Faced with the bitter cold air from Siberia, we turn to tea for warmth. On the bubbling tea stove, the swirling steam also brings the feeling of quiet, unhurried years—and that is why fireside tea brewing caught fire this early winter. From a professional angle: which teas can be boiled? And how should they be boiled?
Today we discuss it.
@Wacha Club Director:
Some say pu-erh has more flavor when boiled, but Weng Kunming, secretary-general of the National Tea Standardization Technical Committee and associate researcher at the National Tea Quality Supervision and Inspection Center, is clear: “Pu-erh is better brewed; it is best not to boil it. Boiling makes the concentration easily too high, which burdens the spleen and stomach; it also makes aroma and taste hard to control. Only some coarse-leaf aged teas may be boiled, and the time should be kept to 3-5 minutes—never longer.”
Functionally, straight brewing is still recommended, with a gaiwan, Yixing pot or similar vessel. In boiling, the water’s boiling point is high, and high temperatures destroy some of tea’s beneficial contents, such as vitamins. Boiling also has preconditions: the tea must withstand boiling. Tender teas do not—teas of one bud one leaf or one bud two leaves. What withstands boiling is generally the third and fourth leaves, which are more woody. But the one-bud-one-leaf and one-bud-two-leaf teas have the richest contents and the highest nutritional value; the third and fourth leaves, about 15-20 days old, are low in nutrients. Boiling them costs time and forfeits the greatest health benefit of drinking tea—so “boiling” is not recommended as a way of drinking.
@Xiaochen Tea Matters_Village Girl Chen
Which white teas are suitable for boiling?
In theory, any aged white tea can be tried boiled—whether White Hair Silver Needle, White Peony or Longevity Eyebrow (Shoumei), loose or cake. In practice, though, more people boil aged Shoumei, especially cake tea.
For one thing, aged Silver Needle and aged Peony are expensive and scarce. Such precious aged white tea reveals its original flavor better brewed in a gaiwan. So most veteran tea drinkers choose to brew first and boil afterwards, rather than boiling the dry tea directly—otherwise it would be a waste.
On the other hand, aged Shoumei cake is mellow and sweet, and after boiling it has a distinctive charm of its own. Shoumei’s thick stems and broad leaves contain abundant soluble sugars and pectin; after pressing into cakes and aging for a time, these convert into a rich date fragrance. Even boiled directly, it gives a smooth, fine, richly aromatic liquor—no bitterness, no astringency, a long finish.
Of course, tastes differ and preferences vary.
Some love the freshness of loose tea and swear by the gaiwan; some love the density of cake tea and boil for convenience. Both ways are right—it comes down to choice. As long as the steps are correct, you will taste the perfect aroma and flavor of good tea.
@Tea Info
Ingredients: eggs (recipe for 10), salt to taste, dark soy sauce to taste, tea leaves 15-20 g, star anise 5, a small piece of cinnamon bark, a little Sichuan pepper, 5 bay leaves, 1 caokou (black cardamom), fennel 5 g.
Method:
1. With all ingredients ready, wash the eggs clean and boil them; take them out and tap them gently all over with a spoon or spatula to crack the shells.
2. Add a suitable amount of water to a pot, put in the prepared spices and tea leaves and bring to a boil; when the broth boils, add dark soy sauce and salt, then add the eggs and boil together.
3. Cover, simmer on medium-low heat for about 12 minutes, turn off the heat, and steep for at least 9 hours (the longer the steep, the more flavor—best boiled before bed and left overnight). By the next morning the eggs are flavored and ready to eat.
Note: the tea is not fixed—use any tea you like for boiling, and add spices to your own taste.
May 2020 issue
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Author: Lam Sam (LamSam), the Old Tea Head
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