Daniel J. . net12/15/05


> I am considering trying brewing with a yixing to see what all the rave is
> about. I think I need to go through the archives here to try and learn what
> I can, but is there a FAQ anywhere on all this that might be easier to
> navigate, etc?
>
> I do not wish to ask questions that have been asked hundreds of times, and
> would be interested in something that provides true, concise, even
> scientific information.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Daniel
>
>
Hi there Daniel,

First, by all means let's talk about it because gung-fu is a dynamic living
approach to tea, and even as a revisit we will find new things to talk
about. Now having said that, nearly all, if not all, web sites will describe
some version of this: A little teapot filled with leaf to the point that
the wet leaf will reach the very top and possibly push against the lid, hot
hot water, quick quick steeps, little bitty cups, sometimes one for smelling
and one for tasting, a pitcher to receive the fast brewed tea, and multiple
steeps, which is to say you pour more water over the wet leaves and do it
all again, in an effort to create the longest sentence in the English
language. (Sorry.) There will be mention of rinsing the tea, the cups, and
the other stuff. All this however according to some sources is *not*
Gung-fu -- yet. Gung-fu uses all this and does all this, but proceeds in a
carefully orchestrated series of steps through the five required steeps.
These steps vary precisely from steep to steep.

As a Westerner, I know I will never accomplish Gung-fu, and therefore I use
two largish mason jars to brew tea, which is quite good enough for the likes
of me. (I do on occasion make believe with a Gung-fu pot, but it's just for
show, I assure you.)

BTW, please do *not* put your YiXing pot in the microwave. It hurts their
feelings, to say the least, and they are more sensitive than most people I
know.

Luck,
Michael