OK, I have just had it...I have never heard anyone ask this question
before but it comes up for me every time I try to do gung fu with my
yixing pot. The thing gets so hot (from pouring the hot water over it,
in it, steeping, etc.) as well as the cups getting hot...I have a very
difficult time doing this without some hurt fingers. Even the handle
of my yixing gets hot. So, for those of you who do this on a regular
basis, do I just live with it or is there some secret? This is for
oolong btw so the water needs to be hot, I know. Thank-you in advance.


Melinda, gung fu-ing the last of my Bai Hao.

On 9 Nov 2004 17:32:23 -0800, Melinda wrote:

> OK, I have just had it...I have never heard anyone ask this question
> before but it comes up for me every time I try to do gung fu with my
> yixing pot. The thing gets so hot (from pouring the hot water over it,
> in it, steeping, etc.) as well as the cups getting hot...I have a very
> difficult time doing this without some hurt fingers. Even the handle
> of my yixing gets hot. So, for those of you who do this on a regular
> basis, do I just live with it or is there some secret? This is for
> oolong btw so the water needs to be hot, I know. Thank-you in advance.

I'm not a regular gung fuer, but...

The times I've seen someone gung fu tea, he used a dry towel to handle
the pot. And when it got wet, he replaced it.

--
Derek

At the funeral of President Reagan, Christians, Jews, Muslims and
Athiests were in attendance. Surprisingly, the roof of the National
Cathedral didn't collapse.

On 9 Nov 2004 17:32:23 -0800, Melinda wrote:

> OK, I have just had it...I have never heard anyone ask this question
> before but it comes up for me every time I try to do gung fu with my
> yixing pot. The thing gets so hot (from pouring the hot water over it,
> in it, steeping, etc.) as well as the cups getting hot...I have a very
> difficult time doing this without some hurt fingers. Even the handle
> of my yixing gets hot. So, for those of you who do this on a regular
> basis, do I just live with it or is there some secret? This is for
> oolong btw so the water needs to be hot, I know. Thank-you in advance.

I'm not a regular gung fuer, but...

The times I've seen someone gung fu tea, he used a dry towel to handle
the pot. And when it got wet, he replaced it.

--
Derek

At the funeral of President Reagan, Christians, Jews, Muslims and
Athiests were in attendance. Surprisingly, the roof of the National
Cathedral didn't collapse.

"Melinda" > wrote in message
om...
> OK, I have just had it...I have never heard anyone ask this question
> before but it comes up for me every time I try to do gung fu with my
> yixing pot. The thing gets so hot (from pouring the hot water over it,
> in it, steeping, etc.) as well as the cups getting hot...I have a very
> difficult time doing this without some hurt fingers. Even the handle
> of my yixing gets hot. So, for those of you who do this on a regular
> basis, do I just live with it or is there some secret? This is for
> oolong btw so the water needs to be hot, I know. Thank-you in advance.
>
>
> Melinda, gung fu-ing the last of my Bai Hao.

Never had that problem. When you pouring hot water over yixing pot, why
pouring it over the handle?
Cups are never hot - are you using small ones? They have plenty of time to
cool down between steeps, especially if you pour out all the tea from yixing
pot to chahai first and then pour to the cups from chahai.
BTW, water for oolongs should not be THAT hot, especially for greener
oolongs.

Sasha.

Hi Melinda,

This has been asked before, though on a separate group...

I always wonder how can the handle of the pot be hot - did you pour hot
water over the handle as well? If you do, avoid that. You should be able
to lift the pot by the handle with steam coming off the body of the pot but
not the handle.

Another way not to get burnt is to tie a thread around the lid and the
handle - like you see in many Chinese teapots. Then while pouring, you
press your 2nd finger on the thread to avoid direct contact on the lid.

Another way is not to lay your finger on the lid, but on the side of the
knob on the lid, that way the heat is not so burning hot, but take care not
to cover the ventilation hole.

Another way is to get a tea tong (bamboo, you see it quite often in Chinese
tea ceremony) to handle the lid - grip it by the knob - when you pour hot
water and replace the lid, etc. If you don't have the tong, a small sugar
cube tong will do, or a pair of chopsticks if you are comfortable using it
with ease.

Samar

"Melinda" > wrote in message
om...
> OK, I have just had it...I have never heard anyone ask this question
> before but it comes up for me every time I try to do gung fu with my
> yixing pot. The thing gets so hot (from pouring the hot water over it,
> in it, steeping, etc.) as well as the cups getting hot...I have a very
> difficult time doing this without some hurt fingers. Even the handle
> of my yixing gets hot. So, for those of you who do this on a regular
> basis, do I just live with it or is there some secret? This is for
> oolong btw so the water needs to be hot, I know. Thank-you in advance.
>
>
> Melinda, gung fu-ing the last of my Bai Hao.

