What is a Tea Gall?

In Chaozhou-style gongfu tea brewing, we create a "Tea Gall" by adding fine leaf fragments into the pot, nestled among intact leaves. Typically, the gongfu brewing vessel is filled halfway to three-quarters full — with the Tea Gall resting in the middle or at the bottom. Think of the whole leaves as a net, capturing the fragments and preventing them from making their way into your cup.

• Half Tea Gall - A half Tea Gall involves leaf fragments at the bottom and whole leaves on the top. 

• Full Tea Gall - A full Tea Gall involves layering whole leaves at the bottom, leaf fragments in the middle, and another layer of whole leaves on the top. 

Tea Gall (Cha Dan - 茶胆) is named after the gallbladder (Dan - 胆), an organ that stores bitter bile for later use in metabolizing food. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, bile is thought to contain a “central essence” due to its role in healthy digestion. The name probably references this function, adding a "central essence" to the brewed tea.

Why Did This Practice Develop? 

This appears to be a method developed out of frugality and efficiency. At the bottom of their tea containers in Qing Dynasty-era Chaozhou, tea drinkers surely encountered small fragments mixed in with whole leaves. They needed a way to use these final pieces without creating a bad-tasting, bitter tea. This method was likely developed as a way to utilize every last bit of tea and avoid waste — while also ensuring the infusions did justice to the quality of the local Dancong leaves. When you reach the bottom of the bag and find small, broken bits of leaves, don't throw them away! Use them as your Tea Gall for a potent and stimulating experience.

A Tea Gall can also naturally emerge in gongfu brewing. In Eastern China, tea lovers have a clever way of separating these pieces and create a layered effect in their brew — just like a deliberately formed Tea Gall. After heating up and adding tea leaves, they lightly tap the sides of the clay pot or gaiwan in a circular motion. The fragments settle into the bottom, while the larger leaves stay on top.

Even if not a full Tea Gall, this stacking of the leaves has a natural filter effect, especially in gaiwan brewing. The larger leaves prevent smaller fragments from pouring into the tea soup, resulting in fewer fragments floating in the gong dao bei or clogging the spout.

How Does Tea Gall Affect the Body of the Liquor?

The largest and most intact leaves gradually release their aromas and flavors inside the vessel. Conversely, smaller and more broken leaf fragments rapidly release bitter and astringent notes into the tea soup. This is because they have greater surface area exposure to water. By using this method, the brewer manages to reap the benefits of both.

Too little bitterness and astringency create a body that is lacking in strength; too much turns it undrinkable. As a brewer, you wield direct control over time and temperature. Use both variables to extract the most balanced and robust flavor from your Tea Gall.

Time

Filling the Vessel

If you pour water too quickly into your leaves, it can "break" the Tea Gall. The rush of water and small bubbles will float the particles to the surface, precisely where you don't want them.

To prevent this, pour the water slowly so that it rises evenly around all the leaves. Direct the water stream from the kettle towards the edge of your pot or gaiwan mouth to minimize turbulence. As it runs smoothly down the vessel's side, you preserve the structure of the leaves.

However, some experiment with pouring speed, using turbulence to encourage the tea leaves to release extra fragrance.

Decanting

When pouring out the tea liquor, make sure the liquid is flowing out evenly. The initial rinse will be a good visual hint to the strength of the body. Noting whether the resulting liquid is light or dark, you can gauge how best to proceed with subsequent infusions.

If you are new to using a Tea Gall in your brewing, taste the rinse. The rinse will reveal much information about how to prepare the next infusion. Pay attention not only to taste but also to how your mouth feels. With proper brewing, bitterness and astringency can transform into sweetness and mouth-watering experiences, respectively.

Temperature

When making Chaozhou-style Gongfu tea, traditionally, people use boiling water. However, not all teas or brewing sessions may benefit from such high heat. Generally, long and slender leaves don’t need boiled water for initial steeps. Balled and tightly rolled leaves, however, will need high temperatures to unfurl and release locked-in aromas and flavors.

If you want to cool down the water for brewing, pour it slowly or from a higher position. For hotter brews, hold the kettle spout close to the rim of your vessel and pour quickly. Despite using boiling water, a well-formed Tea Gall should not produce excessive bitterness or astringency.

How Can I Try It For Myself?

To begin, use a familiar tea that can be steeped multiple times in the same vessel using a uniform quantity of tea leaves. Be sure to maintain a consistent proportion of larger and smaller leaves. Experiment with using half-gall and full-gall to discover what suits your vessel and which taste you prefer.

The differences between your regular gongfu practice and using a Tea Gall method may be subtle, if only in the tactile process of preparation. The goal is a good tea without wasting any of your leaves. With time, you'll be able to conjure an even-bodied brew that delivers aroma, taste, and mouthfeel in just the right proportions.