Black / red

How to brew Darjeeling first flush

Spring Darjeeling, lightly oxidized.

Lightly oxidized, so it brews more like an oolong than a malty black: cooler water than an Assam.

Starting recipe

Setting	Western (mug or teapot)	Gongfu (small pot or gaiwan)
Temperature	176–194°F (80–90°C)	176–194°F (80–90°C)
Leaf	0.8–1.6 g per 100 ml	3–5 g per 100 ml
Steepdial starts at	185°F (85°C) · 2.5 g · 250 ml	185°F (85°C) · 4 g · 100 ml
First steep	2:00–4:00	0:08–0:25
A whole session	3:00 · 4:00	0:15 · 0:15 · 0:20 · 0:30 · 0:45

The details

Rinse

Not needed. Start with the first steep.

Drinking window

Best fresh: at its best for about 6 months once opened.

Caffeine

Contains caffeine. How much depends on the leaf, the water temperature and the steep time; the style alone is a poor guide.

Iced and cold brew

Cold brew: 1 g per 100 ml of cold water, in the fridge for about 8 hours. Keep it cold and drink it within a day or two. For iced tea now, brew a concentrated hot cup (the same leaf in half the water) and pour it over an equal weight of ice; Steepdial accounts for the ice in the total water.

How Steepdial adjusts

After a session you tap what you'd change: more flavor, less bitter, less drying. Steepdial changes one thing at a time, staying near the ranges above, and remembers what worked for that tea.

Short steeps and pour time

The first gongfu steep is 0:15. If your pot takes several seconds to empty, start pouring a little early, or turn on the pour cue in Steepdial.

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