Gain Knowledge Brewing Black Tea

The boss has told everyone that our Zhengshan Xiaozhong is not afraid of boiling water, but some tea friends have said: they have other black teas at home now and also want to know how to brew them.

Therefore, the editor has compiled a collection today to introduce some common brewing methods for black tea.

Tea-to-Water Ratio

When brewing tea, it's essential to master the ratio of tea to water. Home brewing is often done by experience. The proportion of tea leaves to boiling water should also be adjusted accordingly.

When brewing black tea in a pot, the minimum amount of tea should be 5 grams. If the tea amount is too small, even with less water, it cannot fully bring out the aromatic and mellow taste of the black tea.

The ratio of tea to water also varies from person to person.

If the drinker prefers a stronger taste, the amount of tea can be appropriately increased to brew a cup of strong tea soup; if it is someone who doesn't usually drink tea habitually, the amount of tea can be appropriately reduced to brew a cup of light, fragrant, and mellow tea soup.

Choice of Teaware

In fact, black tea is the most包容性 (tolerant/inclusive) tea. It can be brewed using any kind of vessel—glassware, ceramic盖碗 (lidded bowl), or purple clay pot—and still demonstrate its excellent qualities.

The editor thinks this might be one reason why it is popular all over the world. It is suggested that tea friends can also try more experiments in terms of utensils.

Water Temperature Control

Usually, the water temperature for brewing black tea is 90°C. After adding water, the lid must be covered immediately to steep the tea, in order to maintain the fragrant quality of the black tea.

However, water temperature also has a certain relationship with the quality of the tea leaves. If the tea quality is better, high water temperature will not affect the taste and durability of the brewed black tea. For example, our Zhengshan Xiaozhong is not affected in terms of liquor color or number of brews even when the water temperature reaches 100°C.

Infusion Time (Steeping Time)

According to the editor's own experience of brewing black tea, most black teas do not require prolonged steeping. Because the rolling and fermentation time for most black teas is long, the tea soup releases its flavor quickly. Steeping it longer反而 (instead) makes it涩 (astringent/bitter).

However, good black tea, after being brewed up to ten times, can still yield the charm of black tea even if steeped for an additional minute, and the tea aroma will not be exhausted.

Number of Re-infusions

The leaching times of various effective components in tea leaves are different. During the first brewing of tea, about 50% to 55% of the soluble substances in the tea can be leached out; during the second brewing, about 30% can be leached out; during the third brewing, about 10% can be leached out; during the fourth brewing, only 2% to 3% can be leached out. Therefore, for most Gongfu black teas (whole-leaf style), it is best to brew only 2 to 3 times.

For broken black tea (Red Crush Tea), because the fresh leaves are fully rolled and cut finely during processing, it can only be brewed once to fully extract the tea juice.