The Tea Family

From a Bitter Plant "Tu" to “Cha" (Tea)
The custom of drinking tea originated from the time of Prince Zhou of the state of Lu. Commonly believed to have been first used as a medicine, it later evolved into a drink. Originally known as “lu,” after the bitter edible plant, it was also called “ming.” The name “cha” first replaced “tu" during the mid-Tang Dynasty and is commonly used today.
Teas are usually named after their place of origin. Examples include Qimen Black Tea, West Lake Long Jing, Huangshan Maofeng, etc. They are also named after their shapes, such as Queshe (sparrow tongue). The ones named after the tea trees they are harvested from are Dahongpao, Tieguanyin. etc. The ones named after the season they are harvested in are Yuqian Cha (harvested before rain), Mingqian Cha (harvested before the Qingming festival), Qiu Cha (Autumn Tea) or Dongpian (Winter Tea). Named after fermentation, there is the “fully fermented tea,” the “half-fermented tea" and the "non-fermented tea." "Border sales tea," "exported tea," "domestic sales tea," "foreign sales tea," etc., derive their names from their area of sale.

Tea Leaves Classifications
Chinese tea leaves can be classified into two major types. (1) Basic tea leaves are freshly picked and processed before being made into green tea, black tea, Oolong tea, yellow tea, white tea and dark tea. (2) Reprocessed tea leaves are treated and reprocessed basic tea leaves made into flower tea, compressed tea, tea extracts, fruit tea, herbal tea, tea bags or tea flavored drinks, etc.

Green tea
Green tea is a type of unfermented tea, easily recognized by its green leaves and tea liquid. There are two types of green tea— quality green tea and mainstream green tea . Quality green tea is usually hand produced in limited quantity. Examples include West Lake Long Jing, Dongting Bi Luo Chun, etc. When brewed in a glass teacup, one can admire the leaves unfurl in a “dance of tea leaves." The shape of the tea leaves can be differentiated into twisted, flat-shaped, spiral-shaped and various other shapes. Mainstream green tea is usually mass-produced by machines. The quality is of mid to low standard, usually made for export. A certain amount is used to fumigate flower teas. Sun-dried green tea is mostly used to produce compressed tea.

Black tea
Black tea is a type of fully fermented tea. Its black tea leaves and liquid is easily recognizable. It can be further classified as Gongfu Black Tea, Broken Black Tea and Small Species Black Tea. Gongfu Black Tea is the traditional Chinese black tea. Known varieties include Yunnan's Dianhong Gongfu, Anhui’s Keemun Gongfu, etc. Broken Black Tea requires simultaneous kneading and cutting, thus the final product are grainlike tea leaves, usually sold internationally. Small Species Black Tea is the earliest form of black tea. The Zhengshan Small Species Black Tea is of the best quality.

Oolong tea
Oolong tea can be classified according to its place of production—Southern Min Oolong, Northern Min Oolong, Guangdong Oolong and Taiwan Oolong. Northern Min Oolong's degree of fermentation is stronger; it is straight and coarse. Sometimes, the end is twisted. The leaves are edged black. Thirty percent of the leaf is black and seventy percent is green. Examples include Wuyi Narcissus, Wuyi Cassia, etc.

A Master Tea Brewer’s Three-step Formula

Step 1: Pre-brewing Preparation
There are three things that we should take note of before beginning the brewing process.
First, prepare the tea leaves. Take out an appropriate amount of tea leaves as per the number of guests. Next boil water-different tea requires water of different temperature. Avoid re-boiling water. Also, one must make sure that the amount of water poured into the kettle is enough. Lastly, prepare the needed tools or condiments in accordance to the type of tea brewed. For example, when brewing black tea, one should keep sugar cubes and cream.

Step 2: Brewing
A tea-brewing expert pays close attention to three aspects: water temperature, quantity of tea leaves and brewing time. The water temperature for different tea types vary. For example, Oolong tea should be brewed in boiling water. Green tea requires about 80°C. The amount of tea leaves varies in accordance to the taste of the guests. When brewing tea in a cup, the ratio of tea to water is usually 1:50; in a pot, the ratio changes depending on the type of tea leaves and the preferences of the tea drinker. Finally, as tea leaves are produced in different places and harvested at different times, the time for brewing varies. Usually, tea brewed in a cup is ready after steeping for 2 to 3 minutes. However, some teas may take longer. For example, White Peony Tea requires steeping for 5 minutes. Also, tea brewed in a pot is steeped for different time lengths. For example, the first infusion of Oolong tea is very short, needing only approximately 40 seconds. Subsequent infusions take a little longer.

