TEA BREWING MASTERCLASS - Direct vs Indirect Brewing

Let's geek dive into a Gong Fu Tea brewing masterclass showing the differences between direct of Gall brewing and Indirect or Rim brewing.
You will be surprised about the effect that this small change makes to your brews.
EIGHT IMMORTALS OOLONG: meileaf.com/p/...
TINY GAIWAN: meileaf.com/p/...
BLUE PORCELAIN GONG DAO BEI: meileaf.com/p/...
SMALL WHITE CUPS: meileaf.com/p/...
GONG FU CODE TEA TRAY: meileaf.com/p/...
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How to Brew PuErh Tea - • HOW TO BREW PUERH TEA ...
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[@muizzy]

Don: I'm not going to do a sensory appreciation because.. Hold on... Also Don: oooh! Stone fruit, cherry, peach!

[@gjram8807]

hahahaha :D

[@mariannefleur6671]

Hi Don! Interesting. I was taught a similar technique when I was in Jingmai by some tea hunters from a chinese tea company from Kunming. I was left to brew for them when the factory owner started his water pipe „bong“. My first brews in the gall method came out quite strong and everyone winced (I measured the tea out by eye, 🙈). The lady then proceeded to teach me the rim brewing, the water height, and where on the gaiwan to pour in (3 o’clock), and where on the gaiwan to pour out (9 o’clock), and moving every two to three infusions 3 hours clockwise (and turn the gaiwan). The difference was amazing! The astringent bitter taidi maocha went from uncooth to drinkable, and the single trees production went from a good solid tea to something that sang. The lady told me: the the swirling pour (stirring up the leaves) was more suited to eastern China, and high end green teas, releasing their aromatics to the nose. For Puerhs, especially those with astringency and bitterness in their youth, the rim and 3 o’clock 9 o’clock method was more suitable. I was just discussing this with Natasha and Maciej the other day. 😄 Thank you for your video and glad to see you remark similar effects! Have a wonderful weekend, and thank you for reminding me I need to try the 8 immortals still! Sending love to Camden! ❤️💐🙋🏻‍♀️

[@MeiLeaf]

All of these tricks are really useful to adapt to a brew and I have another video coming about the 3pm 9pm clock methods vs swirling.

[@mariannefleur6671]

Mei Leaf hi Don! Oh cool! Would love to hear your thoughts! I think ad long as the leaves are excellent quality, nothing can really go wrong. Thank god most teas in my cupboard (including lots of yours) are impervious to brewing mistakes. However, on some teas that have some roughness around the edges, method can make the difference between drinkable or not. Of course, it also means on the upper end to tickle out the perfect masterpieces to their maximum potential. So, although not really essential for great leaves, technique can help you achieve perfect nuances for your mood. Keep experimenting & thank you for sharing! ❤️🙏🙋🏻‍♀️

[@reubenk1615]

@@mariannefleur6671 just pointing a typo in second line. You mean to write "as long" not "ad long". Cheers

[@mariannefleur6671]

Reuben k hahaha! I’ll hire a proof reader next time for social media posts! 🤣

[@reubenk1615]

@@mariannefleur6671 sorry. I get it from my mother, she's a grammar nazi

[@ongoingmartin]

This is one of my favourite ways of working out a tea. Never done a side-by-side like this though. That'll save time AND allow a more direct education between the two. Win win!

[@reubenk1615]

I guse I've always been doing indirect brewing at the start to be gentle and later get more aggressive if desired. Remember the "gal bladder of the tea" comment that was made in the past. Also good to remember if you like your tea strong you can blasphemesly crush some leaf and place underneath the whole leaf for that much more intensity (I used this with Undercover DHP as I like it strong)

[@Peraou]

Yay finally masterclasses are the best (well and the travel vids ofc)

[@ReedJanicki]

Agree, love Don's master classes! The best!

[@pvlagsma]

WOW! The indirect method has made a huge difference to my tea. Previously I used gall brewing (although I didn't know the name) and many of my teas - from various sources - were very astringent, especially after the first brew. Now the astringency is gone and my teas taste great. Thank you Don.

[@Palpatine4Senate]

Your enthusiasm for tea is bursting out of you in this video! helpful vid. thanks

[@borishdx]

Super lesson ! I must say I was not conviced at the beginning but now I am, it works !

[@Lau_rao]

As usual a big thank you for the video and the information provided, almost always useful and interesting 🤗🤗🤗

[@ReedJanicki]

Last year, when I first learned of tea galls, I began tapping my pots to move the tea out of the way for indirect brewing (I don't use giwans). Over time, the taping of the pot has become part of my personal tea ceremony and my preferred method for brewing. However, it's more about keeping the leaves from clogging the spout than any difference in the actual brew.

