Six Essential Factors for Brewing Good Tea 6

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

Choice of Tea ware

4) Tea Ware with other Materials

There is a strange odor with plastic tea ware and using hot water to brew tea will influence the tea flavor. The same holds true for paper cups and plastic cups; they are not suitable for brewing good tea. When using thermo mugs to brew premium green tea, due to the long term steeping, fragrance will be “stuffy” and “ripe” which is not suitable at all.

5) Tea Cups

In order to appreciate the color of tea in a cup and also for convenience of cleaning, it is best to use cups with glaze in the interior. The color of the cups should be white or light color. Smaller cups are suitable for tea such as oolong with rich flavor and big cups are suitable for lighter tea such as Longjing.

6) Sharing Pitcher or Fairness Cup

It is used for holding tea right after brewing. After tea is steeped to the right flavor, tea is poured into the sharing pitcher to be further poured into individual small cups fairly. A filter can also be placed on top of the cup to get rid of tea dust.

7) Gaiwan

Gaiwan is popular since it is suitable for brewing any kind of tea and can be easily cleaned with no strange odor. It consists of the cup, the lid, and the saucer. Put tea leaves in the Gaiwan, pour hot water, wait for the time that’s suitable for the specific type of tea and enjoy!

It is important to choose tea ware that is suitable for the person, smooth to handle, and with smooth water flow. In addition, pay attention to the cleanliness and dryness of the tea ware since the protein within tea will rot easily. If the tea ware is not cleaned well, it will influence the quality of tea and your health.

Tea aroma is considered one of the best fragrance in the world. Controlling the six factors of making tea, you’ll be able to enter the palace of the tea world. Drinking tea is an enjoyment, appreciating the taste of tea and beyond. It is also a learning experience, learning to appreciate others, learning to realize the spirit of the true, the good and the beautiful, revealing the unusual aspect from the common factors.

泡好茶的六大要素﹝六﹞

一茶一世界，一壺一天地；掌中動乾坤，清香心自得。

泡茶用具的選擇

4.其他質料茶具

塑膠茶具帶有異味，以熱水來泡茶會對茶味有影響，紙杯、塑膠杯亦然，不適宜用來泡好茶。用保溫杯泡高級綠茶，因長時間保溫，香氣低悶並有熟味，亦不適宜。

5.茶杯

因為便於欣賞茶湯顏色，及容易清洗，杯子內面最好上釉，而且以白色或淺色為佳。一般小杯用於烏龍茶等濃度較高的茶，大杯則用於龍井等滋味較淡的茶。

6.茶海

又稱茶盅，用以盛載剛泡好的茶。茶壺內之茶湯浸泡至適當濃度後，將茶湯倒至茶海，再分別倒於各小茶杯內，以求茶湯濃度之均勻。可於茶海上放一濾網，以濾去茶渣、茶末。

7.蓋碗

宜沖泡任何茶，且容易清潔，不會有異味，不少人樂於採用。蓋碗分為茶碗、碗蓋、托碟三部份，置茶於碗內、加沖熱水，依茶葉種類加蓋幾分鐘後飲用。

選擇茶具是重要的，主要是要自已喜歡、順手、出水好。另外，要注意使用後茶具的潔淨與乾燥，因為茶葉中含有蛋白質容易腐化，如果沒洗乾淨會影響茶葉品質及身體的健康。

茶香素來有天下第一香的美譽，掌握泡好茶的六大要素，你就己經進入茶世界的殿堂。品茗是一種享受，欣賞自己喜歡的茶韻與茶味；品茗也是一種學習，從中學習欣賞別人。品茗中可體現真善美的精神，在平凡中顯見不平凡，令人神閒意遠，回味無窮。

Six Essential Factors for Brewing Good Tea 5

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

Choice of Tea Ware

The material or texture of teapot plays a big role towards how well the tea will be brewed. There are different kinds of tea ware such as teapot, Gaiwan, and cups. Materials can be ceramic, porcelain and glass.

