01

When drinking Tea, the first step not to be skipped is “appreciating the tea.”

From the perspective of the person brewing the tea, they need to gain information through appreciating the tea.

This helps them decide on the type of Teapot material, the temperature of the water, the tea-to-water ratio (i.e., the amount of tea used), and the Steeping time.

From the perspective of the tea drinker, by appreciating the tea, they can understand the degree of fermentation, rolling, tenderness, roasting, and post-fermentation or aging of the leaves.

This knowledge will deepen their understanding of the tea when they taste it. Therefore, before brewing or someone else brews the tea, it's best to carefully observe the tea leaves first.

About a pot's worth of tea should be placed in a tea presentation dish, and each person involved in brewing and tasting should take turns to appreciate it.

Do not touch the tea with your hands at this time. If you want to smell the aroma, do not inhale or exhale close to the tea leaves.

Why say “appreciate the tea” instead of just “look at the tea” before brewing? Because “appreciating the tea” is not the same as “scrutinizing the tea leaves.”

Drinking Tea, except for tea production, evaluation, and purchasing, is all about appreciation and enjoyment. Otherwise, why spend money on tea only to constantly diagnose it?

In the stage where the brewer looks at the tea, we specially refer to it as “understanding the tea,” because the brewer must clearly see the various conditions of the tea leaves to determine the brewing method.

However, when the taster looks at the tea, they should adopt an “appreciative” attitude towards preparing for the act of drinking tea, which is then referred to as “appreciating the tea.”

02

The second step not to skip when drinking tea is looking at the infused leaves.

After a few rounds of brewing, the tea leaves are fully hydrated and unfurled, revealing their true appearance after processing.

Unless the leaves have been over-roasted or excessively piled, causing them to carbonize and not unfurl even after long steeping times, the brewed tea leaves are always spread out for everyone to view.

At this point, the brewer and tasters can clearly see the degree of fermentation, rolling, roasting, piling, and aging from the unfurled leaves.

The characteristics of the cultivar, the condition of the fresh leaves when picked, the extent of damage during packaging and transportation, and even the quality of the brewing technique, can all be laid bare.

The practice of “appreciating the infused leaves” is not universally applied in the tea world. After brewing, people often feel that having drunk the tea is enough. If the tea residue is simply thrown into the trash, it shows no lingering affection for the tea.

“Appreciating the infused leaves” serves two purposes: it allows the brewer and drinkers to understand the tea's past and present through the unfolded leaves, serving as a major way of understanding and appreciating the tea.

On the other hand, the tea has given its essence throughout its life, and those who drink it should cherish and express gratitude towards it.

After appreciating the infused leaves, pour them into a waste leaf bowl. After the tea gathering, dispose of them on soil so that they can return to the earth as basic elements.

03

The third step not to skip when drinking tea is “tea snacks.”

Tea snacks are small bites consumed while drinking tea; they don't refer to snacking on sunflower seeds or eating desserts. Instead, they are meant to change the taste in your mouth and adjust your mood after drinking tea for a while.

With this in mind, tea snacks should be small, one or two bites at most. They shouldn't require much chewing, produce residue to spit out, stick to your teeth, but they should be exquisite and not overpower the aroma and flavor of the tea.

After consuming the tea snack, clean up the utensils and return to the original state of tea drinking.

Only the teacup should be in front of the taster, with no paper, cutlery, tissues, or other miscellaneous items on the tea table. Otherwise, the end result might look like a mess, making it unclear whether you are drinking tea or eating.

Since it is called tea tasting, the focus should be on drinking tea, and eating tea snacks is just a garnish, a pause, before continuing the main melody of tea tasting.

Some opinions suggest not eating tea snacks when drinking tea, emphasizing the avoidance of external distractions and the importance of pure tea drinking.

Therefore, the tea industry rarely discusses how to apply tea snacks to tea settings, which makes their use seem less formal and without clear guidelines.

However, tea snacks often play a decorative and humorous role in the process of tea tasting and can also give the palate and sense of smell a rest.

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