Winter is here, and boiling dark Tea is a popular choice for many tea enthusiasts. However, boiling dark tea isn't like boiling pork ribs – simply throwing them into a pot and boiling them won't do. It's not that simple! Come along with Little Leaf to learn about the guide for boiling dark tea.

1. What kind of dark tea is suitable for boiling?
⒈ When boiling tea, prioritize compressed teas and older dark teas, as their compressed form and age help lock in aroma and flavor, making the boiled tea more flavorful.
⒉ Lower-grade dark teas, such as aged dark tea bricks, are recommended for boiling because they have coarse leaves and many stems, which make them very durable and easier to extract flavor from when boiled. If they have been aged, such as aged dark tea bricks and flower bricks, even better!
⒊ Higher-grade dark teas, such as Sky Tip (Tianjian), should be aged for at least 3-5 years before boiling to bring out more character. New teas without any aging process will result in a less smooth broth lacking the aged aroma, so it's not recommended to boil them.

2. How do you adjust the tea-to-water ratio?
According to tea enthusiasts' preferences, the general tea-to-water ratio for boiling dark tea is around 1:50-60.
3. How do you adjust the water temperature?
1. Aged dark teas are rich in substance and very durable, and you can first steep them using a lidded bowl before boiling. This way, you can maximize the utilization of the rich substances in dark tea, and the resulting boiled tea will have a full-bodied and layered taste.
2. If you're boiling the tea directly, never put the tea in cold water to boil. Boiling the tea in cold water ensures that the tea and water are in full contact, but it can easily cause excessive extraction of substances from the tea, making the tea broth overly bitter and astringent. Tea boiled in cold water often has a strong taste and is not very durable.
3. Boiling the tea in boiling water is the correct method. After the water boils, add the prepared tea leaves and let them boil together for one minute. Then turn off the heat and use the residual heat to continue heating for approximately two minutes before drinking. The tea brewed this way will not be overly bitter or astringent and will be more durable, making it perfect for regular consumption.

From this, we can see that boiling water is suitable for boiling dark tea.
4. How do you refill after finishing a pot?
1. When pouring the tea, don't pour out all the tea from the Teapot; leave some water behind. This method is called the “root retention method,” and the remaining tea broth is known as the mother broth.
2. The purpose of the mother broth is to maintain the overall style and character of the tea broth and keep the taste consistent, preventing the tea from becoming too weak too quickly. If you pour out all the tea from the pot, the current pot may be smooth, thick, and pleasant to drink, but the next pot will not taste the same, which can be disappointing.
3. The root retention method not only helps maintain the flavor of the tea broth but also makes the tea leaves more durable.