Chinese Tea Brewing

Three elements for making a good cup of tea

In the past, Chinese used a different method to make tea. They preferred to prepare by steeping refined tea leaves in a teapot. This is called the "steeping method". In order to prepare a good cup of tea by using the "steeping method", the amount of tea leaves used and the water temperature have to be carefully controlled. At the beginnng of the Ming Dynasty, people used large teapots to brew tea so that they could drink many cups from one pot of tea. Later, they discovered that when the tea leaves were being steeped too long in hot water, the tea would become bitter in taste and the last few cups would not be as fresh as the first few. That is why the size of teapots has become smaller and smaller. Teapots made of purple clay at Yixing of Jiangsu province are most treasured by the tea epicures.¡¡

The preparation of Chinese tea is a skilled and precise art. Different teas each require different brewing procedures that need to be followed to ensure optimum flavour and taste. Hence, in order to make a good cup of tea, we have to pay attention to the quantity of tea leaves, the water temperature and the length of each brew. ¡¡

The quantity of tea leaves depends on the size of the teapot, the type of tea and personal preference. Normally, the quantity of tea can vary from one-fifth to one half of the teapot size.

Regarding the water temperature, for green tea and some slightly roasted and fermented fresh tea leaves, the water temperature should be around 80 degrees Celsius so as not to ruin the Vitamin C in the tea leaves. However, for black tea, red tea and moderately to heavily roasted tea leaves, the temperature should reach 100 degrees Celsius.

The length of steeping time varies for different types of tea too. Normally, the first brew should take less than 30 seconds. Then, for each subsequent brew, the steeping time must be proportionally lengthened for about 5 to 30 seconds. ¡¡

Brewing a cup of tea

First warm the teapot by rinsing with hot water.

Fill the teapot with tea leaves. The quantity of tea can vary from one-fifth to one-half of the teapot size, depending on the type of tea and personal preference.

Pour hot water onto tea leaves until it just overflows, then use the lid to wipe off any foam or bubbles from the water surface, if there is any. Drain off water immediately and discard.

Refill the teapot with fresh boiling water, steep the tea leaves for less than 30 seconds for the first brew / infusion.

Each subsequent brew / infusion from the same leaves must be proportionally lengthened for about 5 to 30 seconds.¡¡

Cleaning the teapot

Never try to get the invaluable patina or tea stains off. Also, avoid having dust and grease get into the teapot and never use any kind of soap or detergent to clean the purple clay teapot as the teapot will absorb the taste of soap. To clean the teapot, simply remove the used leaves, rinse the teapot with hot water, and dry with the lid off.

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