Why do some teas taste good after brewing?

With people's concern for health, drinking tea is becoming more and more popular. The improvement of living standards has also led many people to pursue better tea. However, many people are puzzled: how can tea, which is obviously "very good", be brewed?

Here, let's talk about making tea in depth. 0 1

The essence of making tea

In the process of making tea leaves, there is a process called rolling, that is, mechanical force is applied to the tea leaves to press and knead, so that some flavor substances in the tea leaves, such as substances that bring bitterness, astringency, freshness, sweetness and fragrance, such as tea polyphenols, theanine, caffeine, pectin and tea polysaccharides, are brought to the surface of the leaves, and some remain in the leaves, so that when making tea, the surface of the leaves is the first. In other words, making tea is actually a process of substance dissolution. Water is a solvent, soluble flavor substances are solutes, and the amount of solute dissolved determines the concentration of tea soup. Dissolution rate affects the foam resistance of tea; Whether various substances dissolve harmoniously or not affects the palatability of tea soup.

The dissolution amount, dissolution speed and balance of flavor substances in water are affected by many factors. For example, the tea leaves are old and tender, the tea strips are intact or finely divided, tightly twisted or loose, and the total amount of water extract. Of course, it will also be affected by factors such as water temperature, how much tea to put, soaking time, and even the shape of the tea container. The situation is complicated and difficult to sum up.

In the past, most of the teas that ordinary people drank were low-grade, the raw materials were mature or even coarse, the leaves were not easy to absorb water and sink, and there were few soluble substances in the leaves, which were not easy to dissolve in water. Therefore, it is necessary to put more tea leaves and brew them with freshly boiled water in order to soak the flavor. In that era when the material was not very rich, high-concentration food meant good!

Now, with the continuous improvement of tea-making technology and the richness of tea varieties, people's awareness and level of tea consumption have improved, and all kinds of tea can be drunk. Many high-quality teas are boiled blindly, which is not conducive to the expression of flavor. The tea soup is strong, but it doesn't match.

It takes a little effort to make every kind of tea delicious. There are many varieties of tea in China, and the same variety may have several grades. It is necessary to compare brewing practices repeatedly to sum up some regular methods. Practice makes perfect!

If making tea is compared to a symphony orchestra, then the tea maker is the conductor. Good tea is like good music, and the process of making tea is the process of controlling it.

02

How can I make tea?

First, we need to confirm how to make a cup of tea. Delicious, the quality characteristics of this tea are shown, and the good flavor can be maintained for a long time, which should be the three basic indicators of "good brewing".

To make tea well, we must first understand the "three elements" of making tea-the amount of tea, the water temperature of making tea and the time of making tea.

Novices often worry about how much tea to put in the pot. Without tea, tea soup is dull and tasteless, while too much tea soup affects the taste. Master tea makers often use the word "tea-water ratio" to describe the quantity of tea, that is, the ratio of tea to water (actually referring to the volume of tea set).

When using professional instruments and methods to make tea, the usual tea-water ratio is between 1: 15- 1:25, which varies according to the characteristics of tea. Generally, green tea, yellow tea, white tea, black tea and scented tea can be matched at the ratio of 1: 25, that is, 1 gram of tea. If the volume of teapot or cover cup is 100 ml, put 4 grams of tea, and the brewed tea soup is moderate in shade. Oolong tea and black tea tend to pursue rich taste, and 1: 15 tea is used more.

If the daily brewing method is used to make tea, the ratio of tea to water is mostly between1:50-1:100, while for boiled tea, it is necessary to put less tea leaves because of the continuous high temperature, and the ratio is1:150-/kloc-.

Although the above data are accurate, there are some inconveniences. For example, sometimes we can't know the size of the teapot, so we have to use a simple visual method to determine how much tea to put. For teapot and teacup, its volume and height are in direct proportion. Take a teapot or cup with a volume less than 400 ml as an example. For tea leaves with compact or nearly spherical shape, the amount of tea leaves should be all over the bottom of the container and the thickness should be about 0.5 cm. If the tea leaves are loose, the moderate thickness is between 1- 1.5 cm.

Determine the amount of tea, and the temperature of tea is also particular. Common terms used to describe different water temperatures are:

High temperature water refers to water at 90- 100℃; Moderate warm water refers to water at 90℃~80℃; Low temperature water refers to water below 80℃. There are also normal temperature water, ice water and so on.

