- HOME >
- Teapot and Tea Equipment
A Shiboridashi, the perfect alternative of a Gaiwan
- [2017.12.28] Posted By Akira Hojo
Shiboridashi is one of the tea brewing equipments. In Japan, this equipment is often introduced for brewing Gyokuro or Sencha. However, if we understand its characteristics well, we will notice that it is rather more suitable for brewing pu-erh tea or fermented tea.
It is not a must to use Shiboridashi for Gyokuro
Generally, a lot of people associate Shiboridashi as equipment for brewing Gyokuro or premium Sencha such as hand-rolled sencha. This prejudice was made due to the overwhelming number of information written in books and internet articles. But what is the reason that Shiboridashi is meant for those Japanese green teas? Is there any advantage of using Shiboridashi for brewing those teas?
One of the reasons could be Shiboridashi provides sufficient space to allow the tea leaf to unfold nicely in hot water. However, to achieve this purpose we can also use a flat-shape teapot or teapot with bigger volume. In addition, based on my experience, the shape of teapot does not really affect the taste or flavor of tea. Even if it is brewed in a small or slim-shape teapot, the leaf of Gyokuro is able to unfold sufficiently and it produces good flavor and taste.
I believe that Shiboridashi has three advantages as follow:
- Fast flow
- Easy to put and clean any kinds of tea
- The gap between a lid and a body is fixed. So no trouble for adjustment.
Fast flow
It is an advantage that Shiboridashi has no filter. So the flow of tea is very smooth like Gaiwan. In addition, we do not have to adjust the gap like when using Gaiwan. As such, there is less chance that our fingers get in contact with hot water. A well-made Shiboridashi has a lid fit well to the body and it is like crescent moon shape. This gap performs as a filter to hold the tea leaves inside the body and only liquor flows out. Only highly-skilled artist is able to work out an appropriate gap of a Shiboridashi, and that reflected the maker’s skill. Too wide or too narrow gap affects its function.
The following video shows Kobiwako Shiboridashi made by Maekawa Junzo. It demonstrates the flow of Shiboridashi. He has a pretty good skill in making the gap.
The above video demonstrates the water flow from Shiboridashi.
Easy to put and clean any kinds of tea
The structure of Shiboridashi is very simple. Once the lid is removed, its shape is just like a cup. Needless to explain that it is extraordinarily easy to put or remove tea leaves. In particular, you will enjoy its benefit when you are brewing the tea with bigger leaves such as Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong, Wuyi Oolong or Pu-erh tea.
The gap between the lid and body is fixed. So no trouble in adjustment.
If you have ever visited tea house in Taiwan or China, you might have noticed that tea professionals often use gaiwan for tea brewing.
The design of gaiwan is very simple. It gives very fast flow. It is very easy to put or clean tea leaves too. However, it requires a lot of experiences to handle the gaiwan in order to control the flow of tea. If too wide, tea leaves may come out. If too narrow, tea gets stuck. Honestly, even I am using gaiwan to brew tea every day, sometimes I still get my fingers scalded. It always requires full concentration when brewing tea using the gaiwan.
As for Shiboridashi, we do not have to adjust the gap between the lid and the body. So it makes our tea life becomes easier.
Example of brewing tea using Shiboridashi
Please refer to the video below for the demonstration of brewing black tea with Shiboridashi. We use the same parameter for green tea. The parameter is as follow:
• Green Tea and Black Tea
Pour in boiling water and leave it for 10 seconds to pre-heat the Shiboridashi.
Put the tealeaf, and pour in boiling water. Rinse for 10 seconds and pour off the water.
The 1st brewing: 5-10 seconds
The 2nd brewing onwards is quick infusion for less than a few seconds.
• Pu-erh, Oolong and White Tea
Pre-heating for 10 seconds with boiling water
1st Rinsing for 10 seconds with boiling water
2nd Rinsing for 10 seconds with boiling water if tea is tightly rolled (e.g. Taiwan high mountain oolong), or compressed tea, and 5 seconds if loose tealeaf such as mao-cha.
1st Brewing 5-10 seconds
2nd Brewing onwards is quick infusion for less than a few seconds.
You may feel odd that we rinse black or green tea. This is to increase the brewing temperature. With this method, we can have purer flavor, more intense and high clarity in taste.
We often think that it is such a waste and once tea is rinsed it can’t lasts for more brewing, and hence we may not wish to rinse the tealeaf. The actual fact is the rinsed tea lasts more brewing. In addition, the taste of tea brew with or without rinsing is totally different. If you feel 10 seconds is too long for pre-heating, you can start from 5 seconds.
