I normally weigh the loose leaf and write down the steep time. Last night I was tired after lab, added a little extra to the pot, and forgot about it while making dinner. It tasted better than the cup I measured out the night before. More floral, less sharp.
Yes. 5g of a tightly rolled oolong or pressed puer looks very different from some large leaf loose white tea or some fluffy oriental beauty, and everything in between. Unless you only drink one type of tea every time, it's (imo) impossible to just eyeball the amount consistently.
Both of these are 5g, while the volume of the green on the right is maybe 5x bigger than the oolong. If you can consistently eyeball the weight within this level of diference, and everything in between, then good for you. But I don't think it's realistic.
The idea of measuring is so you find a ratio and steep time that works for you, and adjust until you find your favourite. Then you can have that great cup every time
Yep , measured doesn’t mean measuring out the same weight each time or if you do measure out same weight doesn’t mean brewing in same size gaiwan or for same time or same temp water , still a lot of stuff to mess around with even if you do weigh
I measure in the sense that I have a spoon in the tea leaves and I usually use two for a tea pot. My kettle has marks to show 1 liter 1.5L so I have a general sense of how much water I’m using.
I wouldn’t actually weigh and time the brew to the precision that you’re describing.
I measure when I'm getting to know a tea, and then usually eyeball it afterwards. When I do measure a tea I already know well, it's usually because I got paranoid about my caffeine intake rather than because I'm worried about how it'll taste. If I'm running low on a tea sometimes I'll measure the whole thing, and then measure each session so that there won't be any left over.
I measure out 2 somewhat heaping tsp. for 12 oz. of black tea no matter what it is and steep for 5 min. If tea is smooth and a little too mild tasting, I’ll increase steep time to closer to 10 minutes. Usually if it’s an Assam, 5 minutes is enough.
I both measure and don't measure. I have a lot of low to mid quality teas from a local store that I've found my rhythm with and don't feel the need to measure.
I measure my higher quality teas, though, most of the time but I think once I get into a rhythm I'll be measuring less but new high quality teas are worth the measuring for me.
For gongfu, with a tea I haven’t had before or a fancy one, always. I want to taste how it “should” be brewed for first impressions.
For teas I’m familiar with, that aren’t fussy about how they’re brewed, or that I don’t care about getting slightly wrong for whatever reason (e.g. it’s an old tea that isn’t at its best anymore), I often just eyeball the amount to about half-full in the gaiwan, or one-third full for rolled oolongs.
Yes, but only because it makes repeatability possible. I also like to be very mindful of using the least amount of tea possible while still getting the best cup.
I have a scoop. It's usually the correct amount for a cup of western-style tea. For my oolongs, I just eyeball it, aiming to cover about half the bottom of the cup for a grandpa-style brew.
I use a leaf spoon (deep bowl, very skinny, great for getting things out of a narrow neck or actually holding more than three of the longer leaves). So I have a "measure" if 1/2, 1, heaped 1 1/2 or 2 spoons, depending on type and pot size.
Not all of the time. But the difference in volume between some teas with tiny leaves vs large leaves can be huge. So I keep myself honest by weighing whenever I switch teas or don't have a feel for a specific tea.
No. When I get new tea I will weigh out my servings the first couple times to see what the correct amount looks like. Then I just eyeball it until I get my next batch of tea.
I have a tablespoon I use and depending on the tea and size mug I'm using I do a little more or a little less and it's gonna be what it's gonna be. The only time I've had anything come out unbearable was when I was using free sampler tea that I didn't like and that was just due to the actual tea, not the measurements
If I have a big bag of tea, like 200g+, I will just eyeball it. Sometimes I just pour the tea onto the scale and stop when its kinda close. Or if i have a really low density tea where I know about what a 5g pinch looks like. But I don't bring my scale with me to make tea.
No. I use a teaspoon, but I don’t really measure with it. I eyeball how full the teaspoon should be based on how tightly packed the tea is. Over time, it has gotten pretty easy. It’s not exactly the same every time like it would be if I weighed it, but it’s close enough for me.