The general rule is that the water temperature is high, the tea fragrance is obvious, the tea soup is strong and easy to be bitter; The water temperature is low, the tea fragrance is not high, and the tea soup tastes soft, but it is easy to show water taste. Most of the raw materials of green tea are tender, with high caffeine content and easy to soak bitter, so it is better to soak at low temperature. Black tea, white tea, scented tea and black tea taste delicious when soaked in moderate warm water, but oolong tea, Pu 'er raw tea and some old teas are best brewed with high-temperature water to show their unique flavor. People who are sensitive to bitterness and caffeine can try to make tea with warm water or even ice water, losing some aroma, but the tea soup is almost not bitter.

In a word, the temperature of tea is the same as that of boiling tea, which can be adjusted according to the characteristics of tea and the taste we want. When making tea in winter, due to the low ambient temperature and the rapid heat dissipation of tea sets, the water temperature of making tea can be slightly higher than usual. The temperature of the tea just taken out of the refrigerator is low. You can raise the water temperature of the first bubble by one level, and the second bubble will return to normal. If the tea leaves are broken, even if there is a lot of tea powder, the water temperature of the tea leaves can be lowered by one level to reduce the bitterness.

Whether the tea is brewed well or not has a great relationship with the soaking time of each bubble. In the scene of professional tea making, when the tea quantity and water temperature are fixed, the soaking time becomes the wrestling point of tea makers, and the unit is accurate to the second.

The flavor of green tea, oolong tea and Pu 'er raw tea is easily influenced by soaking time, so when practicing brewing these teas, you should first learn to be silent for a few seconds, sometimes four or five seconds, and the taste of tea soup is very different. White tea, black tea and black tea have higher tolerance to soaking time, and there is little difference between soaking for 40 seconds or 60 seconds. In short, professional tea-making uses "seconds" to calculate the time for making tea.

If it is a daily stuffy bubble method, the tea leaves will be put less and the bubble time will naturally be longer. Minutes, if it is brewed with high-temperature water, it usually tastes better in 3-5 minutes. If it is cold soaking, the soaking time is calculated by hours. /kloc-between 0/hour and 4 hours, tea soup is better.

Finally, whether a certain amount of tea can be run several times, several cups or several cups is actually related to the grade of tea, the amount of tea, the water temperature and the time of each soaking. A master of tea making can often brew tea once more, and the tea soup is still harmonious and delicious. This is a realm that needs long-term practice and constant comparison.

03

What is the best tea set for making tea?

Making tea is a technical activity, and the ultimate goal is to make tea delicious with the help of appropriate instruments and methods. And drinking tea is a daily thing. In different life scenes, we can actually make tea and drink tea, and the methodology can be slightly adjusted.

If we have a professional taste of tea and appreciate the beauty of tea in terms of color, fragrance and shape, we can make tea with teapots, porcelain pots or porcelain tea bowls. The teapot is warm and breathable, which makes it easier to balance the fragrance and characteristics of tea bubbles. Although the porcelain-covered bowl is difficult to hold and easy for beginners to burn, the soaking time is easy to master, and it is convenient to uncover and smell it. Porcelain pots are in between. Although the expressive force of brewing is not as good as that of teapot, one pot can brew any kind of tea, so it is also a big advantage not to be as attentive as teapot in maintenance.

If you make tea in the office, you can use a teacup with a filter. Tea leaves are put in the filter element. After soaking for one or two minutes, the filter element and the tea can be taken out together. At this time, the tea soup is kept at a palatable concentration, and it will not become too high to drink because the tea leaves are soaked in water for a long time. This is the so-called "tea sharing". The busyness of the office has no rules to follow. Sometimes it's just making a cup of tea to handle official business. The thought of drinking tea is bitter and astringent. Therefore, when making tea in the office, it is advisable to use a teacup that can separate the tea, which will not appear too high-profile.

In daily life, when there are many people, you can use a three-talent cup or a large-capacity teapot to make tea. Sancai cup refers to a covered bowl that drinks tea directly. Everyone has a cup, and water can be stored and drunk according to their own wishes. However, Sancai Cup is not suitable for making white tea or oolong tea with large or stretched leaves. It is good to make green tea, black tea and scented tea. Large-volume teapots, whether porcelain pots, teapots or glass pots, iron pot or silver pots, are more convenient to use at parties. As long as the amount of tea and the soaking time are calculated, a lot of palatable tea soup can be brewed at one time, and the host and the guest are calm.

