Daily Tea Brewing Guide
Does the tea you brew never taste as good as the tea from a tea shop? Master the basic logic of brewing, and you can make a cup of tea that pleases you.
A concise daily tea-brewing guide, the most complete tea-brewing explanation on the internet.
Strictly speaking, brewing tea is a process of extracting tea liquor. It involves six points: tea ware, water, tea-to-water ratio, brewing time (steeping time), brewing temperature (water temperature), and pouring technique. Among these, the vessel and the water are the basic conditions, which is why the ancients said, “Water is the mother of tea, and the vessel is the father of tea.” The tea-to-water ratio, temperature, and steeping time are the three core elements. The pouring technique actually has very little influence.
Choosing Tea Ware
Tea ware falls into three categories: water-heating vessels, main brewing vessels, and drinking vessels. All three have some effect, but the main brewing vessel is the most important.
For beginners, a practical Yixing teapot is recommended. It allows you to appreciate aroma, separate tea from water, control the tea-to-water ratio, and control the rhythm of pouring. Buy one with a capacity of 100–150 ml (about 3.4–5 fl oz), because most single-serving teas on the market come in fixed weights: 8 g for rock tea, 7 g for Tieguanyin, 5 g for black tea, and 5 g for white tea. These amounts match the amount of tea used in a Yixing teapot, so you basically do not need to worry about the tea-to-water ratio later.
Choosing Water
Water has a huge impact on tea liquor. Emperor Huizong of Song said in Daguan Chalun (Treatise on Tea), “Water is prized for being clear, light, sweet, and clean.” The ancients classified water into river/lake water, well water, spring water, rainwater, and snow water. Today, you can use purified water or mineral water, but never choose tap water. It is high in hardness and has excessive chlorine, which makes tea liquor cloudy, rough, and astringent.
The Three Core Elements
Once the water and tea ware are decided, the tea-to-water ratio, temperature, and steeping time become the biggest factors. There are common “three elements of tea brewing” charts circulating, but you do not need to memorize them:
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Brewing tea is not a chemistry experiment; it is a relaxed and enjoyable thing.
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Everyone’s taste is different, and tea has a certain tolerance for error.
Simplified Temperature Guide
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Green tea, yellow tea: brew at low temperature, around 176–194°F.
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White tea, black tea: brew at medium temperature, around 194–210°F. You can boil the water and let it cool for 2–3 minutes before brewing.
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Oolong tea, dark tea: brew with boiling water, 212°F, especially oolong. It is a high-aroma tea with many aromatic compounds.
Simplified Steeping Time Guide
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Black tea: brew and pour immediately.
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White tea, green tea, yellow tea: you can wait, about 5 seconds.
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Oolong tea: this is more complicated. Strip-style oolong (oolong, rock tea, Dancong): brew and pour immediately. Ball-rolled oolong (Tieguanyin, Taiwanese oolong): wait briefly, quick in and quick out.
Tea becomes weaker with each infusion. You can gradually extend the waiting time for each subsequent infusion according to your own brewing.
Pouring Technique
The most common methods are single-side fixed-point pouring (also called “steaming”) and circular pouring. You can simply divide tea into two categories:
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Tender, fresh teas: use fixed-point pouring with a thin stream. The more gently you treat them, the lighter and more delicate the mouthfeel.
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Coarse, older teas: use a thick stream and pour in circles; the tea liquor is extracted more easily.
It occurred to me that in everyday cooking, “appropriate amount” and “a little” are adjusted according to your own taste. Brewing tea is the same. No matter how impressive a brewing technique is, it is only a tool to please yourself. The best brewing method is always in your hands.
