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A Beginner's Guide to Brewing Tea
We're honored that you've chosen Zheng Shan Tang for your first tea journey. Although you may be anywhere in the world, we recommend following traditional Chinese brewing methods to fully appreciate the nuanced flavors and aromas of each tea.
① Choosing Your Teaware
A. Easy Steeper Set
For Convenience (Office/Home):
Ideal for solo brewing:
Place 3-4g tea in cup
Add hot water (≥95°C)
Lift filter after steeping.
B.Gaiwan brewing tips
▶Brewing Steps:
Add tea leaves(120-150 ml, 3-5g tea) → Pour water (Mineral-free, pH < 7.0,temperature of 85-100℃) → Wait (Reference steeping time: 5-15 sec for black tea / 15-20 sec for green tea / 5-30 sec for oolong tea, adjusting to taste / 10-30 sec for pu-erh tea, progressively increase steeping duration).Can be brewed repeatedly 6-12 times,
Set delivers optimal flavor extraction, perfect for sharing tea with family.
C.Cup Brewing
• Tea: 1-2g loose leaves(200-300ml capacity)
• Steeping: 3-5 minutes per infusion
• Re-steep: 2-4 times (add 30s per brew)
Perfect for green/black/white teas during work breaks
D. Cold Brew
• Tea:1-2g tea per 200-300ml cold water/ice
• Method: Refrigerate at 0-4°C for 3-5 hrs
• Yield: Bright, smooth liquor with minimal bitterness
Best for green/black/white teas in summer
② The 3 Golden Rules of Brewing
Tea Quantity
• Gaiwan (120-150ml): 1 full tea mini bag
• Cup/Cold Brew (200-300ml): 1-2g (½ tea mini bag)
• Teapot: Adjust according to the capacity of teapot(Standard Ratios--Black Tea:1g : 50ml water/ Oolong Tea: 1g : 20ml water)
Water
• Temperature: 85-100°C (Brewing green tea is 85℃, Black tea/oolong tea/Pu'er tea is 100℃)
• Cold Brew:Cold or ice water
• Type: Use soft water (pH <7). Mineral content dramatically affects color, clarity, and taste.
Steeping Time
•Black teas (e.g. Jin Jun Mei) in Gaiwan:
- 5-15 seconds per infusion
- 12+ steepings possible
• Green teas (e.g. Longjing) in Mugs:
- 1-2 minutes per infusion
- 2-3 steepings recommended.
This has to do with the utensils and tea leaves you choose.
How to mix and match tea
1Black tea with longan and wolfberry
Effects: tonify blood and qi
Materials: peeled and seeded longan, wolfberry, one mini bag of black tea
1Black tea with
hawthorn and apple
Effects: promote appetite, remove dampness
Materials: fresh hawthorn, chopped apples, one mini bag of black tea
1Black tea with
rose and jasmine
Effects: calm the mood and maintain beauty
Materials: dried roses and jasmine, one mini bag of black tea
1Black tea with
red dates and ginger
Effects: dispel wind-cold
Materials: ginger with skin (shredded/sliced), dried red dates without pits, one mini bag of black tea
3Black tea with astragalus
Effects: replenish qi and raise yang, regulate the spleen and stomach
Materials: appropriate amount of astragalus, one mini bag of black tea
1Black tea with
tangerine peel and pear
Effects: moisten the throat and lungs, clear away heat
Materials: peel one pear and cut into pieces, tangerine peel, one mini bag of black tea
1Black tea with
longan and wolfberry
Effects: tonify blood and qi
Materials: peeled and seeded longan, wolfberry, one mini bag of black tea
We’d Love to Hear from You!
Share your brewing experiments or questions with us. Your feedback helps us refine our guidance!
→ Contact us:Support@lapsangstore.com
How to appreciate black tea?
1Dry tea leaves
golden and black/black, complete and tightSoup
1color
golden/orange/orange red, bright and clear
1Taste
sweet, mellow/fresh
1Aroma
fresh, floral, fruity, honey-like and herbaceous aroma, etc.
1Wet leaves
complete with uniform bronze color
Black tea mix and match
1Black tea with red dates and ginger
Effects: dispel wind-cold
Materials: ginger with skin (shredded/sliced), dried red dates without pits, one mini bag of black tea
1Black tea with hawthorn and apple
Effects: promote appetite, remove dampness
Materials: fresh hawthorn, chopped apples, one mini bag of black tea
1Black tea with longan and wolfberry
Effects: tonify blood and qi
Materials: peeled and seeded longan, wolfberry, one mini bag of black tea
1Black tea with astragalus
Effects: replenish qi and raise yang, regulate the spleen and stomach
Materials: appropriate amount of astragalus, one mini bag of black tea
1Black tea with tangerine peel and pear
Effects: moisten the throat and lungs, clear away heat
Materials: peel one pear and cut into pieces, tangerine peel, one mini bag of black tea
1Black tea with rose and jasmine
Effects: calm the mood and maintain beauty
Materials: dried roses and jasmine, one mini bag of black tea
How to store black tea?
Under normal temperature, sealed, dry, light-proof and odor-free storage conditions, the quality can remain unchanged for three to five years or even longer, the taste is more mellow, and the tea aroma is integrated into the tea soup.
The benefits of Zhengshantang classic tinplate can packaging:
① Good sealing, light-proof, moisture-proof and odor-proof
② The can body is made of tin-plated thin steel plate to prevent transportation damage
③ Environmentally friendly and easy to recycle
④ Since the founding of Jin Jun Mei, the packaging has been used for 18 years, with a simple feeling and returning to nature
⑤ Six anti-counterfeiting logo designs: can bottom embossing, can top gravure, aluminum film origin label and QR code label, side geographical indication, "Jiang Yuanxun" seal and "Zhengshan Successor" seal
⑥ Anti-counterfeiting ice cracks on the bottom
How to store black tea?
Under storage conditions of room temperature, sealing, dryness, light avoidance and no odor, the quality can remain unchanged for three to five years or even longer, the taste will be mellower, and the tea aroma will be integrated into the tea soup.
The benefits of using classic tinplate cans for packaging in Zhengshantang:
①Good sealing, light-proof, moisture-proof and odor-proof
②The can body is made of tin-plated thin steel plate to prevent transportation damage
③Environmentally friendly and easy to recycle
④Since the founding of Jin Junmei, the packaging has been used for 18 years, with a simple and rustic feeling and a return to nature
⑤Six anti-counterfeiting logo designs: embossing on the bottom of the can, gravure printing on the top of the can, aluminum film origin label and QR code label, geographical indication on the side, "Jiang Yuanxun" seal and "Zhengshan Successor" seal
⑥Anti-counterfeiting ice cracks on the bottom.
The differences between traditional Chinese tea and western tea
1. No Flavors Added VS Flavored:High-quality tea raw materials combined with traditional Chinese hand-made tea-making methods, the tea will have fragrance without adding natural or artificial flavors, which is not only healthy but also more lasting.
2. Multiple Brewing VS Single serve:Usually western tea drinking recommends that you soak the tea for about 3 minutes. For Chinese tea, of course you can drink that way, but if you learn Kungfu brewing style with Gaiwan, you will be attracted by the multiple brewing taste and feeling
3. Tea maker VS Dealers: As the hometown of Chinese tea, most Chinese brands are tea producers and growers. This is our mission that has been passed down for hundreds of years.
4. Strict on water temperature, equipment and water quality:95-100℃(203-212F), Purify water, Chinese tea set(or your tea pot), 3 elements for a delicious cup of Chinese tea.