It's unusual to have the teapot handle be hot, and I second the above
suggestion to avoid pouring hot water over the handle. As for cups
and such, it's a good idea to rinse the cups in-between steeps. Good
gongfu brewers are maniacal where cleanliness is concerned. Also,
heating the cups between steeps keeps the tea hot longer and, for the
aroma cup, evaporates the tea faster making the fragrance more
pronounced.

The simplest answer to your question is that as time passes you'll
become inured to the heat. I've never seen an experienced gongfu
brewer resort to towels or threads.

Cheers,

Cameron

(Melinda) wrote in message . com>...
> OK, I have just had it...I have never heard anyone ask this question
> before but it comes up for me every time I try to do gung fu with my
> yixing pot. The thing gets so hot (from pouring the hot water over it,
> in it, steeping, etc.) as well as the cups getting hot...I have a very
> difficult time doing this without some hurt fingers. Even the handle
> of my yixing gets hot. So, for those of you who do this on a regular
> basis, do I just live with it or is there some secret? This is for
> oolong btw so the water needs to be hot, I know. Thank-you in advance.
>
>
> Melinda, gung fu-ing the last of my Bai Hao.

11/9/04


> OK, I have just had it...I have never heard anyone ask this question
> before but it comes up for me every time I try to do gung fu with my
> yixing pot. The thing gets so hot (from pouring the hot water over it,
> in it, steeping, etc.) as well as the cups getting hot...I have a very
> difficult time doing this without some hurt fingers. Even the handle
> of my yixing gets hot. So, for those of you who do this on a regular
> basis, do I just live with it or is there some secret? This is for
> oolong btw so the water needs to be hot, I know. Thank-you in advance.
>
>
> Melinda, gung fu-ing the last of my Bai Hao.


Melinda,

Yes, it is a secret, and if I told it to you, it wouldn't be a secret any
more would it? I'll tell you what I can, though: First, in my experience
some pots pose this problem more hurtfully than others. Second, you can
leave out any step that bothers you. Try not pouring so much water over the
pot after the water is poured over the leaves, for example. You can use a
bamboo tweezer thing instead of your hands to manipulate the cups.
Seriously, I think people do get used to a certain amount of heat. I'm just
advocating flexibility. Hope you solve it. BTW, when it comes to those
overheatable pots of which you speak, I've found it helpful to hold the
handle carefully without touching the body of pot. I have a couple like
that. I'm sure there is much more to say.

Michael

Alex digy.com11/9/04


>
> "Melinda" > wrote in message
> om...
>> OK, I have just had it...I have never heard anyone ask this question
>> before but it comes up for me every time I try to do gung fu with my
>> yixing pot. The thing gets so hot (from pouring the hot water over it,
>> in it, steeping, etc.) as well as the cups getting hot...I have a very
>> difficult time doing this without some hurt fingers. Even the handle
>> of my yixing gets hot. So, for those of you who do this on a regular
>> basis, do I just live with it or is there some secret? This is for
>> oolong btw so the water needs to be hot, I know. Thank-you in advance.
>>
>>
>> Melinda, gung fu-ing the last of my Bai Hao.
>
> Never had that problem. When you pouring hot water over yixing pot, why
> pouring it over the handle?
> Cups are never hot - are you using small ones? They have plenty of time to
> cool down between steeps, especially if you pour out all the tea from yixing
> pot to chahai first and then pour to the cups from chahai.
> BTW, water for oolongs should not be THAT hot, especially for greener
> oolongs.

Sasha,

Respectfully differ with you here. Cups, properly prepared for Gung-fu, are
quite hot. They filled with hot water which is then disgarded, then filled
with hot tea which is likewise disgarded. I speak of course of the correct
way to prepare Gung-fu tea as taught to me by my master.

Michael

Alex digy.com11/9/04


>
> "Melinda" > wrote in message
> om...
>> OK, I have just had it...I have never heard anyone ask this question
>> before but it comes up for me every time I try to do gung fu with my
>> yixing pot. The thing gets so hot (from pouring the hot water over it,
>> in it, steeping, etc.) as well as the cups getting hot...I have a very
>> difficult time doing this without some hurt fingers. Even the handle
>> of my yixing gets hot. So, for those of you who do this on a regular
>> basis, do I just live with it or is there some secret? This is for
>> oolong btw so the water needs to be hot, I know. Thank-you in advance.
>>
>>
>> Melinda, gung fu-ing the last of my Bai Hao.
>
> Never had that problem. When you pouring hot water over yixing pot, why
> pouring it over the handle?
> Cups are never hot - are you using small ones? They have plenty of time to
> cool down between steeps, especially if you pour out all the tea from yixing
> pot to chahai first and then pour to the cups from chahai.
> BTW, water for oolongs should not be THAT hot, especially for greener
> oolongs.

Sasha,

Respectfully differ with you here. Cups, properly prepared for Gung-fu, are
quite hot. They filled with hot water which is then disgarded, then filled
with hot tea which is likewise disgarded. I speak of course of the correct
way to prepare Gung-fu tea as taught to me by my master.

