real hot water, and steep quickly, you've done Gung Fu. For all I know, that's quite right.
Michael
Michael,
I use a pretty standard gong fu method: I use my rosewood tools to
clear out the spout of the pot and then take my leaves from the
canister using tongs and put them into the leaf display dish and pass
that to my friends or if I'm alone I peruse them myself. I wash out my
cups and rinse the tray, using the water bowl and the wood tongs and
wash out the pot, the aroma cups etc. I then put the leaves into the
pot and wash them. Dump through the tray and steep the leaves. I wait
the necessary amount of time and then pour into the aroma cups which I
sniff and the turn that cup into my small drinking cup (not a gaiwan).
This does take time. It is contemplative for me and meditative as
well. I usually do this in silence.
Roy Fong taught me to do it this way and it's the way I like to do
it.
Truthfully, it is a poetic experience for me. I really don't know if
this is conventional. I've seen gong fu done this way and other ways.
I like it this way.
Shen

I di for get two things: I do use a fair cup, a small pitcher to which
I pour the tea from the pot and then pour the tea from the fair cup
into the smaller tea cups. And, I do ask all my guests, or just
myself, to look at the wet leaves the first go round, as they dance
and unfurl.
As I said, I don't know how "real" this all is or if I'm doing it
exactly right, but wabi-sabi..........
Shen


Shen, I appreciate reading about your method (it helps me to learn
too)...do you use a glass pot to steep in or how do you watch the leaves
unfurl? (I ask because I associate the unfurling leaves with greens in a
glass which is where I have had the most experience of that) Thank you.

Melinda

On Apr 10, 4:14*pm, Melinda wrote:
Shen wrote:
On Apr 8, 3:13 pm, Shen wrote:
On Apr 8, 1:59 pm, Michael Plant wrote:

I've been meditating for 45 years. *That discussion is too lengthy for
this post. I generally know the history of the teas I buy and cherish
because I do not have money to throw away. *I have spent nearly 45 years
trying to simplify my life. I was sharing what gong-fu means to me. *Of
course, by now, I know how to do gong-fu. You are most likely looking too
carefully into words. Let it go. *I have. Shen "Slow" is the way my spirit
moves with gong-fu.
Shen, I appreciate your poetic relationship with the tea you drink. My interest was more mundane. I was simply wondering about the style; that is, the vehicle you use for your meditations, so to speak. There is a common feeling out there that if you use a little pot, fill it with leaf, use real hot water, and steep quickly, you've done Gung Fu. For all I know, that's quite right.
Michael
Michael,
I use a pretty standard gong fu method: I use my rosewood tools to
clear out the spout of the pot and then take my leaves from the
canister using tongs and put them into the leaf display dish and pass
that to my friends or if I'm alone I peruse them myself. I wash out my
cups and rinse the tray, using the water bowl and the wood tongs and
wash out the pot, the aroma cups etc. I then put the leaves into the
pot and wash them. Dump through the tray and steep the leaves. I wait
the necessary amount of time and then pour into the aroma cups which I
sniff and the turn that cup into my small drinking cup (not a gaiwan).
This does take time. It is contemplative for me and meditative as
well. I usually do this in silence.
Roy Fong taught me to do it this way and it's the way I like to do
it.
Truthfully, it is a poetic experience for me. I really don't know if
this is conventional. I've seen gong fu done this way and other ways.
I like it this way.
Shen

I di for get two things: I do use a fair cup, a small pitcher to which
I pour the tea from the pot and then pour the tea from the fair cup
into the smaller tea cups. And, I do ask all my guests, or just
myself, to look at the wet leaves the first go round, as they dance
and unfurl.
As I said, I don't know how "real" this all is or if I'm doing it
exactly right, but wabi-sabi..........
Shen

Shen, I appreciate reading about your method (it helps me to learn
too)...do you use a glass pot to steep in or how do you watch the leaves
unfurl? (I ask because I associate the unfurling leaves with greens in a
glass which is where I have had the most experience of that) Thank you.

Melinda- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I have several cherished and comfortable Yixings and I use a tall
glass or gaiwan for greens.
Shen

On Apr 10, 3:00*am, Will Yardley
wrote:
On 2008-04-09, Shen wrote:

I think the kung fu is in the knowledge, skill, patience, and practice,
not the exact method, tools used, or the amount of leaf used. I don't
know that I have any of these things, but they're at least the things
that I would like to strive for.

My understanding (and I've only been doing this for a year or two, and I
think I can continue to learn no matter how long I keep doing it) is
that the point is not "small pot, lots of leaves", but rather to try and
develop an appreciation for the nuances of the differences between
brews, and to understand how to bring out the best in a particular tea
in a particular situation. Even if I'm brewing tea in an airport
terminal with limited or no equipment, there's still an opportunity to
learn something.

Hi w,

Kung fu is in the knowledge, & also about knowing what you are doing.
There are 2 broadlines of kung fu, which I define as Traditional &
Contemporary. Traditional kung fu enthusiasts claim the style stemmed
from Teochew style, it is all about leisure - the time you can spare,
economy, speed, & strength of tea. Contemporary kung fu is more about
performing art, grace, & appreciation of tea. I must also stress that
these styles are not separated, only that they focus on different
aspects of style.

