I decided to start brewing some of my black teas gongfu style. So far I usually drink this stuff as is in the grandfather way — some leaves in a big mug and continuous refilling with hot water as necessary. But since these things are usually referred to as “gongfu hongcha”, why should I not do it the proper way?
The first up is what I used as wedding favours… Adagio’s Yunnan Gold
Clean, sweet, with a slight undertone of bitterness, full bodied. Not a bad tea, I think, although without comparison given the fact that I’m using a new (for me) pot and all, I don’t want to say too much about it yet.
Is this new teaware? I love the little teaboat and the cup looks just fantastic. The pot, no doubt, has been shown before, at least in a group portrait. Is there anything at the bottom of the bowl to keep the pot out of water? I’ve been thinking of trying to put together a “tea boat” type arrangement for brewing. Nice work at getting those dry tea leaves to POP out of the picture.
Actually….. the pot is the new teaware in question. Everything else has been around for at least…. half a year now. 🙂
How did you clean the “New Old Thing”… I mean the teapot, before you start using it?
I cleaned it….. by bleaching it. It wasn’t that dirty.
Oh, forgot to answer you Sal — no, there’s nothing to keep water out. I just pour the water out as necessary.
Thanks, MarshalN. It’s a very beautiful pot, but you have so many admirable ones that I can’t keep track of them all. It seems quite small. You used a pretty weak solution of bleach, I would imagine.