Six Essential Factors for Brewing Good Tea 2

One Tea One World, One Pot One Universe;
In One’s Palm move the Heaven and Earth,
With the delicate fragrance heart is contented.

Choosing Good Tea

The first step in brewing good tea is to choose good quality tea leaves. Confronted with various kinds of tea leaves, you have to first know where to find the type that you want. There are six broad types of Chinese tea. Each one is influenced by the production site, the method of production, and the roasting and fermentation degree which in turn change the color of the tea. The so-called good quality tea leaves do not necessarily mean expensive tea leaves. What’s considered good is relative; you must take price and quality into consideration in order to be objective. Choosing tea is like choosing wine; with more experience you’ll understand how to choose tea.

First, you have to observe the tea. Are the leaves neat and tidy? How is the fragrance and taste? How is the physical appearance? After brewing the tea, the most important aspect is the fragrance and taste. From the color of the tea, the degree of transparency and limpidity will determine the quality of tea. If the color of the tea is bright and natural, it’s a good tea!

In addition, you have to choose what the customers like and what’s suitable for their taste. This is the basic criterion. How do you choose the right flavor? We suggest using fragrance and aftertaste as a guide. Since the “ten thousand characteristics” of tea are mainly from the aroma of tea, good tea leaves will make you feel refreshingly delightful! If you like delicate fragrance, you can choose the oolong and green tea series; if you like strong and rich aroma, then you can try Dong Ding Oolong tea; if you are into aftertaste, then do not miss Tikuanyin.

Tasting tea is like experiencing life. Among the various kinds of Chinese tea, you will find the flavor that is suitable for you. With the different states of mind and preference, you will discover the “ten thousand characteristics” of tea. Every kind is a surprise, a different realization of life, and an enjoyment of the beauty of tea delight between human and Mother Nature.

泡好茶的六大要素﹝二﹞

一茶一世界，一壺一天地；掌中動乾坤，清香心自得。

選好茶

選購好的茶葉是泡好茶的第一步。面對眾多的茶葉，首先應知道要找尋哪一類的茶葉，中國茗茶可依茶色分為六大茶類，每一種茶皆受產區、製法、焙火、發酵等多種因影響，而呈現不同的湯色。所謂優良的茶葉，並不一定是指昂貴的茶葉，所謂的「好」是相對的，必須要用價格與品質雙重考量才是客觀。選茶就如選酒一般，經驗一多，自然就能了解如何選茶。

首先，要「茶」顏觀色，包括葉子是否整齊，葉片乾燥是否良好，及香味如何，外觀如何？茶葉沖泡後，最重要的就是芬芳的程度了。從茶湯顏色的透明清澈度，就可以知道茶的好壞。湯色要明亮、自然，就是好茶！

另外，要選擇品飲者喜歡且適合其口味的茶葉，才是基本的要則。如何挑選喜歡的口味呢？建議您可從香味與韻味二方面著手，因為茶的萬種風情泰半來自茶香，好的茶葉，芳香馥郁，令人身心舒暢，精神愉悅！喜歡喝清香的茶友，烏龍茶系與綠茶茶系都是不錯的選擇；喜歡濃郁的香氣，就可試試凍頂烏龍茶；想喝韻味，就不可錯過鐵觀音茶的觀音韻。

品茶如同在品味人生，在種類繁多的中國茶中，總會找到適合自己口味的茶。也許隨著心境、喜好的不同，你會發現中國茶所展現出的萬種風情，每一種都是一個驚喜，一種不同的人生體會，進而享受着人與大自然的茶趣之美。