In Japan, normally people have prejudice that Japanese green tea is supposed to be brewed at less than 80 degree C in order to avoid the bitterness. However, you may surprise that high temperature brewing works pretty well. If we make the first brewing shorter, tea won’t taste bitter. This brewing style is rather essential for the green tea from natural farming garden, because of tea contains very less umami but plenty of poly phenols. This particular brewing technique is called Gong Fu Brewing. It was originally developed for brewing premium oolong tea.
The above video demonstrates the brewing technic of black tea using Shiboridashi. I am so sorry but the subtitle is in Japanese. Anyway the subtitle is less important for this content.
Related Articles
How to get the latest update on HOJO?
1. Follow Twitter, 2. Click "Like" on Facebook, and 3. Subscribe in newsletter. You can have the latest tea news from HOJO.
- Subscribe the Newsletter to enjoy the privileges
- You may receive a free sample upon purchase, or you may have the priority to purchase special products. So please remember to subscribe our newsletter as well as the social network.
- New Release of High Mountain Purple Tea 2024
- We have released High Mountain Purple Tea from the 2024 harvest. This year, we were able to closely manage the …
- New Release of Da Xue Shan Wild Tea 2024 Loose Leaf
- Da Xue Shan Wild Tea is a raw pu-erh tea made from Camellia taliensis, which grows wild on Da Xue Shan in Yong …
NEW ARTICLES
- New Release of High Mountain Purple Tea 2024
- We have released High Mountain Purple Tea from the 2024 harvest. This year, we were able to closely manage the …
- New Release of Da Xue Shan Wild Tea 2024 Loose Leaf
- Da Xue Shan Wild Tea is a raw pu-erh tea made from Camellia taliensis, which grows wild on Da Xue Shan in Yong …
- New Release of Da Xue Shan Wild White Tea 2024
- We have released the 2024 Da Xue Shan Wild White Tea Loose Leaf. This tea was produced under our direct superv …
- Bi Luo Chun: Exquisite Green Tea from East Dongting Shan
- Bi Luo Chun is one of China’s most famous green teas, renowned for its superior quality and unique flavo …
- Unexpected Tea Growth in the 2024 Yunnan Tea Season
- After completing an extensive procurement trip in Yunnan Province, I am currently staying in Kuala Lumpur, Mal …
- Three Completely Different Ways to Enjoy White Tea
- White tea has been gaining popularity and attention recently, prompting exploration into various ways to enjoy …
- New Release of Wild Pu-erh Jasmine Pearl
- Out of curiosity, we decided to create a jasmine tea based on Da Xue Shan Wild Raw Tea. This resulted in an ex …
- 2024 Overview: Our Yunnan White Tea Quality, Process, and Weather Insights
- One of the teas we’ve been focusing on in Yunnan Province is white tea. Historically white tea has been …
- Yunnan’s Hospitality Culture: Expressed Through Meals
- In China, as a form of greeting, it’s common to say “你吃饭了吗?” which means “Have you eat …
- In Search of Wild Tea: Exploring Mountain Villages in Southwest Lincang, Yunnan
- We are currently sourcing tea in the southwestern part of Lincang City, Yunnan Province. One of the crucial pr …
Category
- New Arrival at HOJO Online Shop
- Featured Articles
- Newsletter
- Types of Tea
- Origin of Tea
- Teapot and Tea Equipment
- Tea Column
- How to enjoy tea
- Tea Processing
- How to choose quality tea
- Tea constituents and functional effect
- Safety of Tea
- Foods
- Tea Business Operation
- Hobby and Outdoor Activity
- Ranking of Tea
- Video
- FAQ
- Media Release
Profile
- AKIRA HOJO
- I invite you to experience my tea selections.I was born in Nagano, Japan. In university, I studied agricultural chemistry, and I have the master degree in food science. I worked in Japanese food industry for 10 years. I involved in R&D, QC and QA. As a factory manager, I implemented ISO9000 series and managed the factory.
- The Art of Tea Magazine
- We posted the article on “The Art of Tea Magazine No.9, the magazine is published in Taiwan. We featured …
- New Straits Times
- The Malaysian National Newspaper, New Straits Times featured HOJO Tea on 17-Oct-2007.
Shop Info
Address:Lot No. T-215, 3rd Floor, The Gardens Mall, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-2287-4537
Business Hour: 10am to 10pm