How to prepare your tea?
A few simple tips to make your infusions, get the most of the flavors and benefits of your teas.
Quantities recommended: 4gr to 7gr for 15 to 20cl of water, depending on the teas and multiple infusions.
The infusion times are given approximately. Everybody, over time, should adapt them to their own personal taste, feeling, equipment and quantities of water used.
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Green Pu'Erh cake : 5 to 7gr - very brief infusions (30'', next 1'min' at 1.30'mins'), multiple infusions.
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Red Pu'Erh : 5 to 7gr, 1' at 2'mins' - multiple infusions.
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Black tea : 4 to 5gr, 2' at 3' - multiple infusions.
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White tea : 4 to 5gr, 3' or more - multiple infusions.
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Green tea : 4 to 5gr, 2 at 3' - multiple infusions.
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Oolong tea : 4gr, 1', next 1.30' at 3' - multiple infusions.
These infusion times vary according also to tea shape, loose tea leaves, rolled teas, pressed teas, especially for the first brewing. Rolled and compressed teas need a little time to open up in the teapot. In the end, the care brought to your tea and its preparation will be your best guide...
« En arrivant ici
J’entre d'emblée dans le pays du thé
D'humeur badine
J'ai le sourire aux lèvres. »
Lu Tung
Equipment and teaware
Porcelaine and glass are neutral materials, so it is possible to use them in the form of teapots, pots, infusers or gaiwans for any type of tea. We recommend either of these if you are to have only one piece of equipment to infuse your tea. Jindezhen porcelain, with its luminous white and subtle bluish tint, tends to be amateurs first choice.
- Noble clays of Yi Xing or Jiangshui: the beautiful little teapots used for Gong Fu Cha are made with these clays. They absorb a tiny amount of tea during infusion, which builds up a coating over time and enhances the tea's flavours. Therefore each teapot should only be used for one specific type of tea. About Jianshui teapot
Water
« L'eau d'une source de montagne est la meilleure, vient ensuite l'eau de la rivière et en dernier lieu l'eau du puit. » (Le classique du thé de LU YU).
The ideal is therefore a soft and very pure water. Each one will adapt depending on their supplies whilst aiming towards this standard. A filtered water is the minimum requirement, not hard and neutral in taste.
Temperature
Raw or ripe Pu'Erh teas need very hot water, 90-95 °C approx.
Green teas must be infused in slightly cooler water: 80-85°C.
White teas, more delicate and fragile, need around 80 °C water. With this kind of tea, be careful not to « cook » the buds with an overheated water.
Whatever the tea, always let water rest for a few moments after boiling to lower the temperature.
Preparing the infusion
We recommend 4 to 7 gr of tea for 15 to 20 cl of water for multiple infusions.
Infusion times are given as an indication. One will adapt according to their taste the material and the quantities of water used: the attention paid to your tea and its preparation will be your best guide.
- Raw Pu'Erh: 5 to 7 gr - very brief infusions (30 s, next 1min to 1.30 mins)
- Ripe Pu'Erh: 5 to 7 gr, 1 to 2 mins
- Black tea: 4 to 5 gr, 2 to 3 mins
- Green tea: 4 to 5 gr, 2 at 3 mins
- White tea: 4 to 5 gr, 3 mins
- Oolong tea: 4gr 2 to 3 mins
Put your leaves directly in the teapot, avoid «tea balls» and filters (even paper). So the tea cakes can spread and the rolled leaves will unfold freely.
Cover the leaves with hot water, wait 10 seconds. Discard the first water.
NB: rolled and compressed teas will take longer to flourish in the teapot.
Then infuse the leaves and drink. Do the same for successive infusions even several hours apart. In this case, empty the water from your teapot between two sessions.
Whilst you are enjoying your tea, you may infuse the leaves a second time around, adjusting the time to your personal preference. Your tea will hence not brew for too long and your will be able to enjoy it at the right temperature. You may proceed in the same way for the third and fourth infusions (sometimes more, depending on the type of tea, especially green Pu'Erh). These may be on the spur of the moment or left until later. And in the end when your tea will have revealed all its aromas to you, the tea leaves may still be used to fertilize your plants.