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Brewing using Yixing tea ware.
1) Select you tea and water. Tea begins of course with
tea and water. Make sure you use the best of both. For tea, use the best tea you
can find (for example teas from the Immortalitea Company. See how subtly we
slipped that in?). Avoid delicate teas, for example Chinese green teas or white
teas. The primary motivation for using Yixing tea ware is its superior heat
retention. Delicate teas won't stand up to the sustained
heat. Oolongs are often the tea of choice for Gong-Fu Cha'
For water, use a high quality natural spring water or water
that has been filtered through a reverse osmosis filtering process. We don't
recommend distilled water as distillation removes the natural taste of the water
and results in lifeless tea. We also recommend against tap water in the
USA since most tap water has either chlorine or fluoride added which ruins the
taste of the tea.
2. Heat the water. You should heat the water until it
is just barely boiling. In China they call this "fish eye water" because the air
bubbles in the boiling water should be about the size of a fish eye. We
recommend a glass pot for heating since a metal pot may impart a metal taste to
the water.
3. Rinse and warm the pot. Fill the Yixing teapot with
boiling water. Let it stand about 20 seconds and then discard the water. This
rinses your pot of any dust or sediment and heats the pot.
4. Add tea to the pot. Add dry tea leaves to the
pot. There is a lot of variation in the quantity of tea to use depending on the
tea and your preferences. Remember this is art not science. A good rule of thumb
for traditional Gong-Fu Cha' is about three heaping teaspoons. I personally
don't like my tea that strong and usually use only one teaspoon. Let the
leaves sit for a few minutes. There should be some residual water left in the
pot from the previous step and you want the leaves to soak up some of this
water. This prevents shocking the tea. |
5.Rinse the leaves. Fill the pot again with boiling
water. Swish the water around a couple of times using a circular motion and then
discard the water. The Chinese call this "foot water" because the tea is still
covered with the dust from its journey to your table. You are washing the dust
off just as a traveler washes the dust from his feet.
6. First brewing. Now fill the pot a third time with boiling water.
Let it brew. Brewing time is also widely varied. You will improve with
experience. A good starting point is abut 30 sec to 1 minute.
7. Pour the tea. Pour the tea into cups and enjoy right
away. Save the leaves. You should be able to reuse the leaves for at least three
infusions. However, don't let them sit overnight or mold will set in.
8. Clean the pot. Throw away the leaves when they are
spent by fishing them out of the pot with tongs or your fingers.
Yixing clay has the unique and desirable
characteristic of absorbing the flavor of your tea. Never wash your Yixing
teapots with detergents or cleaning agents or the pot may absorb the taste
of the soap. Air dry or pat
dry with soft cloth. Leave the lid off until the pot is fully dried. Tea stains may
build up on your teapot after many uses. Don't worry about getting it off. This
actually adds to the value of your pot. Yixing collectors are always looking for
tea stains as this is one of the characteristics of a good antique teapot. Do
avoid dust or grease on your pot. Remember whatever the pot is exposed to is
likely to be absorbed by the clay and show up in the taste of your tea.
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