[@reubenk1615]

Good tip with the teapot, I tap the pot for the same reason but allso to air the leaf and allow to cool. Still unsure of the difference it makes weather or not leaving the lid off gives sweeter tea as I've heard claimed

[@jlorenzo0115]

Wow this is great! I have tried this with green tea and found a difference! Thanks for a great video Don! 👍🏽

[@chrisladouceur4093]

I find green tea has the biggest difference. I always brew indirect until the last infusion, then I’ll go direct to finish

[@reubenk1615]

@@chrisladouceur4093 also I should add that I personally pour the water first in the fairness cup before pouring into brewing vessel. Only later on do I increase time and temperature with green teas

[@ChrisHolst]

Fascinating exploration of something I never would have even considered.

[@chrisladouceur4093]

I find indirect brewing modern style TGY is a must. I’ve been drinking sour sap everyday this week and really enjoy this years batch. In the last 2 or 3 infusions I’ll go direct brewing and I find that ends the tea on a brisk note. There’s no right or wrong, experiment and see what you like!

[@benjaminvanwey1385]

Leveled up!

[@matthijsvanwijhe864]

Your tempo 60 is spot on!

[@ZishaDragon]

Thanks for the video, Don!

[@dinab6286]

Now I really want to try indirect brewing! Thanks for always sharing such useful tea tips.

[@nielsbosmobile]

Thank you for the video Don. Just tried it on the 6th and 7th infusion of Pollen Driver; it really seems to make difference:)

[@loveanuy]

Interesting. I usually start indirect then switch to direct ~5-6th infusion for Dancong, Yan Cha, and blacks. Ball oolongs I brew direct, indirect 3rd to 5th or 6th infusion then direct again. Kinda similar to how you were saying at the end.

[@MeiLeaf]

That is pretty much my exact way except sometimes I like to hit Yan Cha direct from the go to get a proper rocky taste.

[@nishantm2087]

Thanks for this really interesting and informative comparison. I was wondering about the implications of swapping for the second infusion (doing direct brewing on the previously indirectly brewed leaves, and vice versa). Could this potentially amplify the difference between the two extractions? My thought process is that the leaves that were indirectly brewed have given less of their minerality to the tea liquor. So, if they are then directly brewed in the second infusion, they have more minerality to give to the tea liquor. Conversely, the leaves that were directly brewed already gave more minerality to the liquor, and so, with indirect brewing, the tea liquor might be all the more softer. I'd be curious about the difference in the second infusions when tea leaves were directly brewed for the first and second infusions vs indirectly brewed for the first and second infusions. OK, maybe the answer is I should try this myself :-). But I'm keen to hear your thoughts. My hypothesis is that the difference would be the largest on the first infusion.

[@user-et3xn2jm1u]

Excited to try this out, I always love these masterclass vids!

[@chrisuk1541]

Top quality content as usual.

[@andrericardos6554]

Thanks for share you knowledge about tea and greetings from Brazil!

[@denisdraxler8231]

Yummy. I just bought two dan congs. One being a gao shan dan cong. Will take my glazed Kyusu for it. 💕 💕 💕

[@mrsmac4739]

Just tried this with Golden Turtle Wuyi Yan Cha and it was a really lovely experience!

[@denisdraxler8231]

Yes, he´s right, also for example a Da Hong Pao being very thinleafed, so the direct brewing have a stronger effect on the leaves.

[@driftekharahmad8644]

Could you pls explain more about direct vs indirect browing?

[@joetexas1546]

Hmm - very interesting! I find that I usually rim brew with my fine gooseneck spouted Oxo pot (highly recommended)!

[@reubenk1615]

Which pot do you speak of? I must know! It must be a unicorn!!!

[@joetexas1546]

Reuben k Oxo brew adjustable pour-over kettle (110volt US version) maybe in a 220V version I dont know.

[@grantmedical]

Hey Don... I have found that I can coax out more infusions from white tea and from Pu-Erh by what you call "indirect" brewing... that being said - I prefer to brew strong and have fewer infusions when drinking by myself...

[@Cookie-tv2bb]

Hai don great video got this recommended straight through my emails and clicked it instantly good job I’m just trying out the sticky rice cakes recipe also quick question to anyone who reads this comment so is the tea that don sells like classed as top quality high end tea or middle quality compared to other teas and have you recently discovered indirect brewing or no because I’ve not seen you do it in other videos I don’t think

[@reubenk1615]

He's mentioned the "gal bladder of the tea" concept in the past

[@umiteasets]

Chlorogenic acid and Vitamin C in the scented tea can make the skin become exquisite, white and glossy.