Michael

> Respectfully differ with you here. Cups, properly prepared for Gung-fu,
> are
> quite hot. They filled with hot water which is then disgarded, then filled
> with hot tea which is likewise disgarded. I speak of course of the correct
> way to prepare Gung-fu tea as taught to me by my master.
>
> Michael


I think we are talking about different things here. I was describing the tea
tasting ceremony, and you - tea discarding. I must admit, for now, this is
too deep for me. May be in the future...

Sasha.

Alex gy.com11/10/04


>> Respectfully differ with you here. Cups, properly prepared for Gung-fu,
>> are
>> quite hot. They filled with hot water which is then disgarded, then filled
>> with hot tea which is likewise disgarded. I speak of course of the correct
>> way to prepare Gung-fu tea as taught to me by my master.
>>
>> Michael
>
>
> I think we are talking about different things here. I was describing the tea
> tasting ceremony, and you - tea discarding. I must admit, for now, this is
> too deep for me. May be in the future...
>
> Sasha.

Sasha,

The preparation of the tea things (chai-inka) is an intrinsic part of
Chinese Gung-fu tea, both before drinking and between steeps. (You were
speaking earlier of respecting traditions and knowing them before deviating
from them. It is from that perspective I speak here.)

Michael

> The preparation of the tea things (chai-inka) is an intrinsic part of
> Chinese Gung-fu tea, both before drinking and between steeps. (You were
> speaking earlier of respecting traditions and knowing them before
> deviating
> from them. It is from that perspective I speak here
>
> Michael


Frustration justifies deviation.
Poor girl has her fingers burned, you, purist!

BTW 'chainka" is a tiny black tea particle escaped into the glass when
zavarka was poured into it. That is why purists use tea sieves. I, on the
other hand, enjoy some chainki in my tea. They add movement and 3d
dimension.

Sasha.

> The preparation of the tea things (chai-inka) is an intrinsic part of
> Chinese Gung-fu tea, both before drinking and between steeps. (You were
> speaking earlier of respecting traditions and knowing them before
> deviating
> from them. It is from that perspective I speak here
>
> Michael


Frustration justifies deviation.
Poor girl has her fingers burned, you, purist!

BTW 'chainka" is a tiny black tea particle escaped into the glass when
zavarka was poured into it. That is why purists use tea sieves. I, on the
other hand, enjoy some chainki in my tea. They add movement and 3d
dimension.

Sasha.

Alex igy.com11/10/04


>> The preparation of the tea things (chai-inka) is an intrinsic part of
>> Chinese Gung-fu tea, both before drinking and between steeps. (You were
>> speaking earlier of respecting traditions and knowing them before
>> deviating
>> from them. It is from that perspective I speak here
>>
>> Michael
>
>
> Frustration justifies deviation.
> Poor girl has her fingers burned, you, purist!
>
> BTW 'chainka" is a tiny black tea particle escaped into the glass when
> zavarka was poured into it. That is why purists use tea sieves. I, on the
> other hand, enjoy some chainki in my tea. They add movement and 3d
> dimension.
>
> Sasha.
>
>

Sasha, what's the word for the collective things you'd have on the table
when serving tea, including the samavar, cups, spoons, etc?

Alex igy.com11/10/04


>> The preparation of the tea things (chai-inka) is an intrinsic part of
>> Chinese Gung-fu tea, both before drinking and between steeps. (You were
>> speaking earlier of respecting traditions and knowing them before
>> deviating
>> from them. It is from that perspective I speak here
>>
>> Michael
>
>
> Frustration justifies deviation.
> Poor girl has her fingers burned, you, purist!
>
> BTW 'chainka" is a tiny black tea particle escaped into the glass when
> zavarka was poured into it. That is why purists use tea sieves. I, on the
> other hand, enjoy some chainki in my tea. They add movement and 3d
> dimension.
>
> Sasha.
>
>


Burnt fingers are not a problem. Mentioning it to the disassembled body
leads to immediate excommunication. Don't believe me? Ask Dog Ma.

Michael

Alex igy.com11/10/04


>> The preparation of the tea things (chai-inka) is an intrinsic part of
>> Chinese Gung-fu tea, both before drinking and between steeps. (You were
>> speaking earlier of respecting traditions and knowing them before
>> deviating
>> from them. It is from that perspective I speak here
>>
>> Michael
>
>
> Frustration justifies deviation.
> Poor girl has her fingers burned, you, purist!
>
> BTW 'chainka" is a tiny black tea particle escaped into the glass when
> zavarka was poured into it. That is why purists use tea sieves. I, on the
> other hand, enjoy some chainki in my tea. They add movement and 3d
> dimension.
>
> Sasha.
>
>


Burnt fingers are not a problem. Mentioning it to the disassembled body
leads to immediate excommunication. Don't believe me? Ask Dog Ma.

