The Chinese gaiwan or covered cup is considered
the preferred method for brewing teas with delicate flavors, such as green
and white teas, but is suitable for any type of tea. This method has been used in China since about
1350. The gaiwan consists of a saucer, bowl and lid. The lid allows the tea
to be infused right in the bowl and either be drunk right from the bowl or
decanted into smaller tasting cups.
The following guidelines are recommended for all teas:
Arrange your utensils
All that is needed to prepare tea in this style is a gaiwan, since the tea
can be brewed and drunk from the same vessel. Alternatively, the gaiwan can
be supplemented with a small pitcher and tasting cups. Prepare the tealeaves
and have them ready to be placed into the teapot as soon as it has been warmed.
Rinse the gaiwan
This step signifies the purification of the gaiwan so that it is free of
any dust or residue. It also warms the cup. Rinse the gaiwan with hot water.
If using a serving pitcher and tasting cups, pour the hot water from the gaiwan
into these vessels and then discard the water.
Rinse the tealeaves
This step opens up the leaves to release the tea's aroma. The aroma should
be savored prior to infusion in order to prepare the palate to appreciate
the tea's full flavor. Add about one to two teaspoons of dry leaves to the
gaiwan. With a little experimentation, this quantity can be adjusted to your
taste. Pour hot water over the tealeaves and immediately pour this water off.
Remove the lid and savor the aroma of the leaves.
Infuse and serve
Fill the gaiwan with water of the appropriate temperature. For green teas,
steep uncovered for 2-3 minutes. For oolong and black teas, cover with the
lid and steep 3-5 minutes for oolong teas and 4-5 minutes for black teas.
To drink from the gaiwan, hold the saucer in the palm of the right hand and
use the thumb to steady the cup. Using your left hand, lift the lid by the
knob, tilt the lid away so that it holds back the leaves and sip the tea.
Alternatively, the tea can be poured out into the serving pitcher and then
into the tasting cups.
Resteep
One of the benefits of using high quality, loose-leaf teas is that they can
be resteeped several times. Keep adding water as many times as yields a flavorful
cup. To resteep, increase the steeping time slightly with each infusion. Experiment
with steeping times to accommodate your taste. However, excessively long steeping
can result in a bitter infusion. It is not recommended that tealeaves be left
for a long period of time between infusions.
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