TEA MASTERCLASS: How Long Should You Brew Tea?

[@AdamVonSzabo]

This is the thing I enjoy the most about tea. There is so much to experience with on a session, brew time, brew temp, infusion count. Every tea can offer something different along the way every time, because I am a very inaccurate brewing machine, I mess up at least one variable each time just a little bit to get something different out of the leaves. Side note: this tingling sensation on the side of my tongue is really cool, thumbs up for the Sip Spring, I really enjoy it

[@sebastiank9175]

there is no fix rule to making tea , just learn the basic and explores and learn as you go , 3 golden rules 1) lesser tea is often better than more 2) hotter boiling point water is often better than lower temperature 3) shorter sipping time is often better than longer sipping time, these three point often contribute to smoother tea , less astringent and bitter, a good chinese gong is unlike western tea , it need to be smooth, its unique features is release. most western Indian tea are badly brew and making the tea astringent and bitter and over powering. every tea due to that particular year of harvest can always result in totally different taste. the quality of tea are greatly influence by the amount of rain, sunlight and the condition where the tea is processed greatly influence the taste and quality of a particular tea. this year in china there is plenty of rain water and most tea quality are greatly affected.

[@davidvillaescribano5178]

wow! a lot of information and what an analogy! hahaha very clear and interesting! Thanks Don!

[@theteasessions]

I really like the analogy you came up with; I'm on board! Really appreciating these gong fu masterclasses as well, I think it's good to break it down in this way because I know many people have been intimidated by gong fu but it's really such a wonderful way to get to know tea! :) Cheers Don!

[@Steck1988]

Don you're a genius. The first youtube chanel I check daily for new videos. Looking forward on becomming a true gung fu master.

[@wildebeestwright]

This series is such a wonderful resource. Thank you.

[@emmanuelsolorzano8813]

That ramp analogy was great! Great way of explaining the different parameters.

[@unbdld42]

Excellent analogy with the ramps/marbles…etc. Thank you!

[@AhimSaah]

The analogy is legendary! i think, Don, you should have the ramp and the marbles made for tea educational purposes.

[@danieldietz9065]

I have been experimenting with various brew times across the many infusions. I still have a lot to learn!

[@robcavenphotography5231]

I like that new analogy Don, makes complete sense :)

[@MeiLeaf]

Thanks, it made sense at 3am and then I sanity checked it in the morning. Plenty more additions to the analogy coming.

[@xSAxTullrosxGEx]

I like your marble analogy Don, it reminds me of my physics classes haha!

[@RobertMoutal]

I have become addicted to your videos, Don. Awesome job! Quick question: Why do labels that come with the teas I've bought usually suggest 2-3 minutes (sometimes even 5) brewing time and you usually do a lot less time in most of the videos I've watched? Thanks!

[@MeiziVu]

Totally got that analogy

[@zelassin]

i usually brew for 3 minutes at least, didnt even know some people can drink a 15 second tea

[@tehninjadude]

Zelassin That's because you're brewing Western style, while Don is brewing gong fu style. He's using way more tea than you are, so the tea still ends up strong enough.

[@anasibndawood6696]

Meme Arrows How would you define a Western-style brew?

[@alchemichael]

I think they mean "western style" as in a big pot to a small amount of leaf brewed for long periods of time as opposed to Don using a small pot/gaiwan with a larger amount of leaf brewed for very short times (Gong fu cha style)

[@unbdld42]

@@anasibndawood6696 Based on learning from this channel, it appears Western-Style brewing is less leaves/higher temp and more time. The Gong fu way is more leaves, temp depends on the type of tea (black, oolong, yellow…etc) and times are generally much shorter than Western style. The Mei Leaf website has a brewing chart that fancies me quite well.

[@Marelybbmarley]

Great videos 👍👍👍

[@MrJermson]

Grear vid Don. I always thought that different infusions gave me different tastes. Can't wait for your video on it.

[@chrisladouceur4093]

Hey Don, in your guide when you talk brew time. Do you start the timer at the first drop of water you add or after you’ve filled the vessel? And is the end time when you start the pour or when it should be finished pour by? Thanks!