Michael

>
> Sasha, what's the word for the collective things you'd have on the table
> when serving tea, including the samavar, cups, spoons, etc?

I do not think we have such a term. We would say that "tea table" is
served. Tea table would be "chainyj stol". But it would only be used to the
reference for the things served. One wouldn't say "I need to buy "chainyj
stol".

Russian is a very complex language. We never had people like Chaucer and
other "simplifiers" and Russian remain complex, crazy and untidy since
middle ages. Like us.

Sasha.

>
> Sasha, what's the word for the collective things you'd have on the table
> when serving tea, including the samavar, cups, spoons, etc?

I do not think we have such a term. We would say that "tea table" is
served. Tea table would be "chainyj stol". But it would only be used to the
reference for the things served. One wouldn't say "I need to buy "chainyj
stol".

Russian is a very complex language. We never had people like Chaucer and
other "simplifiers" and Russian remain complex, crazy and untidy since
middle ages. Like us.

Sasha.

On 9 Nov 2004 23:42:26 -0800, Cameron Lewis wrote:

> It's unusual to have the teapot handle be hot, and I second the above
> suggestion to avoid pouring hot water over the handle.

Most of the xixing teapots in my local tea merchant's inventory have
iron handles. One would not necessarily have to pour water directly
over the handle for it to become too hot to comfortably touch.

--
Derek

There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive
idiots.

On 9 Nov 2004 23:42:26 -0800, Cameron Lewis wrote:

> It's unusual to have the teapot handle be hot, and I second the above
> suggestion to avoid pouring hot water over the handle.

Most of the xixing teapots in my local tea merchant's inventory have
iron handles. One would not necessarily have to pour water directly
over the handle for it to become too hot to comfortably touch.

--
Derek

There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive
idiots.

/10/04

> On 9 Nov 2004 23:42:26 -0800, Cameron Lewis wrote:
>
>> It's unusual to have the teapot handle be hot, and I second the above
>> suggestion to avoid pouring hot water over the handle.
>
> Most of the xixing teapots in my local tea merchant's inventory have
> iron handles. One would not necessarily have to pour water directly
> over the handle for it to become too hot to comfortably touch.

--
Derek

There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive
idiots.


Derek,

I'm curious: Can you post a link to an iron handled gung-fu teapot? I've
never seen one. (Just feeling inquisitive.)

Michael

On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 14:01:41 GMT, Michael Plant wrote:

> /10/04
>
>> On 9 Nov 2004 23:42:26 -0800, Cameron Lewis wrote:
>>
>>> It's unusual to have the teapot handle be hot, and I second the above
>>> suggestion to avoid pouring hot water over the handle.
>>
>> Most of the xixing teapots in my local tea merchant's inventory have
>> iron handles. One would not necessarily have to pour water directly
>> over the handle for it to become too hot to comfortably touch.
>
> --
> Derek
>
> There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive
> idiots.
>
>
> Derek,
>
> I'm curious: Can you post a link to an iron handled gung-fu teapot? I've
> never seen one. (Just feeling inquisitive.)
>
> Michael

hehehe. Somebody actually reads my .sig!

You know what? Ignore me. I'm not even sure if I'm sure what I'm sure
about anymore.

In the first place, and in hindsight, it's not "most" of the teapots.
At best, it might be a few. And, I'm not sure at this point if they're
yixing or not. It's quit likely that they're Japanese.

That said, given the appearance of many of the yixing pots I've just
found online (I did try to find a picture), the handles are small and
close to the pot. One would not have to pour water directly on the
handle for it to heat up.

After all, I have teacups that, while being quite lovely works, are
uncomfortable to use because the handle gets too hot to hold.

--
Derek

"What happened?" -- Senator Joseph R. McCarthy upon getting publically
pantsed by Joseph N. Welch on national television.

On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 14:01:41 GMT, Michael Plant wrote:

> /10/04
>
>> On 9 Nov 2004 23:42:26 -0800, Cameron Lewis wrote:
>>
>>> It's unusual to have the teapot handle be hot, and I second the above
>>> suggestion to avoid pouring hot water over the handle.
>>
>> Most of the xixing teapots in my local tea merchant's inventory have
>> iron handles. One would not necessarily have to pour water directly
>> over the handle for it to become too hot to comfortably touch.
>
> --
> Derek
>
> There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive
> idiots.
>
>
> Derek,
>
> I'm curious: Can you post a link to an iron handled gung-fu teapot? I've
> never seen one. (Just feeling inquisitive.)
>
> Michael

hehehe. Somebody actually reads my .sig!

You know what? Ignore me. I'm not even sure if I'm sure what I'm sure
about anymore.

In the first place, and in hindsight, it's not "most" of the teapots.
At best, it might be a few. And, I'm not sure at this point if they're
yixing or not. It's quit likely that they're Japanese.

That said, given the appearance of many of the yixing pots I've just
found online (I did try to find a picture), the handles are small and
close to the pot. One would not have to pour water directly on the
handle for it to heat up.

