What Is the Proper Way to Drink Tea

Learn the art of tea drinking with this step-by-step guide, offering tips for proper preparation and appreciation. Discover the traditions of Chinese tea culture and enhance your sensory experience through mindful brewing, tasting, and serving.

Jiang Yitao

10/13/20243 min read

Drinking tea is more than simply a casual task in several societies; it is a polished art that calls for focus to information and respect for tradition. While individual choices play a role, this guide offers a structured approach to improve the tea-drinking experience, particularly in the context of typical Chinese tea society. By adhering to these steps, you can completely appreciate the depth of taste and aroma that tea has to supply.

A Step-by-Step Guide

Prepare the Tea Set

Start by preparing the tea set, including the teapot, tea mugs, and a fragrance cup for valuing the tea's aroma. Use boiling water to heat these things, which assists maintain the tea's temperature level and guarantees the tools are clean. Proper prep work sets the stage for a refined tea experience.

Place the Tea

Next off, include an appropriate quantity of tea entrusts to the teapot or tea cup, based upon your taste and the kind of tea. Lighter teas may require fewer leaves, while more powerful teas call for more. This step permits you to change the strength and taste of the tea according to your choice.

Divide the Tea

Put the tea right into individual mugs, filling them about seven-tenths full. This makes sure the tea's fragrance spreads within the cup and avoids spilling. Splitting the tea uniformly maintains consistency in top quality and toughness.

Serve the Tea

When serving tea, usage both hands to offer the cup to guests. This gesture shows respect and attention in the tea-making procedure, stressing the value of friendliness in standard tea culture.

Smell the Aroma

Guests need to put the tea into a fragrance cup and gently sniff the scent. This step aids fully value the tea's scent, which adds deepness to the total experience.

Taste the Tea

Ultimately, guests must hold the cup with 3 fingers and take little sips. This technique allows for a conscious tasting of the tea's color, fragrance, and taste. Each sip needs to be enjoyed to value the tea's subtleties.

Conclusion

While this guide supplies a standard method for tea preparation and consumption, it is essential to keep in mind that there is no single "right" way to enjoy tea. This method stands for simply one example of the abundant variety in tea world, particularly within chinese tea culture. We hope this guide functions as a beneficial reference and influences you to check out and adjust your own tea-drinking practices.

A Yixing teapot is placed on a wooden stand, which rests on the surface of the water, creating rippl
A Yixing teapot is placed on a wooden stand, which rests on the surface of the water, creating rippl

Wash the Tea

Washing the tea involves briefly moistening the leaves with boiling water and after that discarding it. This step removes impurities and awakens the tea's flavors. Although easy, it's essential for guaranteeing that the tea is pure and ready for brewing.

Brew the Tea

Put boiling water into the teapot or cup, adjusting the temperature according to the tea kind. Green tea needs slightly cooler water (around 80 ° C or 175 ° F), while black tea calls for boiling water (100 ° C or 212 ° F). Change the brewing time based upon the tea type to unlock its complete flavor.

Skimming the Foam

As the tea makes, foam might base on the surface. Delicately remove this foam making use of the teapot cover to make sure the tea stays clear and pure. This action, referred to as "Spring Wind," improves the tea's clearness and taste.

Seal the Pot

Cover the teapot with its lid to secure in the tea's scent. This step protects the scent and allows the tastes to totally establish, ensuring a richer sensory experience when serving. Many people use yixing clay teapot for premium warm retention, which enhances the tea's flavor and richness over time.

Two Yixing cups engraved with artwork
Two Yixing cups engraved with artwork