[@jennyobiliseen4301]

I would say tea should be brewed to taste ultimately. If you like bitterness, go a head a brew longer, if not, brew less time. Tea should be experimented with. Ultimately the brewing parameters should be taken as elastic, you do you to your taste.

[@MeiLeaf]

I totally agree and the purpose of these videos is to get you to a point where you can really customise the tea to your moods rather than following generic brewing instructions.

[@kalefu]

Mei Leaf I think this video series will help a lot of people appreciate tea more. It is so much more enjoyable when you can focus on tea not numbers be it grams or seconds. Only time when I’m weighing tea and counting seconds is when I’m assessing new tea. Fun starts when I know what I’m dealing with and eyeing amount of leaves and brewing on guts feeling and guesstimating based on previous brew. Don I think you moving from music to tea industry will benefit a lot of people. Please keep doing what you are doing and we promise to stay away from teabags 😉😊🙏

[@tinahuttner7280]

Had gone to a tea thing here in the twin city’s and I wasn’t happy w how hot they had the water. But then again you don’t come acrossed a lot tea experts here in Minnesota.

[@JamieGarry]

Really really fantastic analogies. Thank you.

[@DanielDumbrill]

When you do your second infusion of your leaves, do these marbles start from the top again, or those irregular marbles will now reach the bottom quicker, because the first infusion already brought them part way down the ramp?

[@unbdld42]

Based on what I learned in this video, it appears on the second infusion the marbles do not start from the top again(although some may) but there are some marbles already primed and loaded at the bottom to drop into the cup. You are correct, the first infusion has begun the process of bringing the irregular marbles down, therefore the second, third, fourth and so on infusion will coax the marbles further toward the gate and into your cup….:)

[@brandonkoons6213]

Love the videos! You should do a video on Eastern vs. Western brewing styles. Maybe a taste test?

[@MeiLeaf]

I have done a video a out this called 'why you should switch to Gong Fu Brewing'.

[@elchanchito1262]

I visited your tea house in London two days ago, it was wonderful :). I was on vacation in England, so it was quite special for me to make it there. It's such a nice place and the tea was soooo good! I wish I could visit regularly :P

[@MeiLeaf]

Thank you for coming in and tasting our tea. I am happy that your enjoyed having a session with us. Which tea did you try?

[@elchanchito1262]

White Jasmine/Mo Li Yin Zhen. I needed something refreshing, and I also wanted to try a scented tea that wasn't crap. It's really difficult to find good jasmine scented teas, but I have a weakspot for them. It's such a relief that you guys offer scented teas that are good quality and don't obscure low quality tea with the strong smell like so many other tea sellers out there. :) Also sorry I took so long to reply, my notifications weren't working properly.

[@chronophagocytosis]

I absolutely love your experimental videos. Great job once again. I don't know if you've already addressed this, but I think you would need to clarify the special terminology you're using. For instance, brightness and viscosity, are terms you can find in physics/chemistry books and those qualities can be measured quantitatively. However, when I listen to you mention these words in the context of tea, I get the feeling you're using these words in a completely different sense. Also, some of the other clearly non-measurable qualities would need a reference sample. When doing semi-quantitative analytics, it's common to have a negative reference (AKA blank sample) and a positive reference sample. For instance, we could take water as a negative reference for just about everything and salty water would be a good positive reference for saltiness. Pineapple juice would be a good reference for... well, pineapples. I would like to know where can I experience a positive sample for each of the special terms you commonly use. Often it's pretty obvious, because the name of the reference is built into the name of the term in question, but there are many notable exceptions.

[@MeiLeaf]

Yes, there will be many examples of descriptors which do not have a clear reference and often times will be subjective and subject to the natural variations in our senses of taste and aroma. My goal is to provide qualitative analysis according to my experience and to use other Teahead experience to corroborate my analysis. I will try to provide more blank/positive references where possible.

[@alexfullmetal]

Can you also do gong-fu style brewing with Indian teas?

[@Fernanda31BR]

Ohhh lots of infos!!!!