After all, I have teacups that, while being quite lovely works, are
uncomfortable to use because the handle gets too hot to hold.

--
Derek

"What happened?" -- Senator Joseph R. McCarthy upon getting publically
pantsed by Joseph N. Welch on national television.

Interesting! Chai-inka, Chai-inki, and Chaiinyj stol...Sasha, can you tell
me how to pronounce them?

Samar

"Alex Chaihorsky" > wrote in message
om...
> >
>> Sasha, what's the word for the collective things you'd have on the table
>> when serving tea, including the samavar, cups, spoons, etc?
>
> I do not think we have such a term. We would say that "tea table" is
> served. Tea table would be "chainyj stol". But it would only be used to
> the reference for the things served. One wouldn't say "I need to buy
> "chainyj stol".
>
> Russian is a very complex language. We never had people like Chaucer and
> other "simplifiers" and Russian remain complex, crazy and untidy since
> middle ages. Like us.
>
> Sasha.
>
>

Interesting! Chai-inka, Chai-inki, and Chaiinyj stol...Sasha, can you tell
me how to pronounce them?

Samar

"Alex Chaihorsky" > wrote in message
om...
> >
>> Sasha, what's the word for the collective things you'd have on the table
>> when serving tea, including the samavar, cups, spoons, etc?
>
> I do not think we have such a term. We would say that "tea table" is
> served. Tea table would be "chainyj stol". But it would only be used to
> the reference for the things served. One wouldn't say "I need to buy
> "chainyj stol".
>
> Russian is a very complex language. We never had people like Chaucer and
> other "simplifiers" and Russian remain complex, crazy and untidy since
> middle ages. Like us.
>
> Sasha.
>
>

"Michael Plant" > wrote in message
...
> /10/04
>
>> On 9 Nov 2004 23:42:26 -0800, Cameron Lewis wrote:
>>
>>> It's unusual to have the teapot handle be hot, and I second the above
>>> suggestion to avoid pouring hot water over the handle.
>>
>> Most of the xixing teapots in my local tea merchant's inventory have
>> iron handles. One would not necessarily have to pour water directly
>> over the handle for it to become too hot to comfortably touch.
>
> --
> Derek
>
> There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive
> idiots.
>
>
> Derek,
>
> I'm curious: Can you post a link to an iron handled gung-fu teapot? I've
> never seen one. (Just feeling inquisitive.)
>
> Michael

Yah, me too! I've seen wrought iron Japanese types, and yixing with wooden
handles, but iron? That seems to create an imbalance, doesn't it?

Samar

"Michael Plant" > wrote in message
...
> /10/04
>
>> On 9 Nov 2004 23:42:26 -0800, Cameron Lewis wrote:
>>
>>> It's unusual to have the teapot handle be hot, and I second the above
>>> suggestion to avoid pouring hot water over the handle.
>>
>> Most of the xixing teapots in my local tea merchant's inventory have
>> iron handles. One would not necessarily have to pour water directly
>> over the handle for it to become too hot to comfortably touch.
>
> --
> Derek
>
> There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive
> idiots.
>
>
> Derek,
>
> I'm curious: Can you post a link to an iron handled gung-fu teapot? I've
> never seen one. (Just feeling inquisitive.)
>
> Michael

Yah, me too! I've seen wrought iron Japanese types, and yixing with wooden
handles, but iron? That seems to create an imbalance, doesn't it?

Samar

My steps to gung fu have been (and I make no claim to purity here, I
am still putting things together from various instruction webpages
I've read and messages from various tea lists):

1-heat the water, set out the equipment (yixing pot, fair cup,
drinking and/or smelling cup)

2-pour boiling water into and over the pot and the cups (and yes I had
been pouring it over the handle, I was more careful last night and the
handle was better. Cups were still hot, no way to get around that)

3-let sit for a few seconds to heat up the teawares, then pour out
boiling water from everything (here's the first and worst place
usually that I get my fingers burned)

4-put leaves in teapot, put lid on, let sit for around 10-15 seconds.
Open lid, smell, enjoy. repeat as liked a few times (can reheat pot by
pouring a little water over the outside)

5-pour a little water into leaves or the whole amount of water onto
leaves. I have not been rinsing my leaves this batch as it seems like
it might waste flavor and all I have is the one sample right now. I do
rinse puer if I am brewing that though. Put on lid. Steep tea, pour a
little water over the outside. I have heard of people filling the
steeping water til it overflows the outside of the pot a little, I
would do that if this oolong weren't in such short supply for me.

6-Steep for however long your first steep in going to be. Pour out
(decant). This Yixing pot I'm using now (my first) has a tiny little
hole in it's spout, pours rather slowly. I'll remember that for the
next one I get.

7-Drink how you're going to, repeat steeps as desired, etc.

