Gaiwan brewing - some questions on that lid!
Hey all,
I’m sort of new to Gaiwan brewing – I’ve been using it for about a month now and I had two questions:
1) Are there any teas that should be brewed with the lid off? Will it make any difference in taste? I feel like I may have heard this about greens, but I can’t find much info on it.
2) Between brews, do you keep the lid on or off your gaiwan? I feel like I’m suffocating the leaves when the lid is on – with it off it seems like they get to air out between steeps. But this is all totally unbacked opinion on my part, so I’m curious to know what you experienced Gaiwan drinkers are doing.
Other than that, I’d just like to say hey since it’s my first post. Couldn’t believe there was a whole forum for tea like this! Pretty boss.
Welcome!
I tend to brew my more sensitive greens ( especially the early spring ones) and whites with the lid off. I find that it tends to brew a sweeter tea and reduces the risk of bitterness.
If I’ve brewed the tea with very hot water I tend to keep the lid off between steeps in a continuous brewing session. Otherwise, once the leaves are cooled off I keep them covered.
For these teas that made from new leaves and buds, like green and white tea. I brewed them without the lid. If keep the lid on, for the tea leaves are delicate, it’s easy to burn the tea making it taste bitter and acidic. So it’s better to brew green teas with the lid off.
When brewed the oxidised teas, like Oolong tea and Black tea, it needs to keep the lid on.
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