Posted 10 July 2007 - 08:59 PM
I love Chinese green tea; Longjing from Hanzhou, Taiwanese High Mountain Tea (Gaoshan Cha) are my personal favs. I like that Birds Nest Jasmine stuff too, not sure if it is considered a green tea or not.
To achieve good results, you will need a ceramic or stoneware teapot, and use filtered water.
High Mountain Tea (Gaoshan Cha) from Taiwan:
Some people like to "rinse" their tea leaves in hot water prior to brewing; the tea I use is high enough quality that I don't think it's really necessary.
Place enough tea leaves to cover about 2/3s of the teapot; boil some filtered water. Set aside for 3-4 minutes, then fill the tea pot, then cover. Set your timer for 3mins
Open, see how the leaves have expanded:
Make sure you pour out all the hot liquid. I use a glass carafe and let the tea chill in the refrigerator.
You can let the tea leaves dry out a bit and repeat the process 2-3 more times before the leaves lose their flavor.
PS - if you keep tea overnight, it has to be refrigerated. Even then, finish it the next day or throw it out.
HTH