The worst part of burning fingers, as I said, is when I'm dealing with
the boiling water when rinsing the pot and the cups especially, when
pouring out the water into the "sink". Maybe my cups are a little too
big or something...the one holds about 5 OZ. Can't really use
chopsticks with it because of the weight. (As a secondary comment, I'm
going to be more careful about the second yixing I buy...the handle on
this one is really rather delicate when I've got the pot filled with
water. I'm not afraid it will break, it just feels too small for the
weight of the pot).

The towel suggestion might be the best at this point. My husband
recommended rubber kitchen gloves. Both kind of take away from the
artistry of it so I'll have to maybe adjust my times or something, not
sure yet. Any more comments? Thanks for the advice so far
though...I've never seen anyone actually do this so I'm learning by
reading and by doing as it were. Thanks again

Melinda

My steps to gung fu have been (and I make no claim to purity here, I
am still putting things together from various instruction webpages
I've read and messages from various tea lists):

1-heat the water, set out the equipment (yixing pot, fair cup,
drinking and/or smelling cup)

2-pour boiling water into and over the pot and the cups (and yes I had
been pouring it over the handle, I was more careful last night and the
handle was better. Cups were still hot, no way to get around that)

3-let sit for a few seconds to heat up the teawares, then pour out
boiling water from everything (here's the first and worst place
usually that I get my fingers burned)

4-put leaves in teapot, put lid on, let sit for around 10-15 seconds.
Open lid, smell, enjoy. repeat as liked a few times (can reheat pot by
pouring a little water over the outside)

5-pour a little water into leaves or the whole amount of water onto
leaves. I have not been rinsing my leaves this batch as it seems like
it might waste flavor and all I have is the one sample right now. I do
rinse puer if I am brewing that though. Put on lid. Steep tea, pour a
little water over the outside. I have heard of people filling the
steeping water til it overflows the outside of the pot a little, I
would do that if this oolong weren't in such short supply for me.

6-Steep for however long your first steep in going to be. Pour out
(decant). This Yixing pot I'm using now (my first) has a tiny little
hole in it's spout, pours rather slowly. I'll remember that for the
next one I get.

7-Drink how you're going to, repeat steeps as desired, etc.

The worst part of burning fingers, as I said, is when I'm dealing with
the boiling water when rinsing the pot and the cups especially, when
pouring out the water into the "sink". Maybe my cups are a little too
big or something...the one holds about 5 OZ. Can't really use
chopsticks with it because of the weight. (As a secondary comment, I'm
going to be more careful about the second yixing I buy...the handle on
this one is really rather delicate when I've got the pot filled with
water. I'm not afraid it will break, it just feels too small for the
weight of the pot).

The towel suggestion might be the best at this point. My husband
recommended rubber kitchen gloves. Both kind of take away from the
artistry of it so I'll have to maybe adjust my times or something, not
sure yet. Any more comments? Thanks for the advice so far
though...I've never seen anyone actually do this so I'm learning by
reading and by doing as it were. Thanks again

Melinda

On 10 Nov 2004 08:20:08 -0800, Melinda wrote:

> The towel suggestion might be the best at this point. My husband
> recommended rubber kitchen gloves. Both kind of take away from the
> artistry of it so I'll have to maybe adjust my times or something, not
> sure yet. Any more comments? Thanks for the advice so far
> though...I've never seen anyone actually do this so I'm learning by
> reading and by doing as it were. Thanks again

Well, while rubber kitchen gloves, or even asbestos gloves, would
definitely take away from the artistry...

.... an ornately decorated towel might add something.

--
Derek

When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each
other.

>Maybe my cups are a little too
>big or something...the one holds about 5 OZ. Can't really use
>chopsticks with it because of the weight

Melinda, there's a disconnect here. Is the 5 oz. a typo? Yixing cups are
usually 1 to 2 oz. I'd think a 5 oz. cup wouldn't get that terribly hot
because of the large surface area.

I could understand the little 1-oz. cups getting pretty hot, and for cups that
small, the yixing tongs are perfect for dealing with the rinsing process.

If your cups are 5 oz., how big must your pot be?

BTW when I'm doing casual just-for-me gungfu, I often use a 7 oz. pot and a
single 6 oz. cup, and do several steeps. If I were having guests, I'd use the
proper practice and small cups.

Joe Kubera

"samarkand" > wrote in message
...
> Interesting! Chai-inka, Chai-inki, and Chaiinyj stol...Sasha, can you
> tell me how to pronounce them?

Cha-in-ka (ch is like ch in Italian chao), emphasis on the second syllable
("in") - Cha'inka.
Cha -in -ki (multiple cha -in-ka)
Chai - nyj stol ("y" here is for russian letter and sound that does not
exist in English, but does exist in Chinese - "e" like Chinese for goose.
You can imitate it by pronouncing long letter "o" and in process move your
lower jaw forward. This time the emphasisi is on teh first syllable -
'Chai-nyj.
Stol is easy - like "Stoli" (Stolichnaja (the capital city) Vodka" without
"i" - comes from the same ancient root - stol = table - the city inside the
principality where the Kniaz (prince) was "sitting" at his "table" - his
headquarters.

