Tea Preparation
Tips on making the perfect pot of Chinese tea:
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- Always start by cleaning and washing the tea pot with boiling water;
- Place a generous pinch of tea leaves in the warm pot and rinse them with hot water. This action brings out the initial flavour of tea leaves;
- Add hot water a second time, at the correct temperature. For green or floral tea, the water should be at 70-80 degree. For Oolong and dark tea, the ideal temperature is 100 degree.
- Depending on the type of tea leaves, the amount of water used also varies. Usually, the ratio between green or floral tea leaves and water is 1:50 to 75. For Oolong and dark tea, the ratio is 1:25.
- Proper brewing time is essential. For green or floral tea, the ideal time is a minute, whereas for the Oolong and dark tea, within 20 seconds is sufficient for the first infusion.
- Warm tea cups with hot water.
- Never fill up a cup at a time. Arrange the cups in a circle and pour the brew out in a continuous circular motion. In other words, pour a small amount of tea into each cup in a few rounds until they are full. This ensures the taste of the tea is perfectly balanced
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Kungfu way of tea preparation
The Japanese tea ceremony is a metaphysical/religious ritual centered around tea. There is nothing quite comparable in modern China (though, as noted above, the Japanese ceremony originated in ancient China).
The Chinese do, however, have a special method for brewing tea, which can produce remarkable results. It is called the Kungfu method. Kungfu means "skill and care" or "to do things well." It is the root of the term often used for Chinese black teas, "Congou."
The Kungfu method is typically used for oolong and green teas. The best results are with oolong. The typical method uses a very small teapot, preferably a Yixing-style teapot, small thimble-sized cups, bamboo tweezers, a bamboo scoop, and a tray with drains. Everything in Kungfu service is small and delicate, revealing the elegance of the tea it promotes. If you do not have a Kungfu tea set, you can approximate the method with an ordinary teapot, though the result may not be quite as good.
Genuine Yixing teapots are made of sandy clay found near the town of Yixing in Jiangsu province. Most of the teapots sold in the West with the label "Yixing" are not actually made from Yixing clay; still, they seem to serve their purpose well enough. Yixing-style teapots are made in a wide range of shapes, and are not glazed. The porous interior of an unglazed pot is seasoned by repeated infusions of tea leaves, and does not need to be cleaned.
You first want to pour hot water from your pitcher over the cups and teapot. Then fill the pot about two-thirds full of leaves and rinse or awaken them with boiled water. Immediately pour out the water and take in the aroma of the leaves. Refill the pot with water and replace the lid. Pour more boiling water over the top of the pot and allow the tea to steep for less than a minute. (One source says, "four to five slow breaths.") This infusion has the strongest aroma. Some methods use two sets of cups: the tea is poured into the first cup and then poured from that cup into the second cup. One then smells the aroma left behind in the first cup, and drinks from the second cup. Make sure each cup contains in equally strong infusion by filling the cups halfway first, then finishing them off the opposite direction (usually left to right, then right to left).
The second infusion lasts slightly longer than the first. It has a weaker aroma but more flavor. Subsequent infusions take progressively longer; you may want to add a slow breath to each infusion. Some teas can take four to five infusions, or more. Since this method requires a large amount of tea and several small cups (typically four), it is best done for a group of oolong lovers. It can be a very convivial occasion. Enjoy the delicate essence of the tea.
