Tea Master
TEAWARE
i know, i know. some people revel in the geeky tea corner and some are like “wha? — that’s cute but sometimes you just have to brew a pot of tea.” the masters knew this, so when you need a cup of something other than a gongfu, kyusu, shibo or such, have a Tea Master on hand. that’s what they
called this simple glass mug with infuser at the renowned Teance when it was on 4th Street in Berkeley, CA. brewing is western style: fewer leaves for longer time. i use this when i need a big enough cup that i can savor for a while, and even break the rules on some teas and leave it brewing while i drink the first round. but not so big that it cools completely. 400ml is perfect for tea for two or i brew 300 (a bit over a standard imperial cup) to pour-sip-pour. there are lots of variations. here’s my favorite. for awhile Rishi Tea Company bought the rights to sell it and you couldn’t get them. the key things are: borosilicate glass to retain heat for high temperature teas. stainless steel infuser that fits snug. try a 1g-100ml ratio at 5 minutes to start and noodle to taste from there. decant completely unless you’re a rule-breaker like me.