1) Ceramic tea ware

The most famous being the “Zhi Sha”, or purple clay teapot, this type of ceramic is fired between the temperatures of 1000 to 1200 degrees Celsius. With the texture being delicate, fine and dense, the teapot can absorb tea, store and maintain the flavor with pores not detectable by the eye. Heat transfer is very slow and does not hurt the hand. Even if hot and cold temperatures change abruptly, it will not break easily. Using the Zhi Sha teapot to brew tea, the pot can keep the warmth of tea, maintain the fragrant, mellow taste, and sustain the essence of the tea leaves. It is also artistic and popular among collectors and the public. Generally, using the teapot for Oolong and Tikuanyin tea from Taiwan is considered ideal to bring out the best characteristics of those teas.

2) Porcelain tea ware

The most valuable ones being the white ones, porcelain is not water absorbent, and it is fired at about 1300 degrees Celsius. The sound that it makes is pure, clear, long and harmonious. It can reflect the color of the tea, transmit heat and maintain the temperature well. It does not create any chemical reaction, does not absorb strange aroma, and produces better color, fragrance, and taste with high density and no pores. The shape is artistic, delicate and exquisite, and is suitable for light fermented tea with rich aroma such as Wenshan Paochong tea.

3). Glass tea ware

The texture of glass is transparent, nonporous, and it transmits heat quickly. Brewing tea with glass, the way that the tea leaves dance and unfold along with the color of the tea can be thoroughly seen through glass. The weakness of glass though is that it breaks easily, and sometimes becomes too hot for the hand to handle, but it is rather inexpensive. Using this tea ware to brew Longjing, Piluochun, and other green tea, you will be delighted to see how the leaves dance up and down, elegantly and gracefully.

泡好茶的六大要素﹝五﹞

一茶一世界，一壺一天地；掌中動乾坤，清香心自得。

泡茶用具的選擇

泡茶用具以茶壺的質地對泡茶效果有很大的關係，壺具的種類有茶壺、蓋碗、蓋杯、評鑑組。材質可分陶器、瓷器與玻璃杯。以下簡單介紹幾種常用來泡茶的器具。

1. 陶土茶具

最負盛名的紫砂壺是陶器的一種，成陶火溫度在1000 ~ 1200°C，質地緻密，有肉眼看不見的毛細孔，能吸附茶汁，蘊蓄茶味，且傳熱慢不燙手，即使冷熱驟變，也不會破裂；用紫砂壺泡茶，香味醇和、保溫性好、無熟湯味，能保有茶葉真髓，又兼具藝術收藏性，一般認為用來泡台灣的烏龍茶，鐵觀音等半發酵茶最能展現茶味特色。

2. 瓷器茶具

無吸水性，音清而韻長，瓷器以白為貴，約1300度C左右燒成，能反映出茶湯色澤，傳熱、保溫性適中，對茶不會發生化學反應，泡茶能獲得較好的色香味，密度高、沒有毛細孔，不會吸雜味。造型美觀精巧，適合用來沖泡輕發酵、重香氣，如文山包種茶。

3. 玻璃茶具

質地透明、不透氣、傳熱快，以玻璃杯泡茶，茶葉在整個沖泡過程中的上下舞動、葉片舒展的情形以及茶湯顏色，均可一覽無遺。玻璃茶具的缺點是易碎、燙手，但價廉物美。用玻璃茶具來沖泡龍井、碧螺春等綠茶，杯中輕霧飄渺，茶芽朵朵、亭亭玉立，或旗槍交錯、上下浮沈，賞心悅目，別有風趣。

Six Essential Factors for Brewing Good Tea 4

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

Water Temperature

As standard when making tea, water temperature should be 100° C in order to allow the characteristics of the tea leaves to unfold thoroughly, as well as eliminating germs. Steeping time depends on the type of tea. Generally, leaves that are greener, thinner, more tender or even lighter in roasting and fermentation should not be steeped for too long otherwise the tea will turn bitter. Lower temperature can also be used to brew green tea, but tea leaves shaped like tight knots such as Dong Ding Oolong, Tikuanyin, or aged tea should use a higher boiling temperature with the smoke from the water boiling device appearing almost vertical.

