The Gaiwan Starter Notes盖碗入门笔记
Your first cup in a gaiwan, without the ceremony你的第一杯，不必讲仪式
You have a lidded bowl, some leaves, and hot water. That is genuinely all a gaiwan asks for. What follows is the short version — the numbers that work, and what to do when the tea tastes wrong. Keep it near the kettle.一个带盖的碗、一些茶叶、热水。盖碗真正需要的就这些。下面是精简版——能用的参数，以及茶泡坏了该怎么办。把它放在烧水壶旁边。
Start here: the four decisions从这里开始：四个决定
Every brew comes down to four things. Change one at a time and you will learn faster than reading ten articles. If you are new to the vessel itself, our guide to what a gaiwan actually is covers the three pieces and the size to buy first.每一泡都归结为四件事。一次只改一个变量，你会比读十篇文章学得更快。若你还不太熟悉这件器物，我们的盖碗到底是什么指南讲清了三件部件与先买多大的尺寸。
| Tea茶类 | How much leaf投茶量 | Water水温 | First steep首泡时间 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green绿茶 | 3 g · a thin layer3 克 · 薄薄一层 | 80°C / 175°F | 20–30 sec20–30 秒 |
| White白茶 | 4 g · loosely covered4 克 · 松铺一层 | 85°C / 185°F | 30–40 sec30–40 秒 |
| Oolong乌龙 | 5 g · a third full5 克 · 占三分之一 | 95°C / 203°F | 20–30 sec20–30 秒 |
| Black红茶 | 4 g · a third full4 克 · 占三分之一 | 95°C / 203°F | 30–45 sec30–45 秒 |
| Pu-erh普洱 | 6 g · half full6 克 · 占一半 | 100°C / 212°F | 15–20 sec15–20 秒 |
No scale? A level teaspoon of whole leaf is roughly 2–3 grams. Close enough to start.没有秤？一平茶匙的整叶大约是 2–3 克。入门够用了。
No thermometer either? Mix cold tap water into the kettle before you pour instead of waiting for it to cool. One part cold to three parts boiling lands around 78–81 °C with ordinary tap water (roughly 10–25 °C), which is the green tea row above. The ratio is smaller than it sounds because cold water is doing the work, not time. This one is for green tea only — white tea wants about one to five, and oolong, black and pu-erh are poured straight from the kettle. If bitterness is why you stopped drinking tea, the three changes that make it drinkable without sugar go through the rest of it.也没有温度计？不用等它凉，直接在壶里兑冷水。 一份冷水兑三份开水，用普通自来水（大约 10–25 °C）能落到 78–81 °C，也就是上表绿茶那一行。比例比听着小，是因为降温的是冷水本身，不是时间。这条只对绿茶有效——白茶大约一份兑五份；乌龙、红茶、普洱直接从壶里冲。如果当初让你不喝茶的就是那股苦，不加糖也能喝下去的三个改动讲的是剩下的部分。
The one habit that matters. After the first steep, add 10–15 seconds to each round. The leaves are giving up their flavour more slowly as they open. Most teas are good for four to six steeps this way.唯一重要的习惯。从第二泡起，每一泡加 10–15 秒。叶子越泡越开，出味越慢。多数茶这样能泡四到六道。
The pour, in four moves注水四步
- Warm the bowl. Hot water in, swirl, pour it out into your cups. Now the bowl is hot and your cups are warm.温碗。倒入热水，转一圈，再倒进你的杯子里。碗热了，杯也温了。
- Add the leaves. Tip them in and give the bowl a gentle shake — the heat wakes them up before the water arrives.投茶。倒进去，轻轻晃一晃碗——在水到来之前，热气先把茶叫醒。
- Pour, then pour off. Fill, wait for your count, then pour everything out. Leaving tea sitting on the leaves is what makes the next cup bitter.注水，然后倒干。注水、数到时间，然后全部倒出。茶汤留在叶子上，就是下一杯发苦的原因。
- Hold the lid like a shield. Tilt it just enough to keep the leaves back. Thumb on the knob, finger on the rim. If it is hot, hold the bowl by its saucer.像盾牌一样持盖。只留出一条缝挡住茶叶。拇指按住盖钮，手指扶住碗沿。如果烫，就连托碟一起端。
When it tastes wrong泡坏了怎么办
Two things people worry about大家最担心的两件事
"Do I need a temperature-controlled kettle?" Not to begin. Let boiled water sit for two minutes for green tea, one minute for oolong, and pour straight away for black and pu-erh. A thermometer is a convenience, not a requirement.「我需要控温壶吗？」入门不必。绿茶让开水静置两分钟，乌龙静置一分钟，红茶与普洱直接冲。温度计是图方便，不是必需。
"Can I break it?" Porcelain is tougher than it looks, but it does not like sudden temperature changes. Warm the bowl before the first pour, and do not set a hot gaiwan on a cold stone counter. And if you would rather not buy a gaiwan yet, our guide to brewing loose-leaf tea in a normal kitchen needs only a mug and a strainer.「会摔坏吗？」瓷器比看上去结实，但它不喜欢温差突变。第一泡前先温碗，也别把烫的盖碗直接放在冰冷的石台上。如果你暂时不想买盖碗，我们的在普通厨房泡散叶茶指南只需一只杯子和滤网。
That is the whole method. Everything after this is preference. When you are choosing a set for yourself or as a gift, our guide to choosing a tea set as a gift walks through the pieces and prices.方法就是这些。之后的一切都是偏好。当你为自己或送礼挑选套装时，我们的如何选购茶具当礼物指南列清了件数与价格。
Print this page and keep it by the kettle.把这一页打印出来，放在烧水壶旁边。