[@youbyoubalancedliving9700]

I haven’t see the first one. Do you talk about the quality of water also effects the taste as well?

[@tendingtropic7778]

Thank you Don and team @meileaf. 1 (noob) question. On your brewing instructions, there's always a +5, or +10, etc instruction for multiple/next infusions. So does this mean add that amount of seconds to every infusion? e.g. 20 seconds, +5, is 25 seconds for second infusion, 30 for the third, 35 for the fourth, etc. Is this correct?

[@jahstafari2937]

Ye

[@williamworkman9668]

I drink green tea for health and not for taste. Do you get the tea health benefits no matter how you brew the tea? Thanks!

[@sebastiantyler7874]

About that marble analogy... Sure, understood, but it also implies that it would be possible to get an identical outcome for switching between the extremes of those two parameters. You know, cold and long vs. hot and short. But in my experience, this is just not true. Some teas simply might be destroyed when brewed too hot, or on the other end of the spectrum, just taste like water, no matter how long being brewed. So I'm actually not sure about this analogy, what do you think?

[@livnic2000]

Nice metaphor

[@kjell159]

22:50 Isn't it more like certain marbles already passed through, giving more oppurtunity for the other marbles still behind to shine through in the next infusions?

[@Yorker1998]

I use to be very precise about how long I brewed my tea and the temperature of the water even with tea bags. But now I just leave the tea bag in there the whole time whether it's green tea or black because it never seems to get bitter. I just have good luck with smooth teas I suppose.

[@tabarce4a]

Hi. Do you came up with a minimum brewing time that allow tea to disolve in water ? Thank you.

[@jakubhadamek4591]

Another good video. Maybe the water temperature in the marble analogy could be easier visualised as a ramp inclination (slope). The greater the angle the faster all the marbles go.

[@MeiLeaf]

Yes that was my original thought but I have other things planned for inclination 🙂

[@MeiziVu]

ca you brew it hot and then leave it in the fridge to infuse overnight?

[@ulak7312]

Love your channel 😃

[@tgkhee8548]

Hey Don, i have this problem with my sencha where the leaves starts to turn from green to yellowish and loses a bit of its gloss and fragrance after several months despite storing in an tea canister away from air and sunlight. Any advice on that? Thanks.

[@wesdashman]

Nice video.

[@chi_bot8648]

cool, learning alot in the new series! Could you talk about the water soon i think something is off with the water i use. (spa)PH=6) the water itself taste sour-ish. i think im gonna swap to a more alkeline water, with a higher Ph level?

[@unbdld42]

I've learned that water type(quality) is very important. Reverse osmosis water may be a good test for your water situation and a reverse osmosis table-top system is quite affordable.

[@joetexas1546]

i am here-wooooo

[@illyalukyanov4771]

So, following the ramp analogy, can a longer brewing time pay for the lack of temperature ? I mean, if you have a really rough ramp but at the same time, you open the lower gate for longer, can you gather the same marbles as if you brew shorter but with a higher T ? Cheers

[@MeiLeaf]

In our experience, if you brew at really cool temperatures you would have to make brewing times in excess of a few days to get anywhere near the same balance of extraction as when brewing for a few seconds in boiling water and by this point the compounds will change through oxidative reactions So practically speaking, longer brewing times will extract some compounds at a lower temperature but not all of them - in other words, some marbles are really rough and require a certain temperature to make it past the gate, brewing below this temperature will mean that they do not get extracted even with extended brewing.

[@sebastiank9175]

I dont quite agreed on longer brewing time as it can makes it astringent and bitter which most westerners makes their tea that way! the bitterness and astringent often hide the original essence of the tea which should be smooth, fragrant, increase the saliva and bring out the fruitiness or floral of the tea leaves.

[@ทักษ์มากสังข์]

good content

[@knoxx187]

I was going to order sip spring and some other stuff but couldn't afford the shipping to the u.s. :(

[@MeiLeaf]

Shipping is a frustrating issue and we are working on trying to reduce prices.

