In the world of the tea ceremony, making tea is not a simple process of making water, but a craft with profound philosophical thoughts. Tea-to-water ratio, water temperature, and time occupy a crucial position in making tea. Novices often memorize tea making skills by rote, while masters can easily master every detail to make the charm of tea perfectly presented. Today, let's follow the master's tea-making notes, explore the beauty of the details in the philosophy of the tea ceremony, and taste the mellow moments of life.
Green tea is known for its freshness, fragrance, floral fragrance and tender fragrance type, and is the best tea in spring. When brewing green tea, the control of tea volume is particularly crucial. Too much tea leaves will make the tea soup too strong, masking the fresh and tender characteristics of green tea; Too little tea leaves will not be able to fully release the aroma and taste of tea. Generally speaking, when brewing green tea in a gaiwan, about 3 grams of tea leaves is the most suitable.
Equally important is the control of the water temperature. The brewing water temperature of green tea should not be too high, so as not to destroy the fresh and tender taste of the tea. After the water boils slightly, wait patiently for 2-3 minutes until the water temperature drops below 90°C before starting brewing. In this way, the tea leaves are fully stretched at the right temperature, releasing the best aroma and taste.
When brewing green tea, the soup will be ready for about 10 seconds. At this time, the tea soup is fresh and mellow, sweet and long, and intoxicating. However, the number of brews of green tea should not be too much. Due to the fast speed of amino acids in green tea, they are leached out first, and only tea polyphenols with bitter and astringent taste are left after brewing. Therefore, the best number of brews for green tea is the first three brews, so that you can fully taste the freshness and fragrance of green tea.
The brewing technique of black tea is different from that of green tea. The amount of black tea is generally controlled at about 3-5 grams, and the steeping time of the first brew is about 3-5 seconds, and then the soup is quickly dissipated and the remaining tea in the gaiwan is drained. From the second brew, the steeping time can be determined according to the number of bubbles, and each subsequent brew can be appropriately extended by 3-5 seconds according to the sitting time of the previous brew. In this way, the aroma and taste of black tea can be gradually released, which makes people have an endless aftertaste.
When brewing black tea, the choice of water temperature is equally important. Ordinary black tea should be brewed at a water temperature of 80-90°C, while high-quality black tea needs to be brewed with boiling water at 100 degrees Celsius to fully bring out the rich substances contained in the tea. However, it should be noted that the soup must be made quickly to avoid excessive bitterness and astringency caused by excessive soaking of tea leaves.
Oolong tea is known for its high aroma, and when brewing, it is important to brew its high aroma. Therefore, the water in which oolong tea is brewed must be boiling water. Using utensils such as a gaiwan or purple clay pot, and hanging the pot with hot water, can fully stimulate the aroma of tea. The strip tea of oolong tea, such as Dancong tea and Wuyi rock tea, is easy to leach, so the soup must be fast; The granular-shaped Tieguanyin can slightly extend the brewing time, wait for the tea leaves to fully stretch and then speed up the soup.
When drinking oolong tea, it is best to use a white porcelain cup with a thin tire. The white porcelain cup can not only show the clarity and translucency of the tea soup, but also highlight the sweet taste of oolong tea. After drinking tea, you can also smell the bottom of the cup, the bottom of the dense porcelain cup is the easiest to condense the aroma, making people have an endless aftertaste.
For old tea that has been stored for a long time, it is necessary to carefully check the tea leaves for mold or musty smell before brewing. If there is an unpleasant smell, stop drinking it immediately and dispose of it properly. When brewing old tea, high temperature is the key to bringing out the flavor of the tea. The water is boiled until it is boiled before brewing, and the first brew of tea is also the process of waking up the tea. By waking up the tea, the contents of the tea can be further awakened, so that it can better release the tea aroma and tea taste.
The way of making tea is not only a demonstration of skills, but also a deep understanding of the philosophy of tea ceremony. In the process of making tea, we learned how to control the details, how to taste the charm of tea, and how to feel the profound heritage of tea culture. Let us taste the mellow moments of life while tasting tea, and feel the spiritual nourishment brought by the philosophy of tea ceremony.