TeaVivre’s Rou Gui is explicitly heavily baked. Brewing can change how concentrated or drying the cup becomes, but it does not guarantee that cinnamon and fruit will emerge from behind the roast. Start with the exact method and stop when the remaining cup is no longer appealing.
Two very different starting preparations
Cup method
5 g / 355 mL / 100°C (212°F) / 5–8 min. Begin at five minutes rather than treating eight as the required target.
Gongfu method
9 g / 110 mL / 100°C (212°F). The listing specifies an approximately five-second rinse, followed by very short opening infusions.
The Rou Gui review retains the original evidence on roast dominance and later fading. Its methods come from the exact merchant listing, not a generic recipe for all rock tea.
Prepare for the five-second opening
- Set the receiving pitcher beside the gaiwan before adding water.
- Weigh nine grams for the documented 110 mL method; do not borrow a different tea’s dose.
- Rinse for approximately five seconds as listed, then drain.
- Follow the sequence 5, 5, 10, 15, 30, 50, 80, 110, 150, 200, 250 seconds. The first two drinking pours are only five seconds each.
- Decant completely and taste each pour before committing to the next longer time.
Identify which problem you are trying to solve
| Observation | Interpretation and next step |
|---|---|
| The aroma is strongly roasted, but the cup is sweet and pleasant | That combination appears in positive feedback. There is no need to weaken a cup you enjoy just because the dry aroma is forceful. |
| The cup is bitter or drying | Shorten the next contact as a single-variable adjustment. A complete decant prevents unintended continued extraction. |
| The cup is comfortable but cinnamon remains faint | This may be the profile, not a brewing failure. Do not automatically add leaf or time to chase the cultivar name. |
| Later pours taste mainly of bitter wood | Stop. A detailed historical session lost its preferred floral and spice notes before the end of the printed sequence. |
If heavy roast is simply not your preference, compare Organic Shui Xian in a small sample using its own lower-dose cup method. Do not buy a larger Rou Gui pack on an unverified promise that storage will remove the roast.