[@brian0823]

Is there any other way to say direct (goal) and indirect (rim) brewing? Because in Chinese, I prefer to say them as 沖 for direct brewing and 淹 for indirect brewing, so that people can very easy to catch the point. And I think maybe 沖 can be translated as "flush", and 淹 can be translated as "submerge". And there are some more details with the placement of tea to cooperate with the different brewing.

[@NayNay-zm5ln]

Thank you Sir!!!! Great info !!!

[@ChrisHolst]

Don- have you ever done a video on the ginseng oolongs that are out there in the market? The ball rolled oolongs that are enrobed in ginseng stuff and come to look like green pebbles? I'd love to hear your thoughts on them.

[@mrsmac4739]

How would you categorise pouring onto the gaiwan lid and the water running onto the leaves? I've seen this done in a more ceremonial setting and wondered if anyone had tried it, and if so, what were the results?

[@JacobScott0000]

excellento

[@antman9461]

Hey Don! What's your opinion on Yabukita Gyokuro? I just tried Gyokuro for the first time, brewing it the way you did with a Okumidori Gyokuro in your video. It had a flavor profile similar to what you described but it never became as intense in flavor, as thick and as vibrant in colour. The first brew had a mindlowing flavor but was rather pale green. Does cultivar have an effect on colour and thickness?

[@antman9461]

Anyway, it's a gorgeous tea. The savoriness is turning more and more into sweetness with every infusing. It's amazing how flavor evolves throughout the session.

[@BS38114]

Yes, i think the cultivar have a effect. If you want it really green, check out Saemidori. Also the way it steamed.

[@username-yn5yo]

which is more common in china (japan)? Thank you don for you content and hopefully your answer

[@MeiLeaf]

It really depends on the tea type but in China I would say that rim brewing is more common amongst people who studiously brew their tea

[@denisdraxler8231]

_Cheers everybody_ 😋

[@denisdraxler8231]

Frankly spoken I have my problems with a hot brewing. 😐 I always want a moderate infusion, so expecially sheng for example kind of loosens its charakter with a way too hot infusion. 😐

[@denisdraxler8231]

Your white porcelain is so exquisite. Yummy.

[@105rogue]

If Don or anyone else for that matter know if Adogia tea is any good? I know it's not going to be top tier quality but is it even decent?

[@Keyboard12850]

hey have you ever drunk wakocha tea? It's black japanese tea, I've not seen video on your channel about it. I tasted it and it was delicious

[@MeiLeaf]

Yes we stock Japanese Black called Kaori Black and it is delicious!

[@Keyboard12850]

@@MeiLeaf Thanks, I will check it

[@kornucopia9460]

Didn't you confuse the direct with the gall brewing method? If anything, the indirect, rim brewing method would be the "gall" brewing method because the meaning is you need to be careful since you don't want to rupture the gall.

[@denisdraxler8231]

The frog is your favorite, isn´t he? 👌

[@chrisladouceur4093]

I like the fish! Mine came with one of the eyes partially covered with the ceramic, so looks like he has a happy side and a mad side. Gives me a good chuckle

[@gavinmarshall2228]

Damn son, Don's song and dance about Dan Cong...

[@tendingtropic7778]

anyone know what kettle he is using here?

[@MeiLeaf]

Kamjove kettle

[@andrericardos6554]

A question, for a service tea first infusion indirect and for a second infusion direct? What you think? Or I started indirect and continued the same service for others infusions? Big hug!

[@denisdraxler8231]

I want this strainer, mine always falls in the cup. 😂

[@jaydengriffin2478]

they are like £2 online.. you should get one!

[@dantesenior2527]

I'm going to count in my head soo 1 2 3 4 5... He says out loud

[@askialuna7717]

I find the term brewing strange for tea and coffee, I only know brewing for beer and other alcoholic drinks. Otherwise, I know the terms of making tea, pouring warm water onto tea, infuse water with tea, infusing tea, leave the tea in the water for e.g. 40 sec.

[@TheAminoamigo]

Brewing can refer to both alcoholic fermentation and infusing other things in water like tea, coffee beans etc.

[@askialuna7717]

@@TheAminoamigo I have now read about tea preparation as a term for it. where I come from we have two terms for it, brewing beer is "brauen" and tea/coffee is "brühen" e.g aufbrühen

[@contrnsmagnificndjoobngtaint]

please do a no talking, asmr tea ceremony video

[@Jy3pr6]

All brewing is direct in the sense that the water hits the leaves eventually. If the issue is temperature, why not just brew the tea at a lower temperature? Also, pouring on the side would seem to hit some leaves for longer than others while pouring directly on top would hit them all more evenly.

[@youmesawsaydoes3212]

Please explain turkish tea