Eight Essentials of Tea Tasting

Partial training content from World Expo Tea Fairies

Tea tasting can be summarized in eight words: Prepare, Clean, Select, Brew, Serve, Drink, Refill, Clear.

Specifically:

Prepare: The first procedure of tea tasting, including preparation of four aspects: tea leaves, boiled water, tea sets, and the tea tasting environment.

Clean (Warm): Refers to the process of washing and heating tea utensils, mainly serving to disinfect, warm cups, and awaken the tea.

Select (Choose): Prepare various types of tea according to guests' preferences, tastes, and tea drinking customs, allowing guests to choose their tea.

Brew (Steep): When brewing tea, movements should be gentle and steady. When pouring water, lift the teapot up and down three times, pouring from high to low,

known as "Phoenix Nodding Three Times." The purpose is to allow the tea leaves to fully absorb water in the cup, facilitating the display of color, release of aroma, and development of flavor in the cup. At this time, carefully distinguish the sound of water during brewing and observe the changes in the tea leaves from floating to sinking (mainly for Green Tea).

Serve (Present): When serving tea to guests, avoid grabbing the cup rim or holding the cup body. The correct method is to respectfully support the bottom of the cup with the left hand, preferably with a saucer underneath, and hold the cup body with the thumb, index, and middle fingers of the right hand.

Taste: After receiving the tea, guests should not drink it all in one gulp. Instead, take a small sip from the cup rim, allowing the tea to pass through the tongue, spread to the base of the tongue and throat, directly stimulating the taste buds. At this point, one can carefully sip and savor it.

Refill (Add): When refilling tea for guests, do not wait until they have almost finished the cup before adding hot water. Instead, refill frequently with small amounts. China has the custom of "shallow tea, full wine," so etiquette must be observed. Generally, fill the cup to about 70% capacity with tea.

Clear: Only after the guests have left should you clean the tea sets and store them for next use.