Step 3: Cleaning and storing the tea set after use
Clean and store the tea sets immediately after use. Tea dregs left in the teapot over an extended period of time begin to rot. This will cause the flavor of the tea being lost in
subsequent brewing. Also, tea dust accumulates easily on the tea set. Do not use dishwashing detergents to clean Yixing teapots because the teapot will absorb the chemicals present, thus affecting the quality of the tea. Drain the tea dregs and wash the Zisha teapot with plain water. Porcelain or glass items can be cleaned
with dishwashing detergents. Ensure that the handles, base and inner walls are cleaned. Use soft materials such as cotton cloths in cleaning. Metal mesh or other hard materials will scratch the glazed surface of these items. Dry with the tea towel. The tea towel should also be washed and dried. Lastly, ensure safety by turning off all electrical appliances. Take extra care in caring for the tea set. For example, bamboo or wooden tea trays tend to crack and leak if it is not used frequently during dry seasons. Cover it with a moist towel.
Tea Tips
The selection of the tea set is very important. The taste and fragrance of different tea leaves vary when brewed in different tea sets.

Tea Distribution

In other lo ensure that the flavor of the tea is distributed evenly, first pour the tea into the fairness cup before distributing it in each tea appreciation cup. Pour the tea directly from the teapot in a sweeping arc motion to ensure the even distribution of the flavor-this is known as "General Guan touring the city walls " The residual essence of tea in the antique teapots should also be evenly distributed into each individual cup a drop at a time-this is known as “Han Xin inspecting the troops."

Tea Tips
General Guan touring the city walls, Han Xin inspecting the troops
General Guan and Han Xin are historical figures of different dynasties. One often hears the phrases 'General Guan touring the city walls and "Han Xin inspecting the troops" following consecutively. In the early days, people used the so-called "Chaoshan four treasures." namely, the Chaoshan stove (to light a fire in the mud stove), the )ade book (to boil water in a clay pot), the Mengchen teapot (to brew the tea) and the Ruochen cup(to drink the tea). The amount of tea leaves added was usually very large. The pot would usually be 70-80% full. Therefore, the tea brewed was very strong. To distribute the flavor evenly, the large tea cups were arranged either in a straight line or in the form of a pyramid and swept across the cups in a smooth motion while pouring the tea. This move was known as "General Guan touring the city walls." The last drops of tea have the strongest flavor. It is known as the essence of the tea and must be evenly distributed-one drop per cup. This was known as "Han Xin inspecting the troops".

A Half-cup Of Tea; A Full Cup Of Wine

When serving tea, the appropriate amount is to fill only seven-tenth of the vintage tea cups. Filling the cup to the brim is considered impolite. Even the second cup of tea should be seven-tenth full. When using aroma cups and the tea appreciation cups, first distribute the tea into each aroma cup before swirling it around and pouring it into the tea appreciation cup. Avoid overflowing.

"Brewing from High” and “Serving from Low"

"Brewing from High"
"Brewing from high" is a distinctive method of pouring water during the process of brewing tea.
There are three ways of pouring water. In the first, boiling water is directly poured into the tea cup until it is seven-tenth full or the teapot is full. In the second method, one pours the water either anticlockwise or clockwise. In the third method, "the phoenix dips its head thrice,” circle up and down three times in rhythm. Ensure that the amount of water poured is just right and not a drop is wasted.
This movement is a show of respect to the guest. Usually the water is poured from a height. The force of the water scatters the tea leaves, causing the flavor of the tea to be distributed more evenly.

"Serving from Low"
When serving the tea, it is best to pour from a low height. The fairness cup or the teapot should be held slightly higher than the rim of the tea cup, but it should not touch the rim. The purpose is to avoid losing the fragrance of the tea or spilling the tea. Hold the tea towel with one hand, and pick up the fairness cup or the teapot with the other. If the spout of the fairness cup or the teapots are wet, wipe it immediately. It is impolite to let tea drip into a cup. Wipe the spout after serving each cup.
1. Brewing from high
2. Serve from low
3. Wipe the spout of the fairness cup or the teapot after serving every cup.

Tea Knife

When brewing compressed tea leaves, such as tea bricks or tea discs, it is necessary to use the tea knife.
Slide the tea knife into the tea the tea discs at an angle.
Press the handle of the tea knife down to dislodge the tea leaves.
Press the thumb on leaves to pick up the dislodged tea leaves.

Tea Plate

The tea plate is used to keep the dry tea leaves. It is used to display the tea leaves during tea art performances. Avoid touching the edge of the plate with your hands when picking up the tea leaves.
Hold the tea plate firmly with fingers of one hand, support its base with the other hand.
Tilt the tea plate and gently sweep the tea leaves into the teapot.
Tea Tips
Use small unscented porcelain, wooden or bamboo containers or saucers as tea plates.