The tea ceremony
How to prepare a nice cup of tea
It is not difficult to prepare a nice cup of tea. You just need to refine your art.
First of all, the choice of raw materials is crucial..
It is crucially important to buy high quality loose tea, some information about the product should be provided e. g. its colour, the infusion time, water temperature, necessary quantity.
Tea should be stored in a cool place away from light and, if possible, in an airtight container (e.g. in a steel container).
Moreover, you should bear in mind that, once opened and in contact with air, green teas should be consumed within a short time; puher, on the other hand, gets tastier in time.
Water is another basic element. It should be as pure as possible. That means that it should be low in chlorine and in residue. It is not advisable to boil water repeatedly or else it will lose oxygen and will make tea less good.
The teapot should be chosen accurately; it should be made of natural materials. Glass teapots are suitable when tea can be prepared with lower temperature water, whereas teapots made of clay (Yixing) are suitable for teas that need higher temperature water.
Basic rules
The right quantity of tea depends on your personal taste. A teaspoon for each cup can be considered as an average measure.
Water temperature depends on the variety of tea: white teas need an average water temperature of 70/80° C ; oolong teas need about 80/90° C, black and red teas need 90/95° C. Water, however, must never reach its boiling temperature.
The right infusion time varies depending on the tea variety you use. We recommend repeated but short infusions of the same tea leaves: 30/60 seconds for white and green teas, 60 seconds for oolong teas, 2 minutes for black teas. Puher teas needs only about 30 seconds of infusion.
Necessary steps to prepare a hight quality tea
The necessary steps are very simple:
1) Heat the water. This should be pure, spring water.
2) Teapots should be heated (the water previously used for washing leaves is suitable).
3) Choose the right amount of tea.
4) Check water temperature
5) Wash the tea leaves (this step is necessary for all teas except black ones); it consists of a very quick infusion, that is the basis for the proper infusion, it removes caffeine and bitter substances; filter quickly.
6) Infuse leaves for the necessary time.
7) Filter and pour tea.
8) Infuse again.
Therefore, tea preparation is simple and complex at the same time. There are no set rules.
The art of preparing tea also consists of exploring, experimenting and enjoying the tastes and the benefits of tea.