Mastering Chinese Tea Preparation: A Beginner's Guide

Did you ever have Chinese tea? Do you know how much passion goes into the making of Chinese tea? The entire process of preparation of Chinese tea is nothing short of a wonder!

Want to know more about Chinese tea and how it is prepared? Then you got to check out this post!

Ingredients Required For Making Chinese Tea:

From the teaware to water and tea leaves, every component has an important role to play while making Chinese Tea.

Tea:

You can choose any variety like green tea, oolong tea, white tea, black tea, or even flower tea.

Tea Pot:

Size of the pot should be chosen according to the number of people being served. Prefer porcelain vessel, Gaiwan, or glass vessel. Yixing teapots will be the perfect choice.

Scoop:

You’ll need a Chinese scoop to measure the amount of tea.

Tea Cups:

Usually, Chinese tea cups are shallower and wider than Western cups. Even the amount of tea served is quite less. The concept here is to savor every sip of the tea prepared.

Strainer:

Look for a strainer with a finer mesh.

Tongs:

Tongs are quite instrumental in Chinese tea ceremony. They help to handle the cups and clean up the mess of stray leaves from the surface.

How To Make Chinese Tea:

Following are the methods to prepare Chinese tea!

1. Gong Fu Cha:

Also called Kung Fu Cha, it implies the tea with good skills of brewing. And so it is! This method requires precision in the selection of every ingredient and tool.

How To Make Gong Fu Cha:

1. Start with sterilizing the teapot and cups. Fill boiling water in them and allow it to sit. Pour hot water into the strainer as well. Also keep all your tools and equipment handy.
2. Drain out the water from the teapot. Put the amount of tea required to be brewed in it. Fill the pot with water at proper temperature.
3. Now the water will overflow from the teapot. Let it be until you get clear water. Replace the lid and tilt it to slightly open the pot.
4. Pour this tea into a pitcher first to make the process easy. While brewing the tea, pour some hot water on the teapot to make sure even the tea is getting heated inside.
5. Rinse the teacups. Pour tea from the pitcher into the cups to serve.

You can repeat the steps of brewing as many times as you want.

2. Gaiwan Tea:

In this method, Gaiwan or a small porcelain teaware is used to brew tea. It includes one bowl, its lid, and a saucer.

How To Make Gaiwan Tea:

1. Put tea leaves in the Gaiwan and add some warm water to wash them. Here, you can use green tea as well. Let the water settle down, and then rinse the tea cups with this water.
2. Use tongs to wash the tea cups and initiate the process of brewing.
3. Using the lid of Gaiwan, let the leaves flow aside.
4. Use the proper method to handle Gaiwan and pour the tea into the cups.

Points To Remember For Making Chinese Tea:

Now that you have learnt how Chinese tea is prepared, it is time to remember these simple tips to further hone your skills!

• Never pour boiled water over the tender tea leaves. It may lead to a bitter taste due to a high release of tannins.
• Never add sugar, honey, or any other ingredient to the Chinese tea as it will not remain ‘The Chinese Tea’ after that.
• Never buy outdated tea. Always smell it before buying.
• Avoid using hard or distilled water. Filtered water is best for Chinese tea.
• Never overcook the leaves to retain the aroma.

Chinese tea is not just about the taste, it is also about the ceremony! Throw a Chinese tea party and introduce your friends to a whole new world of tea making!

Have you ever tasted Chinese tea? Did you enjoy the whole process? Share your views with us in the comments section below!