Why do some tea leaves float on the surface when brewing tea? What is the water temperature for brewing tea?

Tea is a traditional drink in my country, and there are many types of tea. When brewing tea, if it is a glass teacup, you can see that some tea leaves float and some sink to the bottom. The floating tea leaves will affect the drinking. So why is this?

Why do some tea leaves float on top when brewing tea?

Common sense says that whether an object floats on the water or sinks depends on the density of the object. If it is larger than the water, it will sink. After the dry tea is soaked in water, it will slowly sink. The speed at which the tea leaves sink in the water is closely related to the shape of the tea leaves, the water temperature, the water absorption and the degree of expansion of the tea leaves.

Generally speaking, green tea with a tight, long shape and good workmanship sinks faster