Quest for a Cup of Perfect Green Tea

I have been drinking green tea for a long time. Until recently I have not been able to make a cup of good tea consistently. I finally took the time to follow the instructions from the experts I met in China, and did some experimenting myself. I would like to share with you what I have learned.

You do not need any fancy paraphernalia. All you need is good water, decent tea, and patience. My blood pressure has gone down drastically since I took the time to try to make a cup of perfect tea. My friends in the tea trade would love me if I contribute that to one of the many benefits of drinking green tea. However, I think it is not the tea that is responsible but rather the mind set I have in making the tea.

I am fortunate that I have easy access to good green tea from my frequent trips to China. I hate to tell you that tea bags from a supermarket just won’t do. Visit a Chinese tea shop next time you are in a big city. If you have never visited a tea shop, you will be surprised by the varieties of tea available.

Green tea can range from almost white in color to almost black. Usually the less processed and more tender the tea, the lighter it is in color. They will let you try different kinds of tea before you buy. Be forewarned that tea can be very expensive, up to over $150 a pound. The good news is I have learned that price and quality do not have a perfect correlation. Just because a tea is rare and difficult to produce does not make it better.

I would suggest you start with a mid-priced, about $35 a pound, Woolong or Lungcheng (there are variations of the spellings). This may sound expensive but one pound of tea will last you a very long time. I recommend that you buy ¼ pound of each at a time.

I use a regular size coffee mug (about 12 ounces) to make my tea. Bring the water to a boil. Turn it off and let it cool for about two minutes. Put about half a teaspoon of tea in a cup. Rinse the tea first; pour a small amount of hot water into the cup; swirl the tea around and pour it out.

Rinsing the tea will remove any harshness from the tea. Put the tea back in the cup and fill it with hot water, steep from one to three minutes. Transfer the tea to another cup through a strainer.

You can use the same tea leaves again for three or four more cups. The tea is really better if you make one cup at a time. You have to experiment with the amount of tea leaves, water temperature, and length of steeping time to suit your own taste and the tea you are using. Some teas are more compact and more intense than others.

Have fun and enjoy!
Bob Cheung