Tea - which brew tastes the best? You may have heard a saying describing the taste of each brew:
It goes like this: 'The first brew is water, the second is tea, the third and fourth are the essence, the fifth and sixth are still good, the seventh has lingering fragrance, the eighth leaves a lasting taste, and the ninth and tenth still offer something to savor.' At this point, it seems the answer is clear—the third and fourth brews are the essence. But is this really the case?
Indeed! When tea leaves are first brewed, the flavor hasn't fully developed yet. You can't truly taste the tea's real character. By the third and fourth brews, the leaves have fully expanded, and the tea's flavor is at its peak. As you continue brewing, the tea flavor gradually weakens, and the wateriness becomes more pronounced, but the taste remains pleasant.
Some people have deep emotional connections to each brew of tea, even describing them with poetic phrases. For example, the first brew is likened to 'love at first sight,' the third to 'the budding beauty of youth,' the sixth to 'the golden hues of autumn,' and the ninth to 'a lingering reluctance to leave.' This illustrates that every brew of tea can be enjoyable if you take the time to savor and appreciate it, discovering its unique charm.
The process of brewing tea is enjoyable precisely because each infusion offers a different flavor, adding excitement to our daily lives. Imagine if every brew tasted the same—where would the fun in tea drinking be? From a taste perspective, to determine which brew is the best, you must try each one and draw your own conclusions. From the perspective of tea appreciation, every brew offers its own unique delight.