If you can control the various details involved, you can better appreciate the inherent “aroma” of the tea. We advocate that the details are king. Today, we'll introduce some brewing details for different teas so that we can all savor the subtle fragrances together!
▎Details for Brewing Finely Broken Tea
When brewing finely broken tea, use less tea than you normally would and reduce the steeping time. For example, if you usually put in a quarter of the teapot's volume of loose Pu'er, with finely broken leaves, only use one fifth. If you still use one quarter, after shortening the first steep, you can get a standard concentration of tea liquor. However, even if you immediately pour out the second steep, the tea will be too strong. By reducing the amount of tea, it's more practical to plan for three to four steeps.
▎Details for Brewing Tie Guan Yin
A Zhu Ni teapot is the best choice for brewing Tie Guan Yin. Due to its high contraction rate, using Zhu Ni enhances the aroma and makes it more uplifting, while also producing a tight and smooth tea liquor with strong and lingering sweetness. A Zhu Ni teapot is very suitable for brewing lightly oxidized, highly aromatic Oolong teas.
▎Details for Brewing Green Tea
(Image shows Xinyang Maojian)
According to tests, amino acids and vitamin C are the easiest substances to extract from the tea when steeping. Next are caffeine, polyphenols, and soluble sugars. Generally speaking, when green tea is steeped for the first time, about 50% of the soluble substances are extracted; during the second steep, about 30% are extracted; during the third steep, around 10% are extracted; and less with each subsequent steep. Therefore, steeping three times is ideal.
▎Details for Brewing Flower Tea
(Image shows Dai Dai Black Tea)
Flower tea can generally be steeped fewer times, and the nutritional content decreases significantly with each subsequent steep. It is recommended not to steep flower tea multiple times. Pour boiling water into the teacup, typically by raising the teapot so that the boiling water falls from a height, which helps the tea leaves move around and improves their steeping. Generally, fill the cup to about 80% full, then cover it to preserve the aroma.
▎Details for Water Quality in Brewing
The hardness of the water affects the solubility of the active ingredients in the tea. Soft water contains fewer other solutes, so the active ingredients of the tea have a higher solubility, resulting in a stronger flavor. Hard water contains more calcium, magnesium ions, and minerals, which lowers the solubility of the active ingredients, leading to a milder flavor. It is best not to use hard water for brewing tea.
Additionally, other metal ions in the water also affect the taste of the tea. For example, if there are high levels of iron ions, the tea liquor will turn dark brown; if the lead content exceeds 2 ppm, the tea will taste bitter; if the magnesium content exceeds 2 ppm, the tea will taste lighter; if the calcium content exceeds 2 ppm, the tea will taste astringent.