Throughout history, there has been no shortage of accumulated experience when it comes to Tea tasting. The ancients spoke of the Nine Difficulties and Thirteen Desirables in tea tasting. According to Lu Yu in “The Classic of Tea – Chapter Six: Drinking,” “There are nine difficulties in tea: one is making, two is distinguishing, three is the utensil, four is the fire, five is the water, six is roasting, seven is grinding, eight is boiling, nine is drinking.” This indicates that each of the nine processes from picking to tasting requires considerable effort to do well.

In “Jia Cha Jian,” thirteen items are mentioned as desirable for tea: one is being unoccupied, two is having excellent guests, three is sitting quietly, four is reciting poetry, five is choosing calligraphy, six is strolling leisurely, seven is waking up from sleep, eight is recovering from a hangover, nine is having elegant offerings, ten is having a refined dwelling, eleven is meeting like-minded friends, twelve is appreciating art, thirteen is having a literate attendant. This suggests that tea should be enjoyed when free from mundane affairs, in a state of leisure, with guests who share high tastes and similar interests, while sitting quietly and enhancing the tea-drinking mood with poetry and calligraphy. It is best after a refreshing nap or waking from a deep sleep, in a serene little garden, walking aimlessly. Tea can alleviate the effects of a hangover, and in an exquisitely designed tea room, tea can be accompanied by refreshing snacks, while one leisurely savors the color, aroma, taste, and form of the tea. Beside you, there should be a quiet and agile tea attendant to serve tea.

Therefore, learning to appreciate tea requires a good state of mind. Tea tasting needs time; during leisure hours, one must concentrate on brewing a pot of tea for oneself, engage in a silent conversation with the tea, and express all aspects of the tea's color, aroma, and taste. This can only be achieved through long-term practice in tea brewing.

Brewing Puer Tea

1. Familiarize Yourself with the Nature of the Tea

To brew a fine pot of Puer tea, one must first understand its nature. Yunnan Puer tea can be divided into loose and compressed teas, new and old teas, raw and ripe teas; fermented teas can be lightly, moderately, or heavily fermented, each with distinct characteristics.

Only by understanding the nature of the tea being brewed, along with skillful brewing techniques, can the true beauty of Puer tea be revealed. The nature of the tea directly determines the choice of teaware, the amount of tea used, the temperature of the water for brewing, the pace of brewing, and the type of water used. In addition, there are many subtle relationships between the nature of the tea and the brewing method. Regarding the brewing techniques of Yunnan Puer tea, coarser teas differ from finer teas, green cakes differ from ripe cakes, aged teas differ from new teas, lightly fermented teas differ from more heavily fermented teas, etc. Therefore, before brewing, it is necessary to conduct a trial brewing of unfamiliar Puer teas to become familiar with their nature and determine the key points for brewing.

2. Brewing Techniques for Puer Tea

Amount of Tea Used

The amount of tea used in brewing Puer tea is not fixed. Generally, for quality tea leaves, the ratio of tea to water is about 1:40 or 1:45. When brewing Puer tea, the concentration of the tea soup can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the amount of tea used, or by controlling the brewing time. Moreover, different teas require different amounts of tea used. Generally, ripe and aged teas can use a larger quantity, while raw and new teas can use a smaller quantity.

Water Temperature for Brewing

Controlling the water temperature is crucial for revealing the nature of the tea. High temperatures facilitate the quick extraction of tea flavors but can also easily bring out bitterness and astringency. Therefore, the decision on the temperature of the water for brewing must vary depending on the type of tea. For example, coarser Puer cakes, bricks, compressed teas, and aged teas are suitable for boiling water. Finer and higher-grade bud teas and green cakes are better brewed with slightly cooler water.

Brewing Time

The length of the brewing time is crucial for the full expression of the tea's aroma and taste. Generally speaking, aged and coarser teas require longer brewing times, whereas new and finer teas require shorter brewing times. When brewing Puer tea, the brewing time should be determined based on the nature of the tea. The length of the brewing time directly affects the quantity and quality of the substances extracted into the tea soup, which in turn significantly impacts the quality of the tea soup. A common standard for brewing Puer tea is: the first infusion is quickly poured out after hot water is added, which helps to awaken the tea leaves. The second infusion is poured out after Steeping for 15 seconds after adding boiling water to taste the tea. Of course, the brewing time should be adjusted according to personal taste preferences. After the fourth infusion, each subsequent infusion increases the brewing time by 15 seconds, and so on.

3. Pouring Out the Tea Soup

Being able to enjoy a good cup of tea depends largely on the brewing process. Generally speaking, many factors can affect the taste of the tea, besides the inherent quality of the tea, the most significant factor is the pouring of water and the pouring out of the tea soup. Pouring out the tea soup is an indispensable step in brewing tea. Here are several methods for pouring out the tea soup when brewing tea.

Firstly, pour out the tea soup slowly and evenly, allowing the tea soup to blend in layers. The characteristic of this pouring method is that it makes the taste of the tea soup smoother and the texture of the tea soup more uniform. It also plays a role in fine-tuning the brewing time later on.

Secondly, pour out the tea soup quickly to make the aroma more pronounced. Washing the tea requires a fast pouring speed, so it is usually done using a quick in-and-out method. Besides being prominent in terms of aroma, quickly pouring out the tea soup can also make appropriate adjustments to the taste of the tea soup. However, one must also learn to maintain stability in speed and handle the situation flexibly.

The timing of pouring out the tea soup directly affects the taste and aroma of the tea soup. While ensuring a steady pouring speed, we should also strive to maintain smoothness in pouring out the tea soup. For Puer tea or any other fine tea, if there is an error in the timing of pouring out the tea soup under normal conditions of tea used, the tea soup will be too concentrated, resulting in weak aroma, pronounced bitterness, and astringency, affecting the pleasure of tea tasting. Therefore, the timing of pouring out the tea soup is very important. If not handled properly, a good pot of tea can be wasted.

Accurately mastering the method of pouring out the tea soup can play a certain regulating role in our tea soup. Although the process may seem simple, it involves the mastery of tea art techniques and the immediate application of the principles of tea appreciation. Therefore, to truly brew a good cup of tea, the key is to drink and brew more often, paying attention to the differences in every session, in order to truly learn how to brew tea.

Tasting Puer Tea (Taking Ripe Tea as an Example)

1. Purity

Purity is an important indicator of the refinement of the fermentation process of ripe tea. Whether the fermentation environment is hygienic, whether the method is correct, whether the degree of fermentation is appropriate, and whether the storage environment is ideal can all be assessed from the purity of the tea soup. Pure tea soup tastes clean and comfortable. If there is an unusual taste, it indicates that the hygiene conditions during production did not meet standards or that the tea was contaminated during later storage.

2. Aroma

Different raw materials and blending methods can produce