When going out, drinking tea is a good way to relieve fatigue and replenish water. However, it is inconvenient to carry fragile things when traveling, and hot water may not be everywhere. Portable thermos cup is the choice of most people. As long as it is a regular product, it is safe to make tea in a thermos cup, but tea leaves are easy to become bitter and thick when soaked in high-temperature water for a long time. Therefore, three adjustments can be made when making tea in a thermos cup during the trip: First, put less tea, and the ratio of tea to water is1:250; The other is to adjust the water temperature in the thermos cup below 80℃; The third is to choose the original leaf tea bag, or put the tea into a small non-woven tea bag and put it in a thermos cup for convenient drinking and cleaning. In addition, the thermos cup is especially suitable for making herbal tea, especially in midsummer. A cool iced tea tastes great.

04

What water is good for making tea?

The water used for making tea must first meet the requirements of food safety and drinking water, be clean and hygienic, and all indicators are qualified. From this point of view, the water that has not been purified and tested, such as mountain spring water, lake stream water, etc., taken in the outdoor natural environment should be boiled for a little longer when making tea. These waters should be burned as needed and not stored to avoid a large number of microorganisms.

The influence of tea water on tea aroma is mainly in hardness and pH value.

The hardness of water mainly refers to the content of calcium ions and magnesium ions in water, including carbonate hardness and non-carbonate hardness. Carbonate hardness: hardness mainly formed by bicarbonate of calcium and magnesium [Ca(HCO3)2, Mg(HCO3)2], which can be decomposed into precipitate after heating and removed from water, so it is called temporary hardness. Non-carbonate hardness is mainly formed by sulfate, chloride and nitrate of calcium and magnesium, which cannot be removed by thermal decomposition, so it is called permanent hardness, such as CaSO4, MgSO4, CaCl2, MgCl2, Ca(NO3)2, Mg(NO3)2, etc.

Let's simply classify water by hardness expressed by calcium carbonate concentration:

0 ~ 75mg/L very soft water

75 ~150mg/l soft water

150 ~ 300mg/l medium hard water

300 ~ 450mg/L hard water

450 ~ 700 mg/L of high hardness water

700 ~ 1000 mg/l ultra-high hard water

& gt 1000 mg/l superhard water

Very soft water, soft water and medium hard water with low hardness are all good choices for making tea. The latter kinds of water are superior, that is, the high content of calcium and magnesium ions in water will affect the release of tea fragrance and the dissolution of flavor substances, making tea soup light or bitter. For example, the hardness of tap water is generally between hard water and high hard water, and the aroma and taste of the brewed tea are reduced by at least two or three grades. It is worth noting that many mountain springs and mineral water are also very hard. Their water tastes good, and some of them are expensive, but they are not suitable for making tea.

How to know the hardness of water? You can buy a hardness tester to detect water. Generally speaking, water with hardness less than 200 can be safely used to make tea.

Hard water can be boiled to remove some hardness, or it can be adsorbed by activated carbon. The simplest way is to make tea directly with soft water such as pure water, so as to truly reflect the color and fragrance of tea.

The PH value describes the pH value of the aqueous solution, which is expressed by the pH value .. Under the thermodynamic standard conditions, the aqueous solution with pH=7 is neutral, pH; 7 cases were alkaline. Water contains some ions, so some water is weakly acidic and some water is weakly alkaline.

The pH value of tea mainly affects the color of tea soup by adjusting the discoloration of tea polyphenols. The same tea is brewed with weak acidic water and weak alkaline water at the same time. The former soup is bright in color, while the latter is slightly dark in color, but the taste difference is not particularly obvious. Therefore, if the tea leaves with light color are soaked in water, such as green tea, yellow tea and slightly fermented oolong tea, you can choose weak acid water, while the tea leaves with dark soup color, such as black tea and old tea, can choose weak alkaline water to make the soup more red, thicker and brighter.

The content of iron ions in water will also affect the color and taste of tea soup. When the iron ion content is too high, the tea soup is light and unbalanced, and after cooling, brown film-like precipitation will form on the surface, which is very unsightly. Rust of water pipes, damage and rust of boiler coating, etc. The iron ion in water is easy to exceed the standard, which proves once again that the statement that "iron can be supplemented by boiling water in an iron pot" is nonsense.