golden ear

Chapter 314
"Uncle Liu, your level of tea ceremony has really improved to a new level!"

Wu Tianyuan looked at Liu Huasheng's method without a trace of fireworks, and couldn't help sighing: "Whether it is the temperature of the water or the method of making tea, it is just right, and there is a special charm in the flowing water, which is really impressive!"

"The biggest difference between Chinese tea and Japanese tea is that the method of making green tea is different." After Liu Huasheng came out of retreat, his temperament became more peaceful and serene, and his every move felt like Zen. It is one of the preliminary tea-making processes of green tea, black tea, green tea and some black teas. It is also a very critical process to help green tea show high-quality shape and quality. Whether this step is done well and how it is used will be serious. It affects the taste of the tea brewed."

"It includes frying, steaming, soaking, and radiating green tea. However, Chinese green tea uses mostly frying method, which is to use low heat to wither the tea leaves in a pot during the process of making tea. On the one hand Manual rolling allows the water in the tea leaves to evaporate quickly, which blocks the fermentation process, and at the same time the essence of the tea juice in the tea leaves is completely preserved. Of course, skills are also required in the process of frying greens. The tea leaves taste delicious and bitter Less, the tea leaves are preserved intact."

"As for Japanese-style sencha, steaming green tea is the most commonly used method of finishing green tea. Of course, the industrious and brave working people in China invented this tea-making method. This tea-making process of steaming green tea is earlier than frying green tea. Steamed green tea retains more chlorophyll, protein and aroma in the tea leaves during the production process, and the color of the dry tea will be darker, so the tea leaves will be greener in color, bitter in taste, but very fragrant. Sencha The tea leaves are cut during the production process, the shape will not be as complete as Chinese green tea, and a filter is required when brewing sencha."

"Many people are not used to drinking Japanese matcha at the beginning. Matcha was also introduced to Japan from China, and its history can be traced back to the Sui Dynasty. The raw material of matcha is green tea, which is ground into fine powder and steamed green tea with natural stone mills. This is why It's the cause of the powder."

"The taste of matcha is bitter at the beginning, but the aftertaste is slightly sweet, with a slight fragrance. Many people describe it as having a seaweed-like taste."

Liu Huasheng demonstrated the various techniques and steps of the matcha tea ceremony while talking, and introduced: "Matcha powder can be washed directly with water or used to make snacks, but the traditional drinking method is derived from Chinese tea fighting. This method was later spread to Japan has developed into the Japanese tea ceremony. The first step is to warm the bowl, and the tea bowl and the tea cup must be scalded with boiling water."

"Then it's the paste. Put a small spoonful of matcha in the bowl, about 2 grams, and add a small amount of water to make the matcha into a paste."

"Order tea, touch it evenly, add more water, and use the teacup to stir against the bottom of the bowl in a "W" trajectory, so that a lot of air is mixed in, and thick foam is formed on the surface."

"These steps seem simple, but they are not easy to do, especially for mixing paste and ordering tea. True tea masters have their own secret recipes. There are many untold secrets. They have been studying how to improve the aroma and taste of tea."

"The best matcha is selected from Uji Town, Japan. The raw materials are high-quality, and the taste of matcha will be stronger, the powder is fine, and the taste is excellent. Gyokuro is the highest-grade tea among Japanese teas, and it is impossible to find one in a hundred tea trees. to produce Yulu."

"Twenty days before germination, tea farmers will set up straw to carefully protect the top of the tea tree and block sunlight, so that the tea tree can grow soft new buds. Pick the young buds, kill them with high-temperature steam, cool them rapidly, and then knead them. Long and slender tea leaves. Yulu has less astringency, but is sweet and soft, and the tea soup is clear and clear, with a fairy air that does not eat the fireworks of the world."

"When brewing Gyokuro, the water temperature should be low. Some people even lower the water temperature to about 40 degrees Celsius for brewing. If the water temperature is too high, the taste of the tea will become astringent. The color of Gyokuro green tea is very emerald green, and it is brewed in a transparent glass teapot. You can also see the color of the tea change when you brew it.”

Wu Tianyuan interjected: "This is the same as our Biluochun drink method, the fresher the better."

"Yes, the most popular way of tea ceremony is called brown rice tea. Brown rice is first fried in a pot until it is fragrant, and then mixed into bancha or sencha. The brewed tea soup is rich in rice fragrance, and the tea and rice complement each other, which is also interesting. "

"It has the aroma of fried rice, which covers up the bitterness and astringency of some tea leaves, and you can taste the taste of popcorn while drinking it. It is easy to be accepted by people, and it is convenient to make it at home, so it is popular in Japan and even the whole world. It is a very popular tea drink in Asia.”

Wu Tianyuan curled his lips and said, "Isn't this the tea that was popular in the Tang Dynasty? In the past, tea was used as food, and it was not until the Song Dynasty that it became a drink and became independent."

"The Japanese are very strict, which is most vividly displayed in the tea ceremony. Tea tasting is very particular about the place, and it is usually carried out in the tea room. When receiving guests, after the guests are seated, the tea master who presides over the ceremony will light the charcoal fire according to the prescribed actions, Boil water, make tea or matcha, and then offer it to the guests in turn."

"A guest must receive tea with both hands respectfully according to the regulations, thank you first, then turn the tea bowl three times, taste lightly, drink slowly, and return it. Ordering tea, brewing tea, brewing tea, and offering tea are the main parts of the tea ceremony, which requires special skills and skills. Training. After drinking tea, according to the custom, the guests should appreciate and praise all kinds of tea sets. Finally, the guests kneel down and bid farewell to the host, who warmly sends them off."

"People with real status in Japan have to participate in the tea ceremony every week. The effect is the same as that of Western dance parties. It is a place for high-end people to flow."

Liu Huasheng pointed to the empty tea room and said: "Japanese tea pays attention to the four characters of "harmony, respect, purity, and silence". Slow use" and all kinds of words represent the meaning of "harmony" in the tea ceremony."

"Respect means respect for elders, and it also represents respect and love for friends and peers. Respect with harmony, from then on, unfolds the essence of the tea ceremony."

"Qing means pure and clean. Many people think that the most advanced tea ceremony must use ancient utensils. They pay attention to which master of that era did it, and whether it was used by that celebrity of that era. They always put the old ones on the table. Before everything. In fact, this is a wrong concept. In fact, the most important thing should be cleanliness. It is also chanted in Rikyu's Hundred Poems that "Water and soup can cleanse tea towels and tea whisks, while Bingbao can cleanse the heart."

"From the clear to the quiet, the so-called "quietness" is like the feeling of deep precipitation in the heart in a quiet space free from external interference. And silence is the highest concept of beauty in the tea ceremony, in pursuit of " At the same time, you can observe your contented heart and let your heart settle in deep thinking. This is the thought born in Zen, and it is also the best answer to life."

(End of this chapter)