Page 99 - #60 English

Tips:

Using a clay pot can be a
good example. I used a red clay
pot and about 1/3 of the leaves
with the water heated above 95
degrees Celsius.

First step: 45 seconds to 50
seconds.
Second step: 40 seconds.
Third step: 70 seconds to 80
seconds.
Fourth step: 100 seconds.

a lot of time. An experienced farmer would care- whether the leaves have any odd smell.
fully and gradually roast tea leaves. Thus, we can There is an absolute connection between the
see the key of forming the Wuyi Rock Tea’s special material of the pot and quality of the brewed tea. The
scent comes from those artisans who possess grand texture of the ceramic pot is very fine. It can absorb
knowledge and abundant experience. the juice of the tea leaves and lock the aroma in place.
This time we are going to brew one of the four Like the purple clay and red clay pot are the very best
famous teas: Baijiguan. The color of the leaves is options.
something between yellow and brown and the smell Normally, before we use a pot to brew tea, we
reminds you corn and wheat.When brewing, person- need to learn to take care of it. But I don’t mean to
ally I’d like to present its aroma to my guests before wash them or oil them. In fact, what I suggest is we
they drink it. First I use boiled water to clean the need to brew some similar tea couple of times to get
pot, after I disposed the water, I quickly put in the rid of the foul smell of the pot. Of course, we need to
tea leaves while the pot is still hot. I cover the pot clean the pot every time after the brewing. Using the
to let the remaining warmth to heat the leaves, and same tea leaves for the same pot can prevent any odd
then I open up the pot and present the aroma to smells in the future brewing.
my guests. This way they can identify themselves In Minnan, Fujian area, we often see people
tie a knot between the cover
and the handle in order to pre-
vent the lid from bumping. Un-
less it is necessary, I wouldn’t
recommend doing that. The red
clay pot I used comes from my
family. The elder tied the knot
himself. Although I found that
very inconvenient, the nostal-
gic feeling makes me want to
cherish this little detail. While
the tea is slowly going down,
that sweetness remains in my
mouth. That silky texture al-
most like a cream flows on my
taste buds. At this moment the
whole sensation is warmly hug-
ging you and you want to stay
like this as long as possible.
Isn’t it the great way to appre-
ciate life?

101