Green Tea is the most produced and sold among the six major types of Chinese Tea, and it is also the most well-known. In the selection of China's top ten famous teas in 1959, more than half were green teas, such as West Lake Longjing, Jiangsu Biluochun, Huangshan Maofeng, Liuan Guapian, etc. Previously, Your Dao Jun has published some articles discussing Green Tea, which sparked a lot of interest from tea enthusiasts. However, how to brew a delicious cup of green tea still leaves many people feeling confused. Today, we will introduce some key points about brewing green tea.
The brewing methods of green tea are as follows:
Top Pour Method: Fill the teacup with hot water all at once, then add the tea leaves when the water temperature is appropriate. This method is suitable for extremely tender stir-fried green teas and tender oven-dried green teas.
Middle Pour Method: Add the tea leaves first, then pour in one-third of the hot water. Once the tea leaves have absorbed enough water and unfurled, fill the cup with hot water. This method is suitable for slightly tender but loose or tightly compacted ordinary green teas.
Bottom Pour Method: Add the tea leaves first, then fill the teacup (tea bowl) with hot water all at once. This method is suitable for less tender ordinary green teas.
Cool Before Hot Method: After adding the tea leaves, use a small amount of drinkable lukewarm water to soak them for about three minutes, allowing the tea leaves to absorb enough water and fully unfurl, then fill the cup with hot water.
Precautions for Brewing Green Tea:
1. Green tea should not be brewed too strong, as this can affect the secretion of gastric juice. Moreover, those with high blood pressure or heart disease should not drink overly concentrated tea.
2. Do not drink on an empty stomach, as green tea is a cool-natured beverage that may cause diarrhea.
3. Do not drink the first infusion; after pouring hot water, swirl and discard it, then use fresh boiling water to re-infuse before drinking.
4. Control the water temperature between 80°C and 90°C. When brewing green tea powder, use lukewarm water around 40°C to 60°C.
5. Drink freshly brewed green tea within 30 to 60 minutes, as the nutrients in the tea may become unstable if left too long.