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wrote:
> Washing Tea
>
> First boiled water, wait a while till it cools down, use it to
> rinse tea and clean dust, save the
> tea leaves in a settling bowl[1], till it cools down, then steep,

the
> aroma will release naturally.
>
> Translated from Wen Zhen Heng: On Superfluous Things. (Zhang Wu Zhi)
> [1] Also called "tea container", used for sheltering rinsed tea.



Preparation of Water


One should simmer water with a slow fire, boil water with a living
fire. A living fire is a charcoal fire with flames.
When fish eyes[1] start appearing , it is "first boiling ", when the
the fringe of the water pot starts gushing, it is "second boiling",
when
roaring and spilling, it is "third boiling"
If the fire was just kindled, and the water pot is barely warm,
then hastily lift the water pot to pour, the water odor still lingers,
this is "tender water" ; if water boiled ten times over it has lost
its
essence, this is "tough water" , both kind of water cannot bring out
the aroma of tea.

Trnaslated from: Wen Zhen Heng: Zhang Wu Zhi ( On Superfluous Things)
Chapter 12. Scent and Tea.

[1]. Fish eyes: A term use frequently in ancient Chinese books on tea,
it describes vividly the state of water
when tiny bubbles appear on the water surface, like fish eyes.