Recently, teachers have received feedback from some students that following the series of articles on “watching tea and making tea” to learn how to make tea is indeed a bit better. This also indicates that making good tea requires technical and scientific elements.
And there are occasional rumors in the martial arts world that ‘brewing tea is a mysticism’. Due to the diverse flavors of rock tea, and the ability to experience the profound flavor of brewing tea, every type of tea can be transformed with just one pair of hands and feet. This also confuses teachers who have been in the tea industry for years!
Our young men conducted a mystical experiment called “going crazy and losing heart” for this purpose. In the same rock tea brewing process, all the steps were handled by one person, except for the step of making soup, which was done by someone else. Men, women, and children from 50 to 18 years old were all invited here to try their skills!
Don’t say, you savor, you savor carefully, there are only a few people in the tea soup, there is still qi, there is dryness qi, there is strength, or there is qi weakness! The teacher couldn’t help but scratch his head, it was just a soup, where did the difference come from?
Is brewing tea mystical or scientific? This may be a mystery that hasn’t been solved for a hundred years.
In this issue, let’s be a curious cat and see what tricks are behind mysticism?
part01. If we don’t talk about technology, is it really mysterious to just talk about the feeling of brewing tea?
Setting aside all technical and objective factors when discussing the mysticism of brewing tea, we cannot do without the word “qi”. When we read Tang poetry and Song paintings, we can understand the vivid charm of qi. Of course, people also have considerable qi, whether it is clear, turbid, extraordinary, or ordinary?
And people with different temperaments are the key clues of “tea brewing mysticism”.
The teacher’s simple understanding of temperament is that temperament is based on innate physiological structure and acquired cultivation. Different temperaments naturally affect the behavioral consciousness behind them, and intentional or unintentional actions also create the temperament of tea soup.
Teachers who mix in all kinds of tea circles have also met many “elegant tea people”, let’s talk about it here for a while.
There are a group of people in Mount Wuyi who make tea simply and freely. No matter whether the tea is old or new, the water is always hot, and the bowl is always full. Then they light a cigarette calmly, hold the pot in their mouth, and fly down the 3000 foot waterline with great momentum.
And when they make soup, it all depends on their mood, but most of the time it’s really slow. During this critical period, they have to argue with you for a few words and refuse to touch the lid. The teacher can’t speak up to urge them, so they have to be anxious. All the pain can only be swallowed by themselves.
The taste of tea is fluctuating, and my stomach is in turmoil. The tea party is not yet over, and my stomach is growling. I have to search for candy in place But what does this mean to them? A tea that is strong, fierce, and evil is good!
But for others, the temperament of brewing tea is “shy roses quietly blooming”, and no sound can be heard throughout the whole process, fully reflecting the artistic conception of deep and quiet water flow. When making the soup, it should be placed low and close to the fair edge, whispering softly and tiptoeing, afraid of disturbing the tea.
The tea soup brewed in this way is not difficult to drink, but I always feel like it lacks some muscles and bones, like a skin drum soaked in water, and I can’t hear the sound! Soaking in anything indiscriminately is just one route, calm and uneventful, but after drinking too much, it always feels dull and aesthetically fatigued.
Some are tea making machines, brewing tea in their hands, and their hearts have already flown eight thousand miles away. How can they be even more careful when making tea? The tea you drink is naturally just a loose ball, let alone imagining any emotions in the tea soup. It’s just a pity that good tea is wasted.
And behind all of this is the subconscious behavior of temperament, the habit of taste intensity, and the habit of a certain “feeling of brewing tea”;
Is it a slow heating type or an impulsive type? Should we wait or should we do it right away? Is it just a bubble or a place to control the heart?
Is the intensity of water injection light or heavy? Is the duration of soup making short or uniform? Is it customary to keep the lid open or covered?
All of these factors affect the concentration, thickness, temperature, and natural taste of the tea soup.
Do you think it’s mysterious? I would rather call it ‘Kexuan’, you see they are already one family.
How tea is produced, grown, and processed is biochemistry; The water temperature, tea dosage ratio, soaking time, water injection intensity, and even the way the tea is brewed all affect the composition of the substances in the tea soup in front of us, as well as the aroma and persistence of the released aromatic substances.
Part 02 Why are you better at soaking than me? I have more than two brushes than you!
