In China, it’s very common to use throw some tea leaves into a glass and drink directly out of it. For areas such as Zhejiang and Anhui, this is pretty much the go-to brewing method.
The advantages of this are twofold:
i) Convenience, fewer elaborate steps and equipment used
ii) Admire the beauty of the leaves unfurling in all its glory
A couple of days ago I posted a photo of my longjing in a tall glass and a friend I recently made on Twitter asked if I was worried about over-infusing my tea leaves (which I will get to later) and later he asked if it only applies to green tea.
It was a question that warranted a longer answer than 140 characters would allow so here’s a basic guide to drinking tea out of a glass and a pictorial guide at the end.
Will the tea taste awful if I infuse it in this manner?
In a glass, the heat dissipates quicker so it will not have the same ‘potency’ as you would if you immersed in a gaiwan.
Secondly, if tea leaves of an acceptable quality are used, it will not be excessively bitter or astringent, even when ‘over-infused’.
Third, if you use ‘gongfu brewing’ quantities for brewing this way it is going to be a pretty potent and bitter brew. A good starting point is 1g of tea leaves per 50ml of water.
Is this only for green tea?
It is not explicitly for green tea alone but there are other reasons why I would not recommend brewing some categories of tea in this manner:
Oolong and Black Teas
Most oolongs and black teas (excluding buds) require high heat to unleash the fullness of its flavor. Especially oolong where temperature retention is crucial the non-heat retentive material and the lack of the lid are not conducive to unleashing the taste of these teas. The aroma of the teas will also escape quite a fair bit.
Dark Teas
Dark teas are by definition post-fermented so there are quite a bit of microbes on the leaves. It is always recommended to give dark teas a rinse- or two- before consumption.
Pouring out tea from a glass without the tea leaves in the process is not easy, especially since glasses don’t come with a spout or a lid to facilitate pouring.
In addition, one of the draws of brewing in a glass is the beauty of the leaves unfurling. Even the biggest Pu-er fanatic would agree that the visual appeal of a Pu-er leaf is limited at best, detracting quite a bit from the enjoyment of it.
White and yellow teas
Since white and yellow teas can be brewed at lower temperatures and do not require rinsing, the same reasons why glass brewing works for green tea is applicable for these two categories as well.
Notes:
While part of the allure of brewing with a glass is its simplicity, it’s not entirely no-holds barred.
i) TCM practitioners don’t recommend drinking cold tea- especially green, white and yellow because the ‘cooling’ nature is even more amplified and may be detrimental to the constitution of the drinker
ii) Steeping the tea for too long will affect the chemical compounds of the tea and hamper its health benefits
Combining the 2 factors above, it is often recommended that a glass of tea (i.e. all 3 infusions) be consumed within an hour or so.
Guide to glass brewing
What you need-
A glass and tea leaves.
Optional- Chadao 6, receptacle to pour water into- you can use a basin or a salad bowl. Form over substance.
Step 1:
Warm the glass with hot water.
Fill to about 1/5 of the glass
*If you are so inclined, you can fill to 2/3 and pour out directly as opposed to step 2 but it’s a waste of water.*
Step 2:
Gently pour out the water while rotating the glass to heat it evenly.
Step 3:
Fill with hot water until the glass is 2/3 full- sometimes tea leaves are added before water, but in this case for Xinyang Green Tips, add water first
Refer to here for more details
Step 4
Add tea leaves
Step 5
Steep for 2 minutes
Step 6
Drink from the cup directly until it is 1/3 to 1/2 full
Step 7
Add hot water
Step 8
Move the kettle up and down, traditionally the upward and downward movement is repeated 3 times to symbolize a respectful gesture to the guest, known as the 3 salutes of the Phoenix
There is a practical reason to do so as the movement and increased velocity of water causes the tea leaves to swirl and gets ‘stirred’ evenly
Repeat steps 6-8 another time.