How to Brew Keemun Black Tea: Gaiwan and Mug Guide

For a first gaiwan session, try 3 g of Keemun in about 100–120 ml of water at 90°C (194°F), then decant after roughly 10 seconds. This is a starting point for short infusions, not a universal recipe. Smaller Gongfu leaf pieces can release flavor quickly; larger leaves and a larger mug may need more time.

The useful habit is simple: measure the leaves, know the vessel’s working capacity and separate the finished tea from the leaves. The three methods below follow the brewing sequence in the source photographs.

A starting recipe you can adjust

These are practical trial recipes. A mug with twice the water and half the leaf concentration will not behave like a gaiwan. Use the maker’s directions when supplied, then adjust for your cup and your taste.

Method 1: gaiwan brewing

Warm the vessel and measure the tea

Rinse the gaiwan, pitcher and cups with hot water, then discard that water. Warm porcelain helps you begin at a more predictable temperature. Handle the hot lid and rim carefully.

Add about 3 g of tea. A small scale is more reliable than a teaspoon because a curled Xiangluo and a fine Gongfu tea occupy different volumes.

Add water, then decant completely

Pour in water around 90°C. Begin timing as the leaves meet the water. For the first trial, pour out after about 10 seconds; remember that the time it takes to empty the gaiwan adds to the total contact time.

Drain into a sharing pitcher, then serve. Keeping leaves out of the finished tea prevents the last cup from becoming much stronger than the first. On later infusions, add time gradually, perhaps 5–10 seconds at a time, guided by taste rather than a fixed number of pours.

Method 2: a gravity brewer

A gravity brewer holds tea in an inner chamber and releases it when you press a control. Check the chamber’s capacity before copying a recipe intended for the whole outer cup.

Add loose tea to the inner chamber, then pour in the hot water. With 3–5 g in a small chamber, start with a short steep. Press the release control as soon as the tea reaches the strength you want.

Wait for the infusion to drain, then pour it into a drinking cup. If the release is slow or clogged, the leaves keep steeping; clear and clean the brewer before the next session.

Method 3: a mug with a removable infuser

For an ordinary 250 ml mug, try 2–3 g rather than copying a concentrated gaiwan dose. Put the leaves in the basket, add 90–95°C water and taste after about 2 minutes. Extend the steep if needed, then lift the basket out.

The original photo sequence uses a larger dose for short, repeated infusions. Either approach can work; the ratio and steeping time need to agree. Rest the basket on a clean lid or saucer, away from the drinking tea.

If the tea is bitter, thin or slow to open

• Bitter or drying: shorten the steep first, then try less tea or slightly cooler water.
• Thin: add a little time or a little more tea, changing one variable at a time.
• Curled leaves opening slowly: allow a longer next steep; do not assume a weak first pour means poor tea.
• Flat aroma: check water quality, storage and the tea’s condition as well as the recipe.

Different Keemun styles deserve a little experimentation. Keep a short note of the dose, water and time when you find a cup you want to repeat.

More questions? Browse the Keemun black tea topic guide or compare the current Keemun tea collection.