It's All About Tea — tea tasting
How Teaware Affects the Taste of Tea – A Guide to Choosing the Right Vessel
Posted by Misha Gulko on
Every teaware material changes the tea differently. For example: Porcelain and glass are neutral. They show you the tea as it is. Yixing clay softens and rounds. Chaozhou clay heightens fragrance. Silver conducts heat fast for clean, bright infusions. Jianshui clay keeps the taste neutral while helping to retain heat. – This is a guide to understanding what each material does before you commit to one. (Read more)
Washing Tea: Drink or Discard The Very First Brew?
Posted by Boyka Mihaylova on
"Washing tea" ( or rinsing tea) is a well-known expression for everyone who enjoys drinking loose leaf tea in a traditional way – f.ex. Gong Fu Cha style. We call "washing/ rinsing" the act of pouring out the very first brew of tea. Its purpose is to literally "wash" the tea leaves.
Washing tea has become an essential step in the tea ritual. Some people go to the extent of "washing" even the most gentle and delicate teas, like green tea. What good does it bring, though? And is it really necessary? Let's find out what stands behind the custom of washing tea. (Read More)
Washing tea has become an essential step in the tea ritual. Some people go to the extent of "washing" even the most gentle and delicate teas, like green tea. What good does it bring, though? And is it really necessary? Let's find out what stands behind the custom of washing tea. (Read More)
Embodying The Tea Ceremony: What Is Hui Gan?
Posted by Angelina Kurganska on
In a couple of our recent posts, we have mentioned these obscure words — Hui Gan. But what does Hui Gan actually mean? Indeed, it’s as elusive as many of our favorite terms in this mysterious world of tea! Hui Gan, Cha Qi, Wabi-Sabi… they are all tricky to describe but really hold what we find is the essence of the tea ceremony. (Read more)
Bitterness vs. Astringency in Tea – What's the Difference?
Posted by Angelina Kurganska on
Bitterness and astringency are two of the most commonly confused sensations in tea, and two of the most important to understand. Bitterness is a taste, caused by caffeine and certain catechins; astringency is a mouthfeel, caused by tannins binding to the proteins in your saliva. One is usually unwanted. The other, in a well-made tea, can be one of its finest qualities. (Read more)
What Is Mouthfeel? — How To Properly Taste Tea
Posted by Angelina Kurganska on
What do we talk about when we talk about mouthfeel? We’re sure, when you read tea descriptions, picking out which best suits your taste, you may notice something referred to as “mouthfeel.” Mouthfeel is an essential part of the tasting and understanding of every tea. Or even coffee, alcoholic beverages, and food! It’s impossible to escape mouthfeel if you are tasting something. However, some of us may not be used to paying it much mind. In this article, we’ll take a deeper look into mouthfeel and how to decode it during a tea tasting! (Read more)