[@knoxx187]

@@MeiLeaf I was into loose leaf before I found you but it's your quality that I want to try.... the stuff you get off amazon or Ebay is crap..... I'm also learning gongfu but I am poor so I got the travel one and I keep burning the crap out of myself and I know this is a sin but I'm from the south so i always end up putting sugar in it after the first few sips...... and i need to try your amber gaba.... I won't try any before i get it from you! Thanks Don!

[@MeiLeaf]

We occasionally do free shipping offers so make sure that you join our newsletter and/or follow us on Facebook and Insta.

[@germainegrewal8833]

Kenna Butler same, I also have issues but instead of the U.S, it is to the complete opposite side of the world in New Zealand

[@knoxx187]

@@MeiLeaf thanks now I have to figure out insta too lol

[@balintvaray5924]

🍵Tea time with Young Gushu 2018!!!

[@desertfox432]

I may have lost my marbles 🤪

[@kearsten2871]

Lol I love drinking marblesp

[@maciej6293]

Don, what's behind that wooden board behind you? Are you renovating? When will you have a more calming background so we can concentrate better on the content of your videos? 😉

[@MeiLeaf]

We are thinking of other background solutions when we have an opportunity but we have very little time to renovate with all of the work we are doing.

[@macronchampion]

Everytime I brew wulong (tué Guang tin, si ji Chun etc.) in gong fu style , it taste like water, I tried between 30s up to 1 min to 100 degree. What's wrong? Thanks for your help.

[@jang.1185]

Hi, it is strange. I am not tea master, but have no issues with such green oolong teas. So what comes on my mind first is water quality. It should be soft water and your kettle should be clean before you are going to boil it. Then use really 6 grams of tea per 100ml of water (Sometimes I use five grams :) and it is still good). I usually rinse tea - it takes me about 5 seconds (pour little of water in, pour out). I make first infusion for 25 sec (as is mentioned in guide from Mei Leaf) and everything is fine. So the last variable is quality of tea. First - if it is a good stuff, second - if it is properly stored. Sometimes the sellers really do not care about stuff they sell and this is the worse thing. It can be difficult to find out if your tea seller is really good. Then only one relevant thing can be your own experience, so maybe you could try different tea seller. This is what I am doing now :) The Mei Leaf still remains untested :D however I am not hurry. And now I remembered one more important thing. If you eat or drink anything which is strong in taste or aroma before you have tea, it will seriously affect your tea session experience.

[@MeiLeaf]

All excellent points

[@macronchampion]

Thanks for your answer, I bought my tea in the most prestigious tea house of France (la maison des trois thés) that also provide Michelin stars restaurants so I don't think it's quality problem, for water I have special water that is very soft (mont roucous) . But yeah I don't really check the tea weight I put in my yixing, I will try to put 6 grams and let you know. Thanks again for your answer :)

[@debik12]

how much tea and water did you use to steep?

[@jang.1185]

Perfect :) However there is maybe one more thing. As you mentioned yixing - do you mean unglazed yixing teapot? Because as far as I know, yixing teapots are not suitable for green oolongs. Unglazed ceramic vessels has effect on brewed tea. Glass or porcelain teaware works the best - as well as glazed ceramic. There is only difference in heat losses during time of brewing. Don, if you are reading, maybe it could be an idea for another interesting video. How to adjust used water temperature and brewing time when you brew the same tea in different vessels from different materials. But it would be super geeky :D And a little bit difficult. Or maybe - is there significant difference, when you brew the same tea with water of the same temperature and volume, but in vessels made of different material? Reflechissons - back to the toppic. I look forward to your experience with more leaves. :)

[@mario7027]

Whilst Don was describing the marbles going down the slope, I was thinking someone should really do a 3D animation of that... and then Don mentioned that too! Please make the marbles labelled with the chemical compounds and make their shape and velocity corresponding to what actually happens with that chemical in the brewing process 😁

[@favs970]

No, the question is Oolong Should You Brew Tea?

[@Nagaash]

If you wanted this to be accurate, you should be blind to which tea was brewed longer. I have a feeling they would taste basically the same.

[@kristendejong4118]

How long do you brew oolong though give some real answers not a lecture on why you should brew longer or shorter. Actual steeping times!