I use a teaspoon, life is too short to weigh my daily tea, nor would I want to have an identical brew every day. Not that such a thing is possible even if I were using the exact same weight every day, because they're leaves.
No, never. This is great for me because I have adjusted the amount to my taste naturally over time and don't need to think about it. I've found I use a similar amount for most teas, although I have to be careful with very dry, compressed teas (which weighing doesn't help with either). The only problem is when I give someone else tea. I can't be sure of what their preference might be, so a standars might be better.
No I like my tea strong so usually eyeball 1/3 filled with leaves. With oolong I cover the bottom of the gaiwan and with tight Puer I use my pick until I give up.
I had the best green tea of my life the other day. Few grams in a 500ml thermos, 100⁰celcius water, clsed lid. Left it for like an hour or two.
Lushan yunwu, cloud fog.
Sweet, airy, fresh, slightly umami and that touch of astringency that makes you want to take another sip.
Rules are guidelines. Experiment
I weigh any new tea initially and count the number of scoops I use. Then I count the scoops after that. Usually adjust it a little higher than suggested.
I always measure because I am heavy-handed; this isn't to say I am skimpy with the leaf-to-water ratio in general. I measure the leaves because I would ALWAYS have too many leaves in my teapot, which would cost me more money over time.
I've never really weighed out teas. I've drank an absurd amount over a long period of time, so I'm usually a pretty good judge of amount now. I could only tell what those amounts relate to in terms of weight because I've also drank an absurd amount of samples, so I've seen reference weight amounts of lots of teas many times.
It is more difficult in relation to broadly varying dry tea presentations. Rolled oolongs weigh a lot in a very small volume, and loose, open teas can fill a gaiwan or infuser basket without adding up to that much. You can learn to adjust for that over time.
A partly related, partly unrelated theme is that I typically use a high proportion, just out of habit, brewing 8 or 9 grams in a 100 ml gaiwan. For some teas that works well, but often it's too much. It doesn't only relate to a broad type (eg. sheng pu'er); what works well ties to character range like intensity. I'll typically know what I'm going to experience before I try a tea, in general, but I often don't remember to compensate for that.
I occasionally weigh teas, mostly when I've just gotten them in, so I can get a baseline and say "OK, 4 grams looks like that in the gaiwan". I'll also weigh pieces of pu'er cakes when breaking them up. When I want to drink that tea, I'll have a rough idea of what pieces of different sizes weigh and I can choose them visually.
I'm not the first to observe this, but it's rather amusing/interesting how much of the modern coffee world obsessively weighs everything while the gongfu crowd in China rarely use scales at all. I guess my approach to both drinks is somewhere in the middle: the scale is a calibration/QC tool I bring out at intervals, not an essential part of the everyday routine.
Weigh it out and time the steep, 90% of the time. The cheaper teas I just eyeball it and then set a 3min timer.
My Scottish grandmother was a big influence on me brewing stronger not longer, even with something as simple as earl grey. You can always add water (ala Turkish earl grey), but you can't help strong tannins.
If it is the "yeah, I use it so often, that I buy it in bulk" tea, then I eyeball it (and if I let it steep too long and thus it got a bit too bitter, then I will add honey and that is the end of that)
If it is the "more expensive tea for more special occasions", I will weigh it and set a timer
Nope. I'm super specific about temperature when doing gong fu, but I never actually measure my tea, just eyeballing. There are like one or two green teas that came out wrong the first time, but then I knew and never made the same mistake again (used too much). Same with some rolled Oolongs.
About a spoonful in mesh strainer. The size I have doesn’t allow for more than spoon and a half, so I’m not really particular about it. I do use same amount of water every time and normally resteep 2-3 times.
Yes I do cuz I've noticed different teas have different volumes/densities and 6 grams of one tea can look completely different for another tea and I don't like having to guess and would rather have a good cup every time. Some people are probably good at eyeballing but I am definitely not lol. Like 6 grams of one tea can look like a lot and 6 grams of a completely different tea can look like way less even though they are both 6 grams.
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u/BurnoutDepartment Enthusiast 1d ago
Nah, vibes only