keep detailed written notes of what you buy and how it tastesĢ. Try to get a sample or buy the smallest quantity you can for a new tea.Īs a beginner, you will develop your skill, save money and be further ahead in the long run if you follow these 3 basic rules:ġ. You can even ask them to follow the same brew times you use. Make sure to taste the fourth or fifth brew to really see what you are getting and pay attention to how it is being made. The better tea shops will always make a tea for you before you buy. Poor quality tea may taste good on the first or second brew but after that there is little taste left, so you just end up using more tea. High grade tea will last 6 – 10 brews with consistent flavour depending on how strong you like your tea. It tastes better, lasts longer and is more cost-effective in the long run. There are 3 reasons for selecting the best grade of tea you can find. Chinese teas come in some of the most beautiful packaging you have ever seen, but this is no indication of the quality. This may or may not be true but until you have developed your skill at identifying tea leaves, you can only know for sure by comparing teas of different prices and from different sources. From a store’s perspective, their most expensive tea is “high grade tea”. They simply have, like any other retail store, products that range in price from low to high. In some large tea shops, tea is marketed and retailed much like any other product and many people working there have little training about what makes high grade tea. Ten years later there are thousands! Unfortunately the number of tea growers has not increased at the same rate, so there is a lot of second rate product on the market. In the late 1990’s there were relatively few tea manufacturers. At the basic level, there are 5 variables involved:Īs the economy of China has grown, so has its tea industry. With many Chinese teashops now opening and with wide access to the internet, tea knowledge, good quality tea and tea accessories are more widely available than ever before, so anyone from anywhere can learn this ancient skill with just a little practice! This approach to tea-making with such attention to detail and savouring every drop is different from western notions, but as an art that has been perfected over many hundreds of years, the result is a relaxing and enjoyable environment alone or with friends and tea that tastes better than you’ve ever tasted before. The first thing a Westerner will notice is the teacups are very small. It is not a ceremony as with the well known Japanese Cha No Yu tradition with all its symbolism, but a procedure of practical steps where everything involved has a functional purpose to make a tea taste as good as possible.Įven so, Gong Fu Cha is as much about escaping the pressures of life for a few moments as it is about enjoying every drop of tea. In this way it is possible to get the maximum flavour consistently from the maximum number of brews that a tea can make. The modern Gong Fu style of tea-making is essentially about controlling all the variables of tea-making with a high degree of precision and consistency. While most Chinese are aware of Gong Fu Cha as part of their cultural history, few actually know how it is done. They were surprised to learn that this is how most Chinese drink tea as well! When the tea got too strong, they would simply add more water and repeat the process until the leaves had no more flavour. I would watch them bring out their large teapot, throw in some tea leaves, add boiling water and let the leaves steep until the brew was very strong. When I first moved to North America from Hong Kong, local friends would invite me to their homes for tea. With the information presented in this guide, one can progress quickly to an advanced stage of tea-making in this traditional and ancient art. Unlike wine drinkers who learn about vines and vintages, the tea-maker must make what they drink, which requires not just knowledge but skill in selecting and using their tools. This guide will introduce you to the Chinese method of tea-making, called "Gong Fu Cha" - "Tea With Great Skill". Tea & Health Benefits What To Believe?.Effect Of Microbial Fermentation On Content Os Statin, Gaba, And Polyphenols In Pu-Erh Tea.Why Expensive Tea Is Cheaper Than Inexpensive Tea.Pu-erh Tea: One of China’s Undiscovered Wonders.The Rare Chinese Teapot That Is Made From A Mountain –- Really!.Welcome to the World of Engineered Teas!.So Many Teas! Which Ones Will You Like?.Why Tea Tastes Bitter & How To Get Rid Of It (Part 2).Why Tea Tastes Bitter & How To Get Rid Of It (Part 1).Gong-Fu Cha - The Complete Guide To Making Chinese Tea.Chinese Teapots - Choosing Size And Shape.
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