Sasha.

5 oz cups? That is a gong fu for the giants!
I use 4 oz yixing teapot and 3/4 oz cups when I do it for on-two people. 6
oz yixing chahu and same cups for 4-6 people.
Second - that "pourng the water out into the sink" does not sound right at
all. Everything is done on the table, there should not be any trips to the
kitchen sink. When I have 2 people I use bamboo tongs to take two cps at a
time (3/4 oz cups) and put them into hot water and take them out. When I
serve 4 - i use two pair of bamboo tongs and do it with 4 cups at the same
time. In and out - no sink, no hassle. But certainly one cannot do that with
5 oz mugs.

Sasha.

"Melinda" > wrote in message
om...
> My steps to gung fu have been (and I make no claim to purity here, I
> am still putting things together from various instruction webpages
> I've read and messages from various tea lists):
>
> 1-heat the water, set out the equipment (yixing pot, fair cup,
> drinking and/or smelling cup)
>
> 2-pour boiling water into and over the pot and the cups (and yes I had
> been pouring it over the handle, I was more careful last night and the
> handle was better. Cups were still hot, no way to get around that)
>
> 3-let sit for a few seconds to heat up the teawares, then pour out
> boiling water from everything (here's the first and worst place
> usually that I get my fingers burned)
>
> 4-put leaves in teapot, put lid on, let sit for around 10-15 seconds.
> Open lid, smell, enjoy. repeat as liked a few times (can reheat pot by
> pouring a little water over the outside)
>
> 5-pour a little water into leaves or the whole amount of water onto
> leaves. I have not been rinsing my leaves this batch as it seems like
> it might waste flavor and all I have is the one sample right now. I do
> rinse puer if I am brewing that though. Put on lid. Steep tea, pour a
> little water over the outside. I have heard of people filling the
> steeping water til it overflows the outside of the pot a little, I
> would do that if this oolong weren't in such short supply for me.
>
> 6-Steep for however long your first steep in going to be. Pour out
> (decant). This Yixing pot I'm using now (my first) has a tiny little
> hole in it's spout, pours rather slowly. I'll remember that for the
> next one I get.
>
> 7-Drink how you're going to, repeat steeps as desired, etc.
>
> The worst part of burning fingers, as I said, is when I'm dealing with
> the boiling water when rinsing the pot and the cups especially, when
> pouring out the water into the "sink". Maybe my cups are a little too
> big or something...the one holds about 5 OZ. Can't really use
> chopsticks with it because of the weight. (As a secondary comment, I'm
> going to be more careful about the second yixing I buy...the handle on
> this one is really rather delicate when I've got the pot filled with
> water. I'm not afraid it will break, it just feels too small for the
> weight of the pot).
>
> The towel suggestion might be the best at this point. My husband
> recommended rubber kitchen gloves. Both kind of take away from the
> artistry of it so I'll have to maybe adjust my times or something, not
> sure yet. Any more comments? Thanks for the advice so far
> though...I've never seen anyone actually do this so I'm learning by
> reading and by doing as it were. Thanks again
>
> Melinda

On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 22:50:34 GMT, Alex Chaihorsky wrote:

> Second - that "pourng the water out into the sink" does not sound right at
> all. Everything is done on the table, there should not be any trips to the
> kitchen sink.

Given the fact that Melinda put the word sink in quotes, I believe she
was referring to the bowl into which the water is dumped, not to the
plumbing fixture.

Not all sinks have drains.

--
Derek

"I've already lived 20 years longer than my life expectancy when I was
born. That is a source of annoyance to some people." -- Ronald Reagan

Hi Joe,

No, no typo...hmm, I didn't realize my pot was so much larger than
what others seem to use. The website I bought it from says it holds
"over 10 ounces" but I haven't actually measured it. So I'm guessing
it's around 10-11 ounces. I use it when I'm pouring for myself or
myself and my husband. I suppose we're really guzzling down the tea
then.. Actually, I can't remember seeing pots that are much smaller
than 10 ounces on this particular site, and many that are much larger
(which I know is not the direction I want to go if I want to do gong
fu in the way I've learned). I will have to look though to be sure.
When looking at pots sizes like 10 ounces don't jump out at me but
sizes like 24 ounces (actually anything bigger than about 12) does
make me notice.


Also, a comment on the posts that are not yet on Google groups but
which I can read from my newsreader...you are quite right Derek, I was
using "sink" in a more gong fu sense. I do not run back and forth to
the kitchen sink, lol. Presently I am using a regular baking pan (I am
guessing it's around 11 by 17 or some such, with a depth of around 3
inches) for my yiking sink because it's what I have to hand and it's
free which is a consideration at the moment.


