Brewing and Evaluating the Six Categories of Tea

About the Topic

In the previous session, we introduced green, white, yellow, oolong, black, and dark tea, considering their basic differences, production methods, and flavor characteristics.

This session takes the next step. Knowing a tea means understanding how to brew and taste it, and how to assess its qualities, as well as its category.

Differences in raw materials, processing, and composition call for different approaches to brewing.

Water temperature, leaf quantity, the ratio of tea to water, steeping time, and the vessel all affect aroma and taste.

We will examine basic brewing principles for each category:

Which teas suit high temperatures, and which need gentler heat?

Which need a quick infusion, and which a longer steep?

Why can the same tea taste quite different when brewed differently?

Alongside brewing, we will consider evaluation and tasting.

What should we attend to in a cup of tea?

We will build an introductory framework through dry-leaf appearance, aroma, liquor color, taste, body, freshness, sweetness, astringency, returning sweetness, salivation, repeated infusions, and the infused leaves.

Rather than simply judging a tea pleasant or unpleasant, we can learn to observe:

Is the aroma clear?

Is the liquor balanced?

Does the taste have layers?

Does it leave sweetness or stimulate saliva?

Where do its strengths and limitations lie?

The aim is to move from recognizing the six categories toward brewing and tasting them.

With basic methods and a framework for tasting, you can begin to form your own responses and judgments, rather than simply remember someone else’s assessment.

Moving from recognizing tea to brewing and understanding a cup is an important part of learning about Chinese tea.

No specialist background is needed. Bring curiosity, and practice making and tasting a cup with greater attention.