As tea ceremony practitioners, why does the level of tea brewing vary? Of course, it is due to different ranks and higher skills.
They drink more, brew more, and are more particular. They know that tea has its own character, just like people have their own temperament. How to watch and brew tea in the face of different “styles and styles” of tea! Instead of disappearing from the crowd, every tea can showcase its charm in their hands!
When it comes to “attention to detail”, we must first pay attention to water. Clean and impurity free soft water is necessary, and when facing some precious rock teas, attention to detail people will also measure the “TDS” value of water.
A delicate rock tea can be brewed from 8g-12.5g to a few grams. Tea depends on the hand, and one can easily choose a tea vessel that suits their body shape, rather than using a covered bowl for endless use. In addition to the attention to capacity, the material also needs to be carefully considered. A lightweight lid bowl is just right for brewing new tea, while a purple clay teapot is more preferred for old tea and high fire skills. This way, the taste of the teapot and the tea are compatible, and it can shine brightly!
Brewing rock tea requires the most important “high temperature”. Rock tea has an extreme demand for high temperature, and boiling water in a sand pot can have a good effect on high-temperature insulation. If you don’t have a sand pot in your hand, you have to constantly pay attention to changes in water temperature.
The height, intensity, and angle of water injection have different effects on the strength of the release of the inner essence of rock tea. High impact highlights the aroma, and tea that is known for its aroma should choose high impact water injection. Low brew tea is more suitable for heavy roasting and pursuing a thick and flavorful taste.
Strong water injection can increase the release of flavor and aroma, but it can also bring a noticeable bitter taste; The water surface of the tea leaves injected with water in a cyclic manner is more uniform, resulting in better balance of the tea soup. The contact surface and time between the tea leaves injected with water at a fixed point will be different, thus better expressing the layered feeling of rock tea.
So when we are preparing to pour water, we should think about which side of the tea you want to represent, or which side it is originally?
Rock tea has a wide variety of varieties and is a versatile tea type. How to teach students according to their aptitude and be skillful should come in handy.
Among them, cinnamon is the most eye-catching and difficult to steep, especially when picking cinnamon with high tenderness. The content of caffeine and tea polyphenols will skyrocket. Although it is their nature to have a strong taste, they should not be overly indulgent and cause a sense of imbalance. How to balance it depends on the real skill of the tea maker.
Cinnamon in its growth phase
Listening to music requires a sense of rhythm, and brewing tea should be like this.
The rhythm of brewing tea is reflected in both the flavor of the tea and the overall feeling of drinking tea.
A tea can be brewed for as little as six or seven times, or as much as ten or so times. The amount of substances contained in tea is always limited. Whether you want it to present a feeling of fine water flowing continuously or whether each layer has layers and changes, this is the key to determining the optimal time for the tea to be brewed.
If you want simplicity to be true, you can quickly enter and exit in the first few bubbles. If you feel that the taste is not as good as before, then wait for a while;
If you want to make the tea climax repeatedly and fully release your true self, why not try our top recipe for you: the first five courses should be brewed in 30 seconds/20 seconds/35 seconds/45 seconds/60 seconds, provided that the tea to water ratio is well controlled! Otherwise, if you go too far, there’s nowhere to argue.
(The amount of tea added can be controlled at 2/3 or 1/2 of the container according to the state of the tea)
Two thirds of the amount of tea added
The rhythm of drinking tea refers to the connection between each steeping and the duration of each steeping. There should be ups and downs between the soups, and they should be stable. Therefore, tea makers need to learn to “control the situation”, not be hot or cold, not wait for too long, and not be flustered.
Otherwise, there will be a sudden feeling of “gas exhaustion” throughout the entire tea, which for tea lovers who love tea as much as their lives, there are always some small flaws and missing breaths when brewing tea.
If the tea is brewed well, the rhythm is well controlled, and you are with like-minded friends, then it is simply perfect. Your body is filled with dopamine that cannot be placed anywhere, and your heart is filled with happiness. Can’t the tea be even better to drink?! Having a beautiful mood can also empower tea soup! I’m in a good mood, but I didn’t brew the tea well. Unfortunately, the tea and beautiful mood are gone!
So, is it important to focus on scientific mysticism? Just make the tea! After all, it’s hard to buy gold. I’m happy!