Mastering the Art of Tea Brewing: Techniques and Equipment

A fine cup of tea requires not only high-quality tea leaves but also the skillful art of brewing. If you feel your tea brewing skills have plateaued and are unable to identify the reason, the following content is a must-read to help you quickly improve your tea brewing proficiency.
1. Step One: Selecting the Right Utensils

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To brew a good cup of tea, it is essential to choose the appropriate tea utensils. Tea utensils vary in material, generally classified as porcelain, clay, purple sand, and glass; they also differ in shape, including teapots (small and large), lidded bowls, and cups.

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Green Tea/Yellow Tea: Glass Cups

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Glass cups best highlight the aesthetic beauty of tea leaves unfolding in water. Most renowned green and yellow teas have delicate buds and leaves that cannot withstand high-temperature infusion, making it unsuitable to choose tea utensils with good insulation properties such as purple sand pots, as they can easily damage the tea leaves.

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Black Tea: White Porcelain Lidded Bowls

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Black tea fears high temperatures and should not be brewed with boiling water. A wide-mouthed, slightly larger white porcelain lidded bowl is chosen for its rapid heat dissipation and ease of controlling the brewing time. After brewing, remember to open the lid to prevent the tea from becoming sour. The white porcelain lidded bowl also allows for a clear appreciation of the tea’s color. Small-mouthed teapots are not suitable for black tea due to their good insulation and slow heat dissipation.

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Oolong Tea: Gongfu Tea Utensils

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The gongfu tea brewing method, prevalent in Fujian and Guangdong, focuses on the expression of color, aroma, and taste. Oolong tea is characterized by its high aroma and ever-changing flavors. It is important to smell and taste the tea, hence it should be brewed quickly and not in large pots or cups. Small purple sand pots or lidded bowls are suitable, allowing for slow sipping to best appreciate the nuances of oolong tea.

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Dark Tea: Purple Sand Pots

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Purple sand pots have a unique double-pore structure with good, which can reduce some of the foreign odors produced during the storage of dark tea, enhancing the tea’s layers and charm.

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White Tea: Lidded Bowls, Tea Cookers

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White tea is divided into Silver Needle, White Peony, and Shou Mei. Silver Needle and White Peony are relatively tender, requiring slightly lower water temperatures. Using a lidded bowl for brewing allows for rapid heat dissipation, primarily highlighting the fresh and fragrant taste of white tea. Shou Mei, being relatively older, especially aged white tea, is better brewed in a tea cooker over low heat, resulting in a richer taste, with the distinct dates and medicinal aromas of aged white tea becoming more pronounced.

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Pu-erh Tea: Lidded Bowls, Purple Sand Pots

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Pu-erh tea is categorized into raw and ripe, as well as new and aged. Pu-erh tea can be brewed in porcelain lidded bowls to truly present its delicate aroma and taste. If it is raw or ripe Pu-erh tea that has been stored, using a purple sand pot can absorb some of the unpleasant odors from storage, making the tea broth smoother and more mellow.

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2. Step Two: Preparing the Water

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The quality of water greatly influences the taste of tea. Pure water, mineral water, and filtered water are relatively suitable for brewing tea. Tap water, due to its hardness and potential presence of chlorine, can easily produce off-flavors when brewing tea, resulting in a poorer taste.
The requirement for boiling water is to bring the water to a complete boil, reaching 100°C. Even if the brewing temperature required is 85°C, the water still needs to be first boiled to 100°C and then cooled down.

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In “The Classic of Tea” by Lu Yu in the Tang Dynasty, there are records about the boiling of water: The first boil: When the water is like fish eyes and makes a slight sound; the second boil: The edges are like continuous beads of a gushing spring; the third boil: The water surges like a rushing wave, with rolling waves. Simply put, boil the water quickly over high heat. When the water bubbles continuously and reaches the second boil or just the third boil, the activity of the water is relatively good.

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If the water is boiled for too long, the oxygen content in the water decreases, reducing its activity, which also has a negative impact on the tea soup.

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Each type of tea requires a different water temperature:

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Green tea and yellow tea: 80 – 90°C

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Black tea: 80 – 90°C for small-leaf black tea, 90 – 95°C for large-leaf black tea

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Oolong tea, Pu-erh tea, and dark tea: 100°C

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White tea: 80 – 90°C for white tea with high tenderness, 100°C for aged white tea

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Step 3: Brewing

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Prepare the tea: Take an appropriate amount of tea from the tea canister. You can first place it in a tea holder to observe its appearance, smell the dry aroma, and get a general understanding of the tea.

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Warm the utensils and cups: The order of warming and cleaning the utensils is to first pour boiling water into the teapot or gaiwan, then into the fair cup, and finally into the teacup. This helps the tea utensils reach an appropriate temperature. At this time, put the tea into the teapot, cover it for a while and then open it immediately, so that the tea aroma can be better released.

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Wake up the tea: The main purpose of waking up the tea is to moisten and unfold the tea leaves, allowing them to have a slow awakening process. Use 90°C water to quickly pour in and out. Remember not to use boiling water to wake up the tea to avoid leaching out too much tea flavor and making the second infusion lighter. In addition, it can also wash away some inevitable dust during the tea processing.

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For teas that do not require boiling water for brewing, you can first pour the water into the fair cup and then brew after the water temperature drops. As for the brewing time, you need to experience and adjust it during the actual tea brewing process. The brewing time of each infusion increases successively. The most interesting thing about making tea is that the same tea can be brewed into different flavors by different people, and different brewing methods can also show different characteristics of the tea. There is no absolutely correct way to make tea. As long as you master the basic principles, study, experience, and practice with heart, you will surely make good tea.

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