How to Serve Chinese Tea

A gaiwan brews a small amount of tea in a cup with a lid.

Preparing Chinese tea can provide a calming and new tea drinking experience. Serving Chinese tea often involves green tea, although China produces a significant amount of white and oolong teas that are also used for this process. The type of tea you use determines which type of brewing vessel you should use: dark oolongs work best in a yixing clay teapot, while green tea, white tea and lighter oolongs steep well in a gaiwan, or brewing cup.

Things You'll Need

• Gaiwan or yixing teapot
• Water
• Chinese loose leaf tea
• Teacups

Instructions

1. Heat water to boiling for oolong teas, 165 to 185 degrees F for green teas and 185 to 195 degrees F for white teas. Some white teas require a temperature closer to 140 degrees F. Check your tea package for instructions.

2. Pour some of the hot water into the teapot or gaiwan to rinse and preheat the brewing vessel. Pour the hot water out from the brewing vessel to the teacups to rinse and preheat them as well.

3. Add 1 tsp. of tea leaves per cup to the brewing vessel; add slightly less if using a gaiwan. Pour a small amount of hot water over the leaves to rinse off any dust and to allow the leaves to open slightly. This gives you a fresher tasting tea. Dump out this liquid.

4. Fill the brewing vessel with water and allow the tea to steep according to the package instructions. If using a yixing clay teapot, cover the teapot when it fills to the top with water, and continue pouring water over the teapot to keep it warm. Brewing times generally range from 2 to 3 minutes for green teas, 4 to 5 minutes for black teas, 3 to 5 minutes for oolong teas and 1 to 2 minutes for white teas.

5. Pour the tea out into a small pitcher, and from there pour into the tea cups. While pouring into the teacups, switch back and forth between the cups to ensure that the tea distributes evenly.

6. Serve the tea in the teacups. Resteep the tea leaves while you and your guests enjoy the tea. You can resteep leaves up to three times or according to your taste.

References

• Tea Infusion: Chinese Tea
• The Fragrant Leaf: Gaiwan Tea Preparation
• The Fragrant Leaf: Chinese Tea Culture & Gongfu Tea