Many tea enthusiasts who are just starting to explore tea often wonder: which infusion is the best to drink?

There's a popular saying about each infusion: “First water, second tea, third and fourth are the essence, fifth and sixth are not bad, seventh has lingering fragrance, eighth has lasting taste, ninth and tenth still have aftertaste.”

This is indeed true. When tea leaves are first steeped, their flavor hasn't fully emerged. By the third or fourth infusion, the leaves have unfurled and their taste is at its peak—this is when the tea offers the best flavor. As more infusions follow, the tea's taste gradually fades, and the water becomes more prominent, but it still retains a pleasant aftertaste.

Some say:

The first infusion is like “first encounters in life.”

The third infusion is like “the early days of spring.”

The sixth infusion is like “the peak of autumn.”

The ninth infusion is like “unwilling to part.”

After all this, the main point is that every infusion of tea is enjoyable. If you savor it with your heart, you'll find that each infusion has its unique taste.

It is precisely because each infusion is different that drinking tea is such a delightful experience. If every infusion tasted the same, the pleasure of tasting tea would be lost.

Green Tea

Green tea is an unfermented tea, common examples include Longjing from West Lake and Biluochun. These teas are delicate and should not be steeped in boiling water; 80°C to 85°C is ideal, and the Steeping time should be 2 to 3 minutes.

Green tea is best enjoyed immediately after brewing. Steeping at too high a temperature or for too long can destroy nutrients like catechins and cause the aroma to dissipate. Generally, the essence of green tea lies in the second and third infusions, and by the fourth or fifth infusion, the flavor becomes rather bland.

Black Tea

Black tea is a fully fermented tea, and it's best to use boiling water for steeping, with a typical steeping time of 3 to 5 minutes. A short steeping time results in a lighter-colored tea with a milder taste.

Steeping for too long can make the tea bitter and lose its aroma. The flavor of black tea is usually at its best after one or two infusions, while higher-quality Gongfu black tea reaches its peak after three or four infusions.

Oolong Tea

Oolong Tea is a partially fermented tea, such as Tieguanyin and Dahongpao. Among them, Tieguanyin is considered the pinnacle of oolong tea, known for its “lingering fragrance after seven infusions.”

Tieguanyin tea leaves are tightly rolled, and they usually begin to unfurl by the third infusion, releasing their aroma. By the fourth infusion, the tea reveals its high fragrance, and even the sixth and seventh infusions retain some lingering fragrance. This means that the essence of Tieguanyin appears during the fourth infusion.

Pu'er Tea

Black tea, represented by Pu'er tea, is a post-fermented tea that continues to age naturally over time and can improve in flavor over a certain period.

Brewing Pu'er tea requires a bit more attention. It's customary to rinse the tea first by placing the leaves in a cup, pouring hot water over them, then discarding the water before adding fresh hot water and covering the cup. This not only filters out impurities but also makes the tea more fragrant.

Each subsequent infusion brings out the tea's flavor. Raw Pu'er cakes are very durable and can withstand 8 to 10 infusions, while ripe cakes don't last as long. The number of infusions depends directly on the amount of tea used and the steeping time. Most Pu'er teas are compressed, and the leaves may not fully open until the second infusion, so the essence begins from the third infusion. Many people believe that the third to fifth infusions are when Pu'er tea tastes the best.

Some believe that multiple infusions of tea can release harmful substances like pesticides and heavy metals. In fact, most pesticides used in tea production have extremely low water solubility. Even if someone drinks 10 grams of tea per day with a pesticide residue of 1 milligram per kilogram, the intake of pesticide would only be 0.0001 milligrams, which is thousands of times less than the daily intake limit set by the World Health Organization.

The leaching rate of lead, a heavy metal in tea, is also relatively low. As long as you purchase tea from reputable manufacturers, its content will not exceed national standards.

Drinking tea is like living life. How long is life? Life is just a breath. Seize the present and cherish the moment, for every instant is the best of life.