Brewing tea for hardcore tea drinkers
Hard Core Tea Brewing
I was prompted to talk about brewing tea by a Twitter conversation with @michaeljcoffey and @joiedetea. I am kind of a part time lurker in the social networking world, and I’m often surprised by the level of sophistication in the discussions about tea. I think that is really great, and am thrilled to see it. That sophistication is coming from a genuine enthusiasm that is contagious. If we look at the Seven Cups demographics, people between 25 and 35 comprise the largest chunk, like @dylanjha, @lainiep, and my all time favorite tea reviewer, now semi-retired for the ski season, @tyranosauruswrx.
First, let me address a myth about good tea that is completely false. The better the tea, the more difficult the brewing. This is the kind of nonsense that I see floated around by people who claim to be tea experts. Now it may have some truth if you are talking about tea that is produced outside of China, but the opposte is true of better quality Chinese tea. In fact, I would like to propose this, the better the quality of the tea, the more forgiving it is in the brewing. It is true, there is no denying, that an artist at brewing tea can raise it to its true potential. But come on. If you are a hard core tea drinker like I am, meaning that I drink tea all day long, every day, do you have to make every cup an artistic composition?
I drink tea this way, and I do mean all tea. If it gets bitter, or it doesn’t offer me an interesting complexity, then why should I drink it at all? Here is how I brew tea everyday when I am not traveling (I switch to a glass travel jar on the road). I make my tea in a heavyweight pint glass, a beer glass, for those that don’t associate a pint with beer. I put in at least twice the amount recommended. I measure it in the palm of my hand, no tea or teaspoons or other measuring devises involved. Both at home and at work we have a Zojirushi kettle, the one at work has lasted me for ten years. It keeps the water hot and has fairly accurate temperature settings. (My son Josh, also a hardcore tea drinker, has one that has survived being hit by a NYC taxi strapped to the back of his bike.) The water is always hot, and we are continually adding it to our leaves.
Now I’m sure some people would declare this a little bit crude, or even disrespectful, considering the artistry that went into the tea’s production, but it is hard to be both delicate and hardcore. The truth and the mystery of tea for me is how great it tastes and makes me feel with almost every glass of tea I drink. I have drunk so much tea, but a good cup is always is a fresh and intriguing experience for me.
Yes I know that we have brewing guidelines on our site and the back of every bag of tea we sell, and we are even planning to make them even more complicated and precise that they already are, but hardcore people are rarely rule followers, and I would recommend using our guidelines as jumping off points. I’m not going to pour boiling water over some tender Bi Luo Chun leaves, everyone needs some place to start, but there is a primary rule that should not be broken, and that is to enjoy your tea. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t jump deep into the cultural aspects, jump right in, but remember to enjoy yourself and share it with your friends however you do it.
Austin
So basically, you drink grandpa style
Yes, I am indeed a grandpa! Thanks for you noticing Marshal.
I love that there are so many ways to enjoy tea.
Some folks drink tea for the taste, some for a pick-me-up. One friend loves the art of the preparation, another most enjoys the fragrance. Heck, we have more than one mutual friend who primarily loves the IDEA of tea!
More power to them, I say. Enjoyment is the point; and whether it's chugging tea from a mayonnaise jar or sipping it from a thousand-dollar yixing pot, tea lovers find what they need at Seven Cups!
Thanks for being our inspiration, Austin!
Thank you John. That is my point exactly.
I couldn't agree with this post more. The thing that seems to make tea inaccessible to some is the snooty way that it's approached. Or expected to be approached.
Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks for your comment. Tea really should be approachable. I can say that as long as I've been in business I haven't met a lot of snooty tea drinkers, but they seem to have made a big impression because there are a lot people that associate tea drinking with snootiness. I can't tell you how many great people I have met being in the tea business. I like your blog. Is it true that it is not possible to be snooty in a Tyrolean hat?
Austin
Great post, Austin!
Thanks Joao, it's nice to hear from Brazil!
This is a great post!
