Deciphering the teapot symbols on bags of loose tea
I’ve been swimming in loooooovely teas from my April trip to Taipei, but am still struggling to decipher the “amount of tea” symbols on various bags and charts. Each producer uses the same basic teapot silhouette concept, as seen here:
http://www.anony.ws/kTUN
What has me stumped is the volume shown. For example, from the image linked above, if you begin with a yixing filled 1/2 way with Pouchong or Oriental Beauty, the pot will be so jammed with fully expanded (hydrated) tea leaves by the third brew, you won’t have room for water.
I’ve been winging it with fairly good success thus far, but would prefer not to rely on trial an error as I whittle my way through my Taiwanese treasures.
Insight, anyone…? Thanks in advance!
I think your impressions are accurate from what I’ve heard. With Pouchong or Oriental Beauty you are usually dealing with long, wirey leaves that don’t pack well and actually sometimes lose volume upon getting wet. I would just say make sure that they are well “fluffed”, meaning don’t try to pack them in there, just loosely fill the pot half way. A fifth to a quarter for Tieguanyin makes sense because they are balled and expand hugely.
Sorry if I wasn’t more clear in the original post—I actually find the charts quite inaccurate.
For example, a pot gingerly filled half way with either Pouchong or Oriental Beauty (dry) will expand to cram the pot—tight—by the third brew. The first time I brewed each of those, following the diagram with trepidation, I had to dig out more than half the hydrated leaves to make room for water.
Same problem with the Oolong measurement, since rolled Oolong typically expands to approximately 3-4 times its original volume. Even if using the minimum 1/4 pot graphic, your leaves are jammed tightly in the pot by the third brew, making it impossible for water to circulate.
Thus, my puzzlement….
Ah, but as I understand it, a packed pot/gaiwan is what you want after a few steeps. At least, that’s how I’ve seen it done before, where the leaves are practically bursting out out of the pot. I’m not saying I agree with the method or that it makes sense to me (as you point out, there is little room for water to circulate) but that seems to be the traditional way (someone who knows more obviously feel free to chime in). Hence the diagrams.
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