Melinda


(Joseph Kubera) wrote in message >...
> >Maybe my cups are a little too
> >big or something...the one holds about 5 OZ. Can't really use
> >chopsticks with it because of the weight
>
> Melinda, there's a disconnect here. Is the 5 oz. a typo? Yixing cups are
> usually 1 to 2 oz. I'd think a 5 oz. cup wouldn't get that terribly hot
> because of the large surface area.
>
> I could understand the little 1-oz. cups getting pretty hot, and for cups that
> small, the yixing tongs are perfect for dealing with the rinsing process.
>
> If your cups are 5 oz., how big must your pot be?
>
> BTW when I'm doing casual just-for-me gungfu, I often use a 7 oz. pot and a
> single 6 oz. cup, and do several steeps. If I were having guests, I'd use the
> proper practice and small cups.
>
> Joe Kubera

samarkand wrote:
> I always wonder how can the handle of the pot be hot

Some of my slip-cast Yixing-type pots have hollow handles that communicate
with the body volume. Thin clay conducts heat very quickly. So when filled
with hot water, the handles can be too hot to tough comfortably.

-DM

"Melinda" > wrote in message

> OK, I have just had it...I have never heard anyone ask this question
> before but it comes up for me every time I try to do gung fu with my
> yixing pot. The thing gets so hot

Maybe, it's not a yixing pot, and not even a traditional unglazed clay pot
(like those from Taiwan).
I have a number of pots, and the difference between the yixing and others is
the yixing don't get so hot. I have a glass and a glazed ceramic mini-pots,
they definitely stay much hotter when you try to gong-fu them. But not to
the point of getting hurt if I'm careful.

>(from pouring the hot water over it,
> in it, steeping, etc.) as well as the cups getting hot...I have a very
> difficult time doing this without some hurt fingers.

You are not supposed to touch the pot's body (for any pot), just the handle
and in certain cases the lid-button that is an added piece especially
designed to stay "less hot". The cups have also a thinner part at the
extremity, that part also stays cooler so you can catch them from there and
also avoid burning your lips.
Also, be careful. You shouldn't touch the pot imediatly after pouring water
on top of it but waiting till the handle and lid are slightly cooled.
Of course, there are pots/cups better designed than others, and sensibility
to heat is a very
individual matter. Try to wear cotton gloves (driving gloves), they don't
prevent the movement of fingers, don't smell and you feel the heat less for
quick exposure. I use some to return the cookies inside the oven, etc.

>This is for
> oolong btw so the water needs to be hot, I know.

I ignore that. What does "hot" mean ? How hot ? I never use water hotter
than 90 degrees.

>gung fu-ing the last of my Bai Hao.

It's a Taiwan tea. There, I've seen them doing like me : bringing the kettle
from another room. That makes the water at 90 deg. C. for rinsing, a little
less for brewing.
IMHO, the reason of gong-fu-ing is not reaching hot temp. , but maintening a
"hot enough" temp. constant for a while.

Kuri

"Derek" > wrote in message

> In the first place, and in hindsight, it's not "most" of the teapots.
> At best, it might be a few. And, I'm not sure at this point if they're
> yixing or not. It's quit likely that they're Japanese.

It's unlikely. There are no Japanese yixing pots. But the big yixing pots
with iron handles and frame exist, in China and Chinese import stores. They
are not designed for gong-fu. The pots designed for gong-fu are a very very
small minority of the pots on sale in Asia. The others are not "a few". It's
logical there are more large size pots, as the Chinese rarely use pots (they
brew daily tea in glasses or worse) and when they get the pot out of the
cupboard, it's for an occasion, and they need to serve many guests.

Kuri

On Thu, 11 Nov 2004 14:02:04 +0900, cc wrote:

> "Derek" > wrote in message
>
>> In the first place, and in hindsight, it's not "most" of the teapots.
>> At best, it might be a few. And, I'm not sure at this point if they're
>> yixing or not. It's quit likely that they're Japanese.
>
> It's unlikely. There are no Japanese yixing pots. But the big yixing pots
> with iron handles and frame exist, in China and Chinese import stores. They
> are not designed for gong-fu. The pots designed for gong-fu are a very very
> small minority of the pots on sale in Asia. The others are not "a few". It's
> logical there are more large size pots, as the Chinese rarely use pots (they
> brew daily tea in glasses or worse) and when they get the pot out of the
> cupboard, it's for an occasion, and they need to serve many guests.
>
> Kuri

I didn't mean to suggest that they were Japanese yixing pots. I meant
that the pots I remember seeing were likely Japanese, and not yixing
after all.

--
Derek

"Ever wonder why people are so determined to reach for white picket
fences, supposed normalcy, a nuclear family? Well, try growing up
without one." -- Chuck Eddy

"Derek" > wrote in message

> I didn't mean to suggest that they were Japanese yixing pots. I meant
> that the pots I remember seeing were likely Japanese, and not yixing
> after all.

Sorry, I had read quickly.

Kuri