How to brew Fine, downy green
Biluochun, Mao Jian, Mao Feng, Anji Bai Cha.
Small, downy leaf scalds easily, so the water is cooler than for flat greens. For Biluochun, some brewers pour the water first and drop the leaf on top (the "top pour").
Starting recipe
| Setting | Western (mug or teapot) | Gongfu (small pot or gaiwan) |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 158–176°F (70–80°C) | 158–176°F (70–80°C) |
| Leaf | 1–2 g per 100 ml | 3–6 g per 100 ml |
| Steepdial starts at | 167°F (75°C) · 3 g · 200 ml | 167°F (75°C) · 4 g · 100 ml |
| First steep | 1:00–2:30 | 0:05–0:20 |
| A whole session | 1:30 · 1:00 · 2:00 | 0:08 · 0:06 · 0:10 · 0:15 · 0:20 · 0:30 |
The details
Rinse
Not needed. Start with the first steep.
Drinking window
Best fresh: at its best for about 3 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: 1.2 g per 100 ml of cold water, in the fridge for about 4 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 0:08. If your pot takes several seconds to empty, start pouring a little early, or turn on the pour cue in Steepdial.
More green
The whole guide →Gyokuro
Shaded Japanese green: Yame, Uji, Okabe
104–149°F (40–65°C) · 5–17 g per 100 ml→GreenKabusecha
Lightly shaded Japanese green
131–158°F (55–70°C) · 3–8 g per 100 ml→GreenSencha
Steamed Japanese green, including shincha
149–185°F (65–85°C) · 2.5–6 g per 100 ml→GreenFukamushi sencha
Deep-steamed sencha
149–176°F (65–80°C) · 2.5–6 g per 100 ml→GreenBancha
Later-harvest everyday Japanese green
185–212°F (85–100°C) · 1.5–3 g per 100 ml→GreenHojicha
Roasted Japanese green
194–212°F (90–100°C) · 1.5–3 g per 100 ml→