2016年1月2日 星期六
How to Make Oolong (Wu Long) Tea
How to Make Oolong (Wu Long) Tea
In Taiwan, the most common way to make oolong tea (also spelled wulong tea or wu long tea) is Gong Fu style. Making oolong tea this way requires a small earthenware teapot. The oolong tea is served in small cups, and the same oolong tea leaves can be brewed many times.
Making tea gong fu style is ideal for Taiwan oolong tea. The short brewing time allows the sweet flavor of the oolong tea to come out without excess caffeine or tannin. Even those who are sensitive to caffeine can drink this type of oolong tea all evening and still get a good night's sleep.
Water
When making tea of any sort high quality water is essential. This is especially true for Taiwan oolong tea because of the subtle flavors that are revealed through proper brewing techniques.
The best water for making oolong tea is spring water. If you don't have access to spring water, you can improve tap water by letting the chlorine escape before making the oolong. This is done by letting the water sit uncovered for 24 hours. Chlorine can also be removed by boiling the water for 5 minutes in an uncovered pot, but this method is not recommended for oolong tea because it makes the water flat.
Temperature
Water for making oolong tea should be just below the boiling point - about 85 - 95 degrees Celsius or 185 - 205 degrees Fahrenheit. Rather than measuring the temperature, try removing it from the heat when the large bubbles are just starting to form.
Utensils
A typical Taiwanese oolong tea set consists of an unglazed clay teapot, a serving pitcher, a strainer, several small ceramic tea cups, a scoop for putting the oolong leaves in the pot, and a tray to capture water. Tea towels can be useful for drying the bottom of cups before they are served, and prongs are used to remove used oolong tea leaves from the teapot.
Almost every household in Taiwan has this type of oolong tea set. The tray can be a simple round design made from stainless steel or an ornate decorative object made from carved wood or stone. Decorative trays have a drainpipe which leads to a small bucket underneath. Decorative trays for making oolong tea are prominently displayed and may even be integrated into a table top.
Method
When the water has reached the correct temperature, a small amount is used to rinse the teapot and cups. Oolong tea is then measured into the teapot - usually to about 1/4 or 1/3 of the volume of the teapot. The oolong tea leaves are not handled - a scoop is used to put the tea into the teapot.
The teapot is filled about half-way with hot water. This first infusion is not for drinking - it allows the oolong leaves to "awaken" and start to unfurl. It also removes excess dust from the tea leaves.
The teapot is swirled around to distribute the water evenly through the tea leaves and then poured out into the serving pitcher after about 10 seconds. The pot is immediately filled again for the first drinking infusion.
As the tea is steeping the liquid from the serving pitcher is poured into the cups to heat them up. This water is then poured over the tea pot to draw steam through the hole.
The first steep is quite short - 30 to 50 seconds depending on the type and quality of the oolong. Making oolong tea is a delicate art and finding the appropriate balance between volume, temperature, and steeping time requires knowledge of the tea leaves. If the first steep is too strong or too weak, you can adjust the brewing time for subsequent steeps.
The oolong is poured through the strainer from the teapot to the serving pitcher and then to the individual cups. The cups are arranged next to each other and the pouring is done in a continuous circular motion. This allows each cup to receive oolong tea which is identical in taste and color.
The bottom of the cups are wet from the tray and the spillage so they should be briefly placed on the tea towel before serving.
After pouring the oolong the teapot can be immediately filled with hot water for the subsequent brew. Each brewing time can be slightly longer than the previous.
With a good quality tea, you can expect to get 5 to 8 brews before the tea starts to lose its flavor.
from :http://www.teafromtaiwan.com
TEA ART FOR CHA 茶之茶藝
Tea Studies: tasting, brewing, methodology, ceremony, science, culture, history, and the classic arts.
品茶，是門藝術，文化，歷史的古典藝術。
品茶，是門藝術，文化，歷史的古典藝術。
品茶藝術的主要內容：
嘗茶：從干茶的色澤、老嫩、形狀，觀察茶葉的品質。
嘗茶：從干茶的色澤、老嫩、形狀，觀察茶葉的品質。
聞香：鑒賞茶葉沖泡後散發出清香（包括留在研究會蓋上的「蓋面香」）
觀湯：欣賞茶葉在沖泡時上下翻騰、舒展之過程，茶葉溶解情況及茶葉沖泡沉靜後的姿態。
品味：品賞茶湯的色澤和滋味。
唐宋時品茶工於煎，重在品茶湯的湯花。對茶湯的色、香、味，則以色為主。進入瀹茶的明清時代，品茶則工於「淪」，重在品茶的味和香了。
品茶如參禪。而飲茶因能清心寡慾、養氣頤神，故向有「茶中帶禪、茶禪一味」之說。
故中華歷來以茶香與書香、墨香齊名（號稱「三香」），是高雅、安祥、和諧之社會精神的體現。
文人墨客，清茶一杯，淡風論雅；芸芸眾生，一茗在手，照樣海闊天空。平易近人，寧靜淡泊，雅俗共賞，這就是茶之性，茶之品。
品茶藝術之延伸——欣賞茶葉的外形美：
品茶時欣賞茶葉的「外形美」，是品茶藝術的延伸，是品茶者的賞心樂事之一。茶葉的外形可謂千姿百態，五彩繽紛。在茶葉大家庭中，形形色色的茶葉，似珠、似花、似針、似矛、似眉、似碗、似螺、似片······
品茶與其他飲茶方式的不同。
品常飲茶按飲茶方式不同，可分為：品茶、喝茶、飲茶、灌茶四種，其中品茶，或稱品茗，為飲茶之最高方式。
一般習慣，江浙滬愛飲綠茶，廣東、香港愛飲紅茶，福建、台灣愛飲烏龍茶，雲南愛飲普洱茶，而我國北方則大多愛飲「香片」（即花茶）。
在國外一般來說，歐美喜歡飲紅茶，非洲愛飲綠茶，東南亞也偏愛烏龍，日本則嗜好蒸青綠茶。
烏龍茶的品飲，烏龍茶的品飲，和一般茶葉不同，自有它的獨特之處。品飲前，先用「高沖、低斟、括沫、淋蓋」等傳統方法沖泡。品飲時，用右手食指、拇指按住杯邊沿，中指頂住杯底，戲稱「三龍護鼎」。
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