My husband was gifted a gong fu set from work. He's not much of a tea drinker, so I claimed it. I used it today for the very first time, typically, I would use our Breville electric tea kettle.
I used ippodo's loose leaf hojicha with a 5g (eyeballed)/ 160ml ratio, using 175F water temp.
Pro: I enjoyed the ritual of preparation and savoring each cup. I liked that I can keep refilling and enjoy the tea in varying flavor strengths.
Cons: I spilled tea each time I poured into the cup. Is this normal or is there a technique to prevent or minimize spilling?
Tea leaves also poured right out of the spout and into the cup, most of the tea leaves would sink to the bottom but a few would float to the edges. I didn't like having to maneuver sipping to avoid getting them in my mouth, still 1 or 2 would slip.
My scale doesn't detect the light tea leaves as well that's why I just eyeballed it.
I would highly appreciate if someone could share sources for additional accessories I should consider? Like a better scale? A tea leaf strainer? And any tips to improve my experience or expectations? I'm going to Beijing and Shenzhen soon too and can get some stuff from there!
Thanks in advance!