I find that so many people are intimidated by quality tea because they think that brewing it is going to have a huge learning curve. Posts like this help to make tea more approachable to the masses.
On a personal note: I often drink tea directly out of a large gaiwan throughout the day. As the tea gets overly astringent I just add more water.
-N
Thanks for your comment Cornelus The problem with me and a gaiwan is that I would be knocking it over on to my keyboard. I have been known to damage tea ware too. My wife shutters if she sees me pick up an Yixing pot. My glass also fits nicely into my cup holder in my car. When I am on a road trip I fill up a thermos bottle of hot water. Gas stops that have coffee machines also have a hot water spout, and the machines usually have built in water filters.
As well as good tea being more approachable, perhaps people will also realize that they don't have to invest a lot of money in tea ware to get started either. A gaiwan is a must though.
First of all, I genuinely appreciate being lumped in with the 25-35 crowd, particularly since I just celebrated my 42nd birthday!
Secondly, I have found that most truly good tea is quite forgiving with regards to brewing method. I have run into a few that do require a bit more precision (and the results are usually worth it) but these are the exception rather than the rule. Kind of like good wine, now that I think about it.
Well, you are certainly aging well. Happy birthday. Wine is a very good metaphor for fine tea on many levels. That is also true, in my opinion, in relationship to the way the market is developing, that puts us back in the early 60s. Before your time.
You mentioned that you use a travel jar when you travel and I’ve been looking for a good glass travel tea mug. What type/brand do you use?
Hi Ryan
Sorry for taking so long to answer you. We have travel jars, but we only sell them at our teahouses.The last bunch that we received are a little small for my tastes. We will have some bigger ones later in the year. You can call us if you want one. There is not a brand that I can recommend. Perhaps we will start selling them online. The problem with most of the double walled jars is that they leak. Ours don't. I am notorious for breaking my jars, carrying so much stuff and stubbornly insisting to always have a full glass of tea at the ready. It's a little bit obsessive and I am trying and failing to be less so. I tea jar is a necessity on a 15 hour flight to China though.
Austin
I've really enjoyed this post sevencups. I've just begun to get into tea proper and I've been a bit overwhelmed by all the brewing times/temperatures etc.
I spent a month travelling in China a few years ago and my experience of seeing people making tea was definitely grandpa style. In big cities I noted office workers would often carry a beaker of tea with them for the day – presumably adding water as needed.
I'm British so I'll be making my tea in a pint glass tonight.
Hardcore!
Not sure if I would be considered a HARDCORE drinker or not. When making my tea, I measure by the pinch, 1, 2, or 3 pinches of tea depending on the strength and the type of tea. This is brewed with water from a whistling kettle. I make one 18oz. cup at a time and drink 6 to 8 of these a day, sometimes more depending on my work schedule.
Seven Cups please elaborate on the best way to obtain the most health benefits from your teas. I'm wondering about the 2nd,and 3rd infusions, if they are as good or better than the first.
The 2011 SWEET DEW is very good.
Bruce G.
TEXAS
Hi Bruce
There is no doubt that you are a hardcore tea drinker. You don't need water that is that hot for you green tea, let the water cool off by about 40 degrees, keep infusing the tea until the taste starts to go, you should get four or five infusions at least, the infusions after the first should have more flavor. That is the way to get the most out of the leaf.
I'm glad you are enjoying your tea.
Austin
Austin, I never use boiling water for my green tea. When the kettle starts to sounf like a freight train I take it off. This is usually 200 degrees For less. The hotter water is for the black and pu-erh and even white. I really like the white as does my 14 year old son.But I like pu-erh also. If I were going to narrow my tea drinking down to 2 it would be white and pu-erh, but the others are enjoyable also.Just tried some sweet dew and wasvery satisfied. I would like to say that your customer serviceis second to none. Mikel is very informative and prompt with my orders.
Bruce Geissen TEXAS
Austin, how small were the jars that were "a little small?" Were they as pretty as the current crop? Did they include the poem?
There was no poem.