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If you've been following us for a while, you probably noticed that we're
strong advocates of intuitive brewing. We emphasize it over and over.
But what exactly is intuitive brewing? This is the question that we're going to
answer right now. And along with that we're
going to look at why intuitive brewing is such a powerful tool
and even essential for advancing your Chinese tea skills.
but enough rigamarole let's get started. Quite literally as the name indicates, it
means brewing tea intuitively as opposed to brewing tea with a strict
set of measurements and the help of scales and thermometers and all those
things. Intuitive brewing is not brewing blindly
guessing or feeling your way around. It's a very
solid process of brewing that totally respects the
specific tea that you're dealing with. The brewing
measurement numbers are not decided by the tea courses you've
taken in the past or books you may have read.
They're decided by that tea that's sitting right in front of you in the
moment. You abstract the information from the
tea and you make brewing decisions based on it.
It's fully customized brewing steps just for this
specific tea. Think tailor-made haute- couture
versus ready-to-wear off the rack.
Well, because every tea is different and different teas
need to be brewed differently. When we're just getting into tea
we realize that tea is not simply one thing, there are actually six tea types
and they're all different. As we progress we find out that even in the same tea
category there are so many different teas. Each with
their own look and taste. As we learn about tea we first learn how
to brew tea, then we advance to brewing green tea
black tea oolong tea and then we graduate and
brewing Long Jin versus Bi Luo Chun, Tie Guan Yin
versus Fenghuang Dan Cong, Liu Bao Cha versus Pu'er. Of course you
know that different teas need to be infused differently.
Today we're taking it to the next level. In Chinese tea,
when we say different teas need to be brewed differently, it
also applies to the same tea. The beauty of tea is that it's not fully
standardized. Even under the same tea names there's
still so much difference. Bai Hao Yin Zhen teas are not all the same.
There are good Manzhuan Pu'er and there are not so good ones too.
You've probably noticed that all the teas under the same name of Tie Guan Yin
look very different from shop to shop. So to bring out the best of a given tea,
the one sitting right in front of us, it needs to be brewed
based on what it is not what its name is. Besides things are not always perfect.
Sometimes we might not bring a scale or thermometer
everywhere we go. What if you're sipping tea at a friend's house and the kettle
doesn't have a temperature setting. What if you're gifted a tea that you've
never had and maybe you don't even know what kind of tea it is. How are you going
to brew it? Or sometimes we're traveling and we're
really craving that gongfu cup of oolong but we don't have
any gungfu gear nearby. Intuitive brewing comes in really handy
in all of these scenarios and it guarantees you
a perfect sip of tea always.
intuitive brewing requires some tea knowledge and keen observation.
It actually works both ways. Tea knowledge is your foundation
to rough out the direction of brewing, while observation is the final step to
nail down the specifics for this tea. With some
basic knowledge you have an idea of what and how to observe properly. At
the same time the detailed observation of various teas
is a process of learning. The growing experience of careful observation
gradual but crucial will eventually bring about a huge revelation to your
tea learning with the right guidance. Usually when we
talk about tea brewing, we talk about leaf amount, water amount,
water temperature, and brewing time, these are still the key
elements of intuitive brewing. But the difference is that the decision
for each element is made on-site based on this specific t in the
moment. You'll need your acute observation and
tea knowledge to figure out what's the best way to brew the tea.
For example, what's the occasion? If you're preparing a fine green tea to go
with a delicious meal you might want to brew it a slightly
stronger than you might normally so that it withstands the flavors of the
food. However, if you're introducing a new
friend a new tea drinker to Wuyi yancha you might need to consider toning things
down a little bit so that it's easier for them to accept
the taste. These considerations will guide you to the intensity level of the
tea you're brewing. Most importantly observe the tea, this
specific tea that you're about to brew. What type of tea is it? It helps you
decide the rough brewing measurements. What's the shape of the tea leaves? this
is when you fine tune the details. For example, Rou Gui and Shui Xian, though
they are both yancha rock oolongs they each have
different leaf sizes. Shui Xian has a bigger leaf than Rou Gui.
So when brewing gong fu style, you might fill the gaiwan with
Shui Xian right to the top but if it's Rou Gui you may be stopping
around 2/3 of the gaiwan.
Intuitive brewing is a consistently engaging brewing experience that
requires more than just the initial measurement.
You will actively adjust your way of brewing
as necessary. As mentioned earlier, rolled oolong though they all look
pretty similar, the ones that are tightly rolled by the
look of the dry leaves might need a longer steep time.
But if you notice after the rinse that the leaves are more unfolded than you
expected, never hesitate to change your mind and
make your first infusion a little quicker. As you brew the tea you are
learning more about it. The look of the leaves, the liquor,
the smell of the aroma, the taste of the infusion,
these are all giving you critical information about how to improve
the next infusion. Most importantly, have fun with the brewing!
Practice brewing tea, be an acute observer of every detail in nuance,
and actively think and consistently adjust
and improve your brewing skills.
The benefits of this are almost obvious. First, you're going to get a real strong
brewing skill set that allows you to handle
almost any situation and improvise as necessary.
Because the decisions are made based on the specific tea,
it requires you to pay more attention to the tea, absorbing more info about the
tea. It's an experience accumulation process
for anybody who'd like to advance their chinese tea knowledge and skills,
intuitive brewing and using proper tasting techniques
are absolutely essential for further learning.
When the attention is drawn to the single focus of brewing the tea
as it's happening, listening to the water boil
watching it pour, observing the leaves expand and unfold,
it's almost like a meditation. It's calming,
soothing, focusing on that particular moment.
Though we advocate intuitive brewing, it doesn't mean you can't brew with the
help of tools. It is a great way to get started with
tea. It helps us build our confidence in brewing
and find our own brewing preferences. But remember
don't just focus on the number of grams mils or degrees c
or f depending where you are. Always adjust to your liking.
Trial and error is not a bad way to learn.
In the end, there's no tea police to give you a ticket.
Have fun with your tea! There's no wrong way to brew.
Just find the perfect sip for you. If you found this video helpful,
please give us a thumbs up and consider subscribing to our channel for more
videos about Chinese tea and tea culture. Be sure to follow us on
social media like Instagram Facebook and Twitter, and share us with your tea friends. Get out there and start brewing intuitively!
And until next time, keep steeping!
Very, very, with my knives
i said don't because i'm closed edge try in
my head
you