by Pastor Ken
I like the term “the art of tea making” because art has a subjective element. Quality tea, like beauty in the eyes of its beholder, is ultimately determined by the drinker.
The Chinese way of hospitality is to offer a cup of tea. When I was little, my mother prepared tea every day. In the morning, she would put some tea leaves in the thermos and fill them with hot water. We’d have tea during the day. However, it’s rather pitiful to make tea this way.
People who are serious about Chinese tea will use only whole tea leaves. The essence of the art is to use various methods to maintain the water temperature and a uniform concentration in a cup of tea. Under this principle, do not let tea leaves soak in teapots or teacups for a long time. Ideally, a pot of tea should be used up by the guests in one round. That’s why a tea appreciation ceremony usually will involve no more than 5 participants. To achieve this, after brewing tea for a few minutes, pour it into a small pitcher. Thus, a teapot with a built-in filter helps. Then the tea is distributed into each cup. If another round is called for, then add water for further brewing. The art of tea making is to study how to extract the ingredients from tea leaves as much as possible. So, Chinese tea is best consumed without cream or sugar.
To enjoy tea drinking, we must have a basic knowledge of tea. There are many varieties of tea trees. From picking the tea leaves to having the final product, the most important step in the process is to control the degree of fermentation. Accordingly, tea is divided into three categories: non-fermented (green tea), semi-fermented, and heavy-fermented tea (black tea).
For non-fermented tea (green tea, Longjing, Biluochun), it is best not to store it for more than one year after exposing it to the air. Brewing does not require hot water (190 degrees F, or when bubbles the size of shrimp eyes appear in the boiling water). Put one teaspoonful of leaves in the pot for one cup of tea (8 oz). If you are concerned about impurities or just want to open up the tea leaves a bit more, add hot water first and let it sit for 10 seconds, and discard the first brew. Add water for 2-4 minutes. Now, you’re ready to enjoy your cup of tea.
Semi-fermented tea leaves (Oolong, Wuyi, Tieguanyin) can be stored for 3-5 years. Again, use one teaspoonful of leaves to make one cup of tea. Brewing requires hotter water (200 degrees F, or when bubbles the size of crab eyes appear in the boiling water). Discard the first brew after about 20 seconds. Then add water to brew for 3-5 minutes for a cup of strong tea.
Heavily fermented tea (black tea, Puer, Tuocha) can be stored for more than ten years. Use slightly less than one teaspoonful of leaves to make one cup of tea. Use hot water for brewing (205 degrees F, or bubbles the size of fish eyes). Discard the first brew after 40 seconds. Add water for 3-4 minutes, and it’s ready for your enjoyment. The same leaves can be reused for another round or two.
Teapots and cups consist of different materials. For non-fermented tea, since there are various colors, it is best to use glass or porcelain pots so that we can appreciate the color while drinking. Clay teapots are suitable for semi-fermented or heavily-fermented tea. Teapots made of other materials, such as wood, iron, copper, and stainless steel, are acceptable as long as they are heat-resistant and do not carry an unwanted smell or taste. If possible, use different pots for different types of tea.
Some people collect teapots as a hobby. Others have all kinds of tea leaves including very expensive ones. If for one reason or the other, teapots are not used and tea is not consumed, it is a big waste. Don’t rely only on experts’ opinions about what is a good tea without your own judgment. Otherwise, we can’t truly appreciate drinking tea. Only when we spend time and effort studying the art of tea, we can make it a pleasure in life.
