Transparent glass cups, leisure cups, and white porcelain bowls with lids are ideal for brewing green tea. For green tea, you can choose a transparent, patternless glass cup or white, light blue, or blue-and-white porcelain cups without lids. A patternless glass cup is best as it allows for better appreciation of the green tea's shape and color.
What Kind of Tea Ware Is Best for Green Tea?
1. Porcelain Cups
Porcelain cups are suitable for brewing mid-to-high-grade green teas, such as stir-fried green teas (grades one and two), pearl green teas, baked green teas, sun-dried green teas, etc., where the focus is on taste, flavor, or quenching thirst. Typically, observe the tea's color, aroma, and shape before brewing. The “middle Infusion method” can be used, Pouring near-boiling water at 95–100°C over the tea, and covering the cup to retain the aroma and maintain the water temperature, which helps the tea leaves to unfurl and sink to the bottom of the cup. After 3–5 minutes, remove the lid, smell the aroma, taste the tea, and judge the strength of the tea soup. Drink up to three infusions. This brewing method is convenient for serving guests or Drinking Tea during office hours.
2. Teapots
Teapots are generally not recommended for brewing fine and precious green teas, as the larger volume of water makes it difficult to cool down, leading to oversteaming of the tea leaves and loss of freshness and fragrance. The pot brewing method is suitable for mid-to-low-grade green teas, which contain more fiber and are more durable in brewing, resulting in a stronger tea flavor. To Brew, first clean the teapot, add green tea, and pour boiling water at 100°C until full. After 3–5 minutes, pour into cups for drinking. When there are many people drinking tea, using a teapot is better as the focus is not on appreciating the tea but rather on quenching thirst, or enjoying tea while chatting and socializing.
3. Glass Cups
Glass cups are suitable for brewing fine and precious green teas, allowing for full appreciation of their appearance and quality. Using a transparent glass cup to brew delicate and famous green teas enables observation of the slow unfolding, movement, and transformation of the tea in the water. After Cleaning the glass cup, pour 85–90°C water into the cup, then add the green tea. Generally, no lid is needed, and after 3–5 minutes, the tea can be consumed.
What Is the Best Tea Ware for Green Tea?
The best tea ware for green tea is a glass cup. Glass tea ware is most suitable for brewing green tea, especially patternless glass cups. China has a long history of ceramics and lacquerware, and during the Song and Yuan dynasties, ceramics became a major export product. However, glass products were introduced from foreign countries. Glass was originally made by Phoenicians using natural soda and quartz sand melted under heat. Around the 4th century, the ancient Romans began using glass in windows and doors. In 1688, Nave invented a process for making large pieces of glass, making it a common item. Glass products were introduced to China in the early Qing Dynasty, although unlike porcelain, they have not existed in China for as long, they play an indispensable role in our lives today.
The greatest feature of glass is its transparency and insulation. During the brewing process, green tea leaves unfold in the water, creating a beautiful change. If a glass cup is used, the transformation of the green tea in the water can be clearly seen, and the color of the tea soup changing from light to dark can be observed through the cup. With a glass cup, you can fully appreciate the brewing process of green tea. At the same time, green tea leaves are delicate, and if brewed in a purple clay pot or porcelain pot with a lid, the tea will be trapped inside. If not properly controlled, the tea leaves can quickly become overcooked, making the tea bitter. With a glass cup and no lid, the degree of brewing can be controlled, allowing the green tea to slowly release its aroma in hot water, thus enjoying the best-tasting green tea.
The Correct Method for Brewing Green Tea
Brewing Step 1: Tea Ware – For drinking green tea, usually use a transparent glass cup, porcelain cup, or tea bowl. Porcelain cups and bowls are made of white porcelain, which enhances the presentation of the green tea leaves and tea soup.
Brewing Step 2: Water Quality – The water quality for brewing green tea should be good. Typically, choose clean, high-quality mineral water or purified tap water. The water should be neutral or slightly acidic, avoiding alkaline water, which would darken the tea soup.
Brewing Step 3: Water Temperature – Boil the water just enough so that the tea brewed retains its freshness. The optimal water temperature for brewing is around 80°C, as higher temperatures can damage the chlorophyll in high-quality green tea, turning it yellow, and also cause oxidation of tea polyphenols, making the tea soup yellow and causing many aromatic substances to evaporate, losing the tea's fragrance.
Brewing Step 4: Tea-to-Water Ratio – A ratio of 1:50 to 1:60 (one gram of tea to 50–60 ml of water) is appropriate, producing tea soup of moderate concentration with a fresh and mellow taste.
Brewing Step 5: Pour the hot water into the tea cup using the “three nods of the phoenix” gesture, allowing the hot water to agitate the tea leaves, causing them to move up and down, and facilitating the extraction of the tea essence. Additionally, when brewing, first pour a small amount of hot water to allow the tea leaves to soak, then after a short while, pour the water to within 1–2 cm of the rim of the cup. Most of the effective components in green tea are extracted during the first brewing, and after three brewings, nearly all components are extracted. Therefore, green tea is typically brewed three times. Very delicate and high-grade teas can usually be brewed twice.