Choice of Tea Ware

Aside from good tea and good water, there must be suitable tea ware to make tea. The texture of the teapot also plays a major role in making good tea.

Seven criteria for selecting a good teapot:

1. The way that the water flows from the teapot spout should be easy and smooth, with no splash, and no scattered water.

2. The lid must fit well with the body of the teapot. The mouth of the spout and the opening on the body should be on the same level. The body of the teapot should be shallow and not deep, the lid should be tight and not loose.

3. There should be no mud or soil taste, and no mixed tastes.

4. The teapot should withstand sudden and abrupt changes of hot and cold temperatures. It should not leak and should not be brittle.

5. The material or texture of teapot should be in harmony with the type of tea being brewed and should be able to thoroughly express the characteristics of that specific type of tea.

6. It should be convenient to place tea leaves in and has enough water capacity.

7. It should be able to sustain heat after brewing and not dissipate heat too quickly. It should let out the content of tea in a short period of time.

泡好茶的六大要素﹝四﹞

一茶一世界，一壺一天地；掌中動乾坤，清香心自得。

泡茶水溫

一般泡茶的水溫要以100度C為標準，因為100度的水溫才可以將茶葉的特性展現，且沸水才符合殺菌、健康的原則，但茶葉浸泡的時間長短，則需視茶葉而定。

一般茶葉外觀色澤越綠，或是細嫩芽茶如綠茶類，或發酵輕焙火少者，泡茶溫度為100度C，但浸泡的時間不宜太久，因浸泡太久會使茶湯變苦。

綠茶也可以用較低溫的水，但沖泡外形緊結的茶如凍頂烏龍、鐵觀音等，或是陳年老茶，則沖泡水溫則必須要再提高，必須讓水一直滾沸，直至煮水器噴出來的煙呈垂直狀，才是最適當的泡茶溫度。

泡茶用具的選擇

泡茶除了好茶、好水外，還必須要有適當的泡茶用具，尤其茶壺的質地與泡茶效果有很大的關係。

好茶壺應具備以下七大條件：

1. 壺嘴的出水要流暢，不濺水花。

2. 壺蓋與壺身要密合，水壺口與出水的嘴要在同一水平面上。壺身宜淺不宜深，壺蓋宜緊不宜鬆。

3. 無泥味、雜味。

4. 能適應冷熱急遽之變化，不滲漏，不易破裂。

5. 質地能配合所沖泡茶葉之種類，將茶之特色發揮得淋漓盡致。

6. 方便置入茶葉，容水量足夠。

7. 泡後茶湯能夠保溫，不會散熱太快，能讓茶葉成份在短時間內合宜浸出。

Six Essential Factors for Brewing Good Tea 3

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

The Quantity of Tea Leaves Used and the Length of Time of Steeping

The length of time of steeping the tea leaves will directly influence the quality of tea; therefore the length of time should be controlled with the utmost care. The amount of tea leaves should also be considered along with the tenderness of leaves and the water temperature. If you’re confronted with tea that is of poor quality, steeping too long will draw out tea tannin from tea leaves resulting in a bitter and astringent taste.

Just how much tea leaves should you put in when making tea? First you have to notice the looseness or tightness of the leaf shape; if it’s loose, the amount should be more compared to the tighter ones. Take Dong Ding Oolong as an example, one-third of the teapot amount is sufficient. If you put more than that, the steep time should decrease. For tightly curled tea leaves, the amount should not be more than half the teapot to avoid the leaves not being able to stretch out when they unfold. For spherically shaped tea leaves, the steeping time should be critically controlled; otherwise the flavor would be too rich and concentrated. For thin and tender leaves, steeping time should be less, while for thick, aged tea leaves, the steeping time should be longer to let out the flavor.


In addition, when using a teapot to make tea, you should observe the changes in the teapot spout in order to control the time to pour tea out. When first pouring water into the teapot, water will be spilled out when you put the lid on. The tension on the surface will form the half spherical globule at the spout; after steeping for a while, the leaves within the teapot will unfold. When tea leaves absorb water, the globule will decrease in size or even shrink inward. At this time, you can prepare to pour the tea out.