Whichever style you adopt, or variate on your own, the centre piece is
the tea. The tea, its history, your understanding of it, determines
which vessel is the best 2 draw out the essence of the tea. & from
there, the rest of the set-up, the cups 2 use, the setting, some would
go as far as music & lighting - more contemporary styles. Aroma cups
are part of the contemporary style, but not all tea beg the use of it,
there are teas which do not require aroma cups. A pitcher ensures all
parties get an even strength of the tea, especially so if you are
brewing for parties above 4 persons. The traditional style on the
other hand demands time. The kettle 2 boil the water is small, just
enough for 1 pot. The pot is small, usually enough for 4 cups, the
cups small & just enough for a slurp, the leaves packed in between
50-70% of the pot. The water has 2 be boiling hot, in goes the water
out comes the tea in2 4 cups, fast & furious, unceremonious. If there
are more than 6 persons, the elder ones get 2 drink 1st - the younger
in statues get 2 drink the 2nd round, if it is all friends, those
closer 2 the table gets 2 drink the 1st round...once a round of tea is
done, drinkers kick back & relax, chat or read, letting the strong
flavors of the tea & the nuances play out in the mouth. It might not
be until an hour or so later that it is decided 2 brew another
round...

Tea ceremony in whichever style, strictly adheres 2 several points -
in inadequate translation: Harmony (Appropriateness), Tranquility
(Mindfulness), Truth (Essence), & Transcendence (Knowing), which is
not understanding, but knowing from the heart, from the soul.

kevo

On Apr 11, 7:35 am, Kevo wrote:
The water has 2 be boiling hot, in goes the water
out comes the tea in2 4 cups, fast & furious, unceremonious. If there
are more than 6 persons, the elder ones get 2 drink 1st - the younger
in statues get 2 drink the 2nd round, if it is all friends, those
closer 2 the table gets 2 drink the 1st round.


kevo
This daft use of ## in ur txt abt T is 2 much 4 me, I h8 it - so off
putting that of10
I never actually get 2 read your 1derful mails - which rather neg8s
the point of
communicating.
Perhaps I could persevere with translation if I understood the actual
point of it?

Nigel at Teacraft, seeking appropriateness and transcendence, at least

Kevo writes:

[...]
Kung fu is in the knowledge, & also about knowing what you are doing.
There are 2 broadlines of kung fu, which I define as Traditional &
Contemporary. Traditional kung fu enthusiasts claim the style stemmed
from Teochew style, it is all about leisure - the time you can spare,
economy, speed, & strength of tea.

I'm intrigued by your use of the word "economy". What do you mean here?

[...]
The traditional style on the other hand demands time. The kettle 2
boil the water is small, just enough for 1 pot. The pot is small,
usually enough for 4 cups, the cups small & just enough for a slurp,
the leaves packed in between 50-70% of the pot. The water has 2 be
boiling hot, in goes the water out comes the tea in2 4 cups, fast &
furious, unceremonious. If there are more than 6 persons, the elder
ones get 2 drink 1st - the younger in statues get 2 drink the 2nd
round, if it is all friends, those closer 2 the table gets 2 drink
the 1st round...once a round of tea is done, drinkers kick back &
relax, chat or read, letting the strong flavors of the tea & the
nuances play out in the mouth. It might not be until an hour or so
later that it is decided 2 brew another round...

That brings up an issue that gets ventilated here from time to time.
If Teochew (Chaozhou) style lets the pot lie around for extended
periods between steeps, and if the pot is crammed with a heavy, wet
mass of previously steeped leaves, the temperature inside the pot will
be far below boiling from the second steep onward.

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

Lewis Perin wrote:


That brings up an issue that gets ventilated here from time to time.
If Teochew (Chaozhou) style lets the pot lie around for extended
periods between steeps, and if the pot is crammed with a heavy, wet
mass of previously steeped leaves, the temperature inside the pot will
be far below boiling from the second steep onward.

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

I thought that was the point of pouring the boiling water over the
outside of the pot once the steep had started. I guess it would be
exactly as if the pot has stayed very hot but it would be close wouldn't
it? The pot doesn't heat up instantly of course. but if I'm doing tea
outside I have to do this because it's in the 50's F, if that, where I
am during the day.

Melinda

Melinda writes:

Lewis Perin wrote:

That brings up an issue that gets ventilated here from time to time.
If Teochew (Chaozhou) style lets the pot lie around for extended
periods between steeps, and if the pot is crammed with a heavy, wet
mass of previously steeped leaves, the temperature inside the pot will
be far below boiling from the second steep onward.

I thought that was the point of pouring the boiling water over the
outside of the pot once the steep had started. I guess it would be
exactly as if the pot has stayed very hot but it would be close
wouldn't it? The pot doesn't heat up instantly of course. but if I'm
doing tea outside I have to do this because it's in the 50's F, if
that, where I am during the day.

I know that's the theory of pouring hot water over the pot, but I'm
skeptical of its effectiveness. For one thing - as I believe DogMa
once noted here - the evaporation of that water on the pot's skin will
*subtract* heat. Also, probably more importantly, during a short
steep how much heat could the poured-over water really add?

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