Tired and weary, it's time to brew some Tea! For many Pu'er tea enthusiasts, brewing tea is an essential yet most enjoyable moment of the day. However, many people soon discover that when the same tea is brewed by different people, its flavor can vary greatly. At this point, experienced individuals would say: “Theory is pale, practice makes perfect in the world of tea.”
Brewing tea is ultimately an interesting endeavor, and a heart immersed in it will eventually find the true joy of being a tea person.
Theory is pale, practice makes perfect in the world of tea.
To interpret the nature of tea during brewing, one needs solid basic brewing skills, taking into account four key factors: the tea, water, vessel, and brewer. One must interpret while adjusting the brewing technique, and continue interpreting through adjustments, to find the best way to brew a particular tea, achieving the cup of tea we desire.
For example, with the same tea, we can flexibly adjust and combine elements such as the amount of tea used, brewing temperature, Teaware, and brewing method to create different schemes for repeated brewing, allowing for a multifaceted interpretation. When drinking alone, one might use a small amount of tea with a Steeping method; when serving a large group, a larger pot with a higher quantity of tea and quick brewing could be employed; among a few friends, the tea can be first brewed then boiled; when traveling by car, an insulated flask can be used for steeping to refresh and alleviate fatigue. Each method offers a unique tasting experience. By using various brewing methods to interpret the tea, we become more familiar with its “character.”
Of course, different combinations of brewing schemes should be based on an understanding and familiarity with the tea's nature, not random experimentation. For instance, brewing a 20-year-old raw Pu'er with a Gaiwan often results in suboptimal outcomes; similarly, brewing a new tea by steeping it in a clay pot may ruin the tea.
To become familiar with your tea, the most important and effective approach is to become “friends” with it. Between friends, frequent communication leads to a deeper understanding, and over time, you can read each other's minds. Ultimately, it all comes down to the word “familiarity.”
How do you become “friends” with tea? It's simple; when interacting with tea, focus your mind on it. When prying open the tea, think about how the tea wants to be handled. The tea clearly prefers that you maintain its original form, so follow its natural structure to keep the leaves intact rather than breaking them carelessly. When selecting teaware, consider what the tea prefers. For example, forcing large-leafed teas into a small-necked pot would make the tea feel cramped, leading to less-than-ideal results. When controlling water temperature, think about whether the tea likes it. If you pour boiling water and continue brewing even after the temperature drops significantly, the tea will complain that it's not hot enough. During brewing, remember how long the tea in the pot wants to steep. Over-steeping makes the tea too bitter and astringent, while under-steeping leaves it unsatisfying. There are many similar considerations. This principle is akin to cooking; you need to focus on the ingredients to cook well, and if your mind wanders, the dish often turns out poorly.
For our own teas, especially those we drink regularly, by paying attention to their strengths, weaknesses, and character, and adapting our brewing techniques accordingly, we can easily brew excellent tea. For example, with an 11-year-aged tea, through repeated brewing, we know its strengths are proper aging and high drinkability, with rich middle infusions and sweet tail infusions, while its weakness is bitterness in the early infusions (the first five steeps). Before brewing, we can thoroughly pre-wet the tea to awaken it. During the early infusions, avoid excessive steeping, and after pouring out the tea, uncover the pot to cool it down (while avoiding excessive cooling to ensure adequate temperature for the next steep). In the middle infusions (steeps 6-10), extend the steeping time and heat the pot to produce a smooth and viscous tea liquor. In the tail infusions (after 10 steeps), we can freely steep or boil the tea.
It's worth noting that tea is constantly changing, and so are we. Therefore, our understanding of tea should also evolve. For many Pu'er enthusiasts, we often have the feeling that after revisiting a tea that hasn't been tasted in a year or so, we gain new insights. This is because the tea continues to transform, and our tasting states (physical and mental states, knowledge of tea, and tasting experience requirements) also change. This gives us more variations in tasting Pu'er tea, allowing us to discover pleasant surprises.
One could say that from opening a cake of tea to brewing a cup, there lies a path leading to the profound and wondrous world of the seven sons, attracting countless explorers. Fellow tea lovers, hurry up, the scenery ahead is uniquely beautiful.
This article is excerpted from
“The Way to Open a Cake of Raw Pu'er”
Author: Yi Pin Cha Tong
Originally published in Pu'er Magazine
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