What’s presented above is a reference guide; the amount of tea leaves and the length of steeping time should be adjusted according to personal taste.

泡好茶的六大要素﹝三﹞

一茶一世界，一壺一天地；掌中動乾坤，清香心自得。

茶葉用量與浸泡時間

浸泡茶葉時間的長短，會直接影響茶的品質，所以要小心拿捏好浸泡時間。浸泡時間的長短也必須要考慮茶葉的用量、粗嫩與泡茶時的水溫。因為若遇到茶質不好的茶葉，浸泡時間過久，會容易出鹼，讓茶葉釋放出單寧酸，使茶湯喝起來又澀又苦。

究竟要放多少茶量才適當呢？置茶時要注意茶葉條型的鬆或緊，條型鬆的茶葉量要多，條型緊實的茶可以少些，以凍頂茶為例，只要放到壺的三分之一就夠了。若茶葉放得多，浸泡時間就要減少，條索彎曲緊結的茶葉最好不要放超過半壺，免得茶葉沖泡後膨脹而無法舒展，揉捻成珠球狀的茶葉要小心控制浸泡時間，否則常會因濃度太高而不堪入口。細嫩的茶葉，茶汁容易浸出，沖泡時間可短些，粗老茶葉，茶汁不容易浸出，浸泡時間則應長些。


另外，用茶壺泡茶時，觀察壺嘴的變化，便可掌握倒茶的時間。在注水入壺後，將壺蓋蓋好，剛注入水時壺嘴的水會滿溢出來，因為表面張力會在壺嘴形成半球型的水珠；浸泡一段時間後，壺中的茶葉慢慢開始舒展開來，茶葉吸收了水份，原本壺嘴上的水珠就慢慢變小，甚至往內縮，這時就可以準備倒茶了。

以上提供的是ㄧ些參考的原則，個人可依對茶湯濃度的喜好，來調整茶葉用量及浸泡時間，來泡出個人喜歡的茶湯滋味。

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。

Six Essential Factors for Brewing Good Tea 1

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

Tea is the national drink of China. Drinking tea can help relieve fatigue and eliminate worries. It can help cultivate a person’s temperament and lead to a feeling of embracing the whole universe. Brewing good tea depends on the understanding of the color, fragrance, and taste of tea, the process of tea growth behind every link and how the influence of heaven, earth, and people factors to unfold the beauty of life within tea.

How can you brew a good pot of tea? There are six essential factors one must grasp - water used, tea leaves, water temperature, amount of tea leaves, time used to steep tea, and the choice of tea ware used.

Water used for brewing tea

Water is the “mother” of tea. Understanding the quality of water is the first essential factor in brewing good tea. The quality of water will directly influence the quality of tea. When the water quality is not good, it will be difficult to unfold the characteristics of tea and its color, fragrance, and taste.

Water quality is divided into “soft” water and “hard “water. The so-called soft water is velvety, with soothing taste. Hard water is not smooth and irritating to the throat and tongue.

Water can be divided into eight categories:

Spring water: It will undergo sandstone filtration, which results in a rather pure and sweet taste with more stable quality.

Well water: It is categorized as underground water. Since the environment is usually polluted, it is not suitable for brewing tea.

Rain water and snow water: People in ancient times used “Heavenly Spring” as an analogy for rain and snow water. But due to severe air pollution and acid rain, rain and snow water are not suitable for brewing tea.

Tap water: This is the most convenient and accessible type of water. However, due to chlorine content, brewing with tap water will directly destroy tea flavor. Water filter must be used to filter impurities. Water can be used after heating the water, and chlorine content is evaporated after the lid is lifted.

Distilled water: It is a soft water that’s artificially made. Although it is absolutely pure, the result of brewing tea with it is not necessarily better than other types of water and it is more costly.

RO water: Although a soft water, there is no trace of element within such pure water, resulting in tea which is not fragrant.

Pyramid Energy Magnetized Water: Water is sweet and fragrant with tiny water molecules. The high energy with live oxygen content can activate the cells within the body and is very suitable to make tea.

泡好茶的六大要素﹝一﹞

一茶一世界，一壺一天地；掌中動乾坤，清香心自得。

茶是中國的國飲，喝茶可以忘憂解勞，喝茶可以陶冶心性，喝茶可以讓你坐擁天地。泡茶在於懂得茶的色、香、味，每一環節的背後是屬於茶葉生長的過程，以及在天、地、人因素影響下，而展現出茶葉的生命之美。

如何能泡一壺好茶？首先必需要掌握泡茶的六大要素：泡茶用水、茶葉、泡茶水溫、茶葉用量、浸泡時間與泡茶用具的選擇。

泡茶用水

水為茶之母，瞭解水質是泡好茶第一個要件，水質的好壞會直接影響茶湯品質的好壞，水質不好就難以展現出茶葉的特性以及色、香、味。

水質分軟水、硬水，所謂軟水就是喝起來很順喉、爽口。硬水就是滑動不良，刺激喉舌。水可分下列八種：

泉水：流動時會經過砂石過濾，通常比較潔淨甘甜，水質也較穩定。

井水：屬地下水，但目前環境多受污染，不適合用來泡茶。

雨水和雪水：古人將雨水和雪水喻為「天泉 」，但現今空氣污染嚴重，雨水是酸雨，不適合用來泡茶。

自來水：是取用最方便的泡茶用水，但因自來水含氯，直接取用會破壞茶湯的味道，所以須用濾水器濾雜質。加熱後將蓋掀開等氯氣散去就可使用。

蒸餾水：為經人工製造的軟水，雖絕對純淨，但煮沸後泡出茶湯之表現，並不見得比其他水質佳，且成本較高。

RO水:軟水，但因純水中缺乏微量元素，故泡出之茶湯不香。

金字塔能量磁化活水：味道甘甜、水分子團細小，活氧量高能促使體內細胞活化，是適合泡茶的好水。

上手に茶を淹れるための六大要素、その①

一茶一世界、一壷一天地; 掌中動乾坤、清香心自得

茶は中国文化を代表する飲み物であり、飲茶は憂いや疲労を癒すだけでなく、心を薫陶することで天地全て手に入れる事も不可能ではないと言われてきた。茶を淹れる事は茶の色、香、味など全ての背後に茶の生長過程が存在している事を理解し、それは天、地、人の影響の下で現れた生命の美であると悟る事。

上手に茶を淹れるためには、まずは茶を淹れる為の六大要素を把握しなければなりません。その六大要素とは水、茶葉、水温、茶葉の量、浸る時間、そして茶器の選択。

水

水は茶の母と言われており、水の性質を理解することは良いお茶をいれるための第一要件。水が良くないと、茶葉の特性、色、香、味を生かすことが難しくなります。

水は軟水、硬水の分別があります。軟水は飲むとき滑らかな感じがして喉と口に柔らかく、硬水は逆に刺激感をもたらす。そして水は概ね以下八種類に分類されています。

泉水：流れるとき砂や石に濾過されるため、比較的に清潔で味も甘い。水質も安定しやすい。

井戸水：地下水に属するが、現代の環境を考えると汚染が多く、茶をいれるには適してないと思われる。

雨水と雪水：古人は雨水と雪水を「天泉」と称えていたが、現代の空気は汚染が酷くて酸性雨も多く、飲用には適していない。

水道水：もっとも便利な選択ではあるが、水道水には塩素が含まれており、直接な使用は茶の風味を損なう可能性が高く、濾過してからの使用が望ましい。あるいは沸騰させた後蓋を開けて匂いが消えるまで放置させるのも手でしょう。

蒸留水：人工製造の軟水で清潔さは折り紙付き。でもだからと言って他の水より茶に適しているとは言い切れず、その上コストが高いと言う欠点を持つ。

RO：軟水ではあるが、純水は元素が欠けており、茶の香りも不足になりがち。

ピラミッドエナジー磁化活水：味が甘く、分子は細く、酸素エネルギーが高くて体の細胞の活性化を促す効果もあり、茶に適した水と言えましょう。