The key difference between Gong Fu brewing and Western style brewing is the amount of leaf you use per 100ml of water.
In Gong Fu brewing we use about 6 times the amount of leaf compared with Western brewing, this is one of the reasons why the teaware is smaller. If we were to brew Gong Fu style in a 700ml teapot then we would be flying through our tea stash!
It is very important to note though that while we are using a higher leaf-to-water ratio in Gong Fu brewing, we can get many more infusions out of those leaves and we will make a LOT of tea.
In fact, brewing high quality tea with a lower leaf-to-water ratio is a false economy.
Why?
Because the higher the amount of leaves you use the RICHER the tea. If you are spending your money on high quality tea then the last thing you should do is make gallons of weak brews. Nothing disturbs us more at Mei Leaf than clients buying a fabulously nuanced tea and wanting to treasure it by adding a small pinch to a large pot of water. It's like watering down a bottle of good wine to get a few more glasses.
So how much is the right amount?
This handy chart is a great jumping off point so get yourself a decent digital scale (measuring 0.1g) and start experimenting. Once you have a few sessions you can begin to do it by eye.
OK next brewing parameter to discuss is Teaware.
