Green Tea Forum

Kevangogh · Forum God Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 926 Location: Japan

You can use a little hotter water for the 2nd infusion, plus pre-heat the teacups. The first infusion is more critical towards temperature than the 2nd infusion. You don't remove the leaves until you are completely finished.

Make sure to completely drain between servings.

nagaeyari · Brown Belt Joined: 23 Sep 2005 Posts: 40

Well, if it is your second infusion, would not the water from the first infusion pre-heat as necessary the pot for the second infusion?

Chado · Posted: Sep 26, 2005 7:33 am Post subject:

I don't get what you guys/gals are talking about... Specifally, what I don't understand is that you are saying to preheat the second infusion with the leaves? If you preheat for a second time with the leaves from the 1st aren't you making another brew with the pre-heat procedure? I don't get it - don't you have to remove the leaves from the teapot before preheating the pot for subsequent infusions? If so, how do you get all the Gyokuro leaves out of the teapot before preheating and isn't it a messy and choreful task or do the leaves just come out? I know with Sencha the leaves are tight after infusion and when cleaning the mesh screen even over hot running water the mesh screen is still scattered with Sencha leaves (I don't use a mesh teapot with Gyokuro). You have to scrub the mesh screen with your fingers under running water to clean the mesh infuser. So, isn't it difficult to get all the leaves out of a built in mesh infuser preparing for subsequent Gyokuro infusions? Do you just get what you can out and that's it or what?

nagaeyari · Brown Belt Joined: 23 Sep 2005 Posts: 40

You only need to preheat the pot on the FIRST infusion. If you want another batch, you just pour the properly heated water into the pot again. There is no removal of leaves. After your first infusion of leaves, the only preheating necessary, if at all, would be the teacups, while you wait for your tea leaves to brew.

Ryan · Sensei Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 475

Even with Sencha.... For the *second* brew you *do not* preheat the teapot. You can heat the water a little more for subsequent infusions however. So if lets say you brewed your tea at 170 degrees farhenheit you could use 175 or 180 degrees for all infusions after the first one. But you do not preheat the teapot again. As Nagaeyari explained, preheating is only for the first infusion.

Chado · Posted: Sep 26, 2005 10:05 am Post subject:

Well, I've learned something important today. I always preheat my teapot for Sencha and Gyokuro before every infusion - don't really know if it makes a material difference but I will refrain from doing it after the first infusion. Thanks for the precious information and thanks to Admin for this wonderful green tea resource.