Particulars for making different kinds of Tea

Tea infusion of Lungching (one kind of Green tea)

In making Lungching tea, people like to use clear glass in order to appreciate the beautiful process during tea infusion.

Before the tea infusion process, put some tea leaves on a piece of white paper, watch their color and shapes, breath the aroma. Owing to the wide varieties of Lungching tea leaves, there are enormous different kinds of shapes in flat, spiral, needle like and longitudinal. Smell the aroma, and depending on the variety, you may have different kinds of perfume, from butter perfume, fired chestnut perfume, pan firing perfume to flowery fragrance. This appreciation process of the external appearance and features of tea leaves is called "tea leave enjoyment".

On the surface of the tea leaves, vapor evaporates like fog and mist. Breathe the tea's aroma and it make you alert. Observe the color, it's clear yellowish green, or ivory light green, or light green. If you hold the glass facing the sun, you can see the tea leaves movement, together with flashing lights in between.

When the tea becomes cool enough to drink, taste it gently. Let the tea touch your tongue thoroughly so as to enjoy the flavor completely. Use your nose to breath the aroma too .... how nice it is. This is called the "first infusion of tea". After you drank the first 1/3 of tea, fill it with hot water. It is called the "second infusion of tea". The flavor of "second infusion" should still be concentrated enough and leave fragrance on your teeth. After you drank 1/3, again fill the glass repeatedly by hot water. This time is the "third infusion" which is usually quite diluted, and the flavor is much weakened.

Tea infusion of Ti Kwan Yin (one kind of Oolong tea)

Ti Kwan Yin belongs to Oolong tea. Its flavor is as pure and fresh as Green tea but as concentrated as Red tea and its aroma is as fragrant as Flower tea. Ti Kwan Yin has the typical characteristics of Oolong tea and green leaves with red rim all make for a very nice "scenery".

The pouring water should give pulse to tea leaves, and make them move. Once the water touch through the tea leaves, discharge the water from the pot quickly. The purpose is to clean dust on the tea leaves, so the original flavor of the tea leaves will not be disturbed. This is called "tea leaves washing". After then, pour water into the pot immediately again, and the water should make the pot up to 90% full. Close the cover and drip the hot water onto the pot・s outer surface. The actual flavor of the tea leaves can thus be tasted on the outside of the pot. Infusion should then take around 2-3 minutes.

Tea should not be poured into cups fully one by one. Fill each cup by half in sequence first, then fill them up to 80% in sequence again. This is to spread the aroma of tea evenly in each cup. Tea should be poured into the cup along its rim, and then running inward towards the center of the cup. Tea left in the bottom of the pot is the most concentrated and should be distributed evenly into each cup. It is best if you can manage to discharge all the tea evenly upon filling all the cups.

There are also special procedures in the art of drinking Ti Kwan Yin tea. Move the tea to your nose, smell it carefully; then taste it. Since Ti Kwan Yin has a strong flower perfume you don・t need to put it close to your nose for long time; in the contrary, move the cup from afar and then towards your nose to-and-fro for 3 to 4 times. You will feel the aroma coming to you. Taste the tea slowly, fully enjoy its flavor and aroma.

The above method is for making concentrated tea. The relative portion of tea leaves is much greater than the portion of water.  And the tea made may only be sufficient for one to two infusions. Nevertheless, it is highly enjoyable for its deep aroma and flavor. Usually you can still taste the flavor of Ti Kwan Yin even in the "third infusion".

Tea infusion of Jasmine (one kind of Flower tea)

Jasmine intermixes the aroma of tea as well as the perfume of flower. We can enjoy the fragrance both of tea and flower.

Before starting tea infusion, we firstly look at the tea leaves to appreciate the nice appearance of the tea leaves. Put them on pieces of clean white paper, breathe the perfume, examine its quality, and look at its color.

The principle in making Jasmine tea is to keep the perfume of the tea as well as the nice appearance of the leaf buds. For high quality Jasmine tea, there is great value in the art of appreciation in the tea leaf buds・ external appearance, so transparent glass tea cups are used for tea infusion. The procedures are to put tea cups on a tea tray, take 2-3 grams of Jasmine tea leaves into each cup, pour "young boiling water" at 90 degree Celsius into the cups, and finally close the cups with covers immediately to avoid the aroma from escaping. Now, this is the time to watch the very nice tea infusing process. Put the tea tray against the light, you will see the tea leaves inside floating upward and downward, moving in dancing pace, slowly extending and restoring to natural shapes. The most fascinating is the slow diffusion of tea colors from the leaves. After the tea has been infusing for about 3 minutes, open the cover and deeply breath the aroma. When the tea has been cooled a bit and suitable for drinking, taste a little bit. Don・t swallow, keep the tea inside the mouth and stir it to-and-fro over your tongue. This is to let your tongue fully touch the flavor before swallowing. Try this for two to three times, you will be intoxicated with the tea. Enjoy the "first, second and third infusion" until the tea get to too diluted.

Tea infusing of Puer (one kind of Black tea)

Puer tea leaves are mostly big, highly mature, and deep brown in color. Its leaves when infused are not as beautiful, so to use "Purple Sand" equipage for tea infusion is the best choice.

The tea infusing process is simple. Put the tea pot on tea tray, fill the pot with tea leaves up to 50 - 70 percent full. Pour boiling water with 100 degree Celsius temperature into the pot, and fill it full; then discharge the water out immediately. This is to wash out the dust on the tea leaves (or called "tea leaves washing"). Since tea leaves of Puer are old leaves, dusts are likely to stay on the leaves, hence "tea leaves washing" is necessary. After then, pour water again into the pot, close the cover. Drip hot water on the pot・s outer surface so that the pot can maintain a high temperature through out the infusion process. Let the tea infuse for 1 to 1-1/2 minute. Finally pour and distribute all the tea evenly in tea cups. Puer tea has a deep red color. You can feel its perfume and concentrated flavor by just tasting it slightly. When you grow accustomed to its flavor, you can extend the tea infusing period by 30-45 seconds. Owing to its concentrated flavor, you can enjoy the tea even up to the fifth and sixth infusion.

The JADE Teapot

The earliest teapots discovered have been made of JADE. These ancient jade artifacts have left a profound message from the ancient past that tell of the joy of tea. These Jade tea pots also tell of a belief that tea prepared in Jade endows the tea with the power of "CHI" the energy and essence of all living things. I have collected ancient Chinese Jade teapots for over 30 years and it is ever so amazing as to the shapes and designs that these ancient treasures express.

I prepare and serve my tea in an ancient Hongshan Jade teapot and drink to the joy of life daily. If you would like to acquire a rare ancient Chinese Jade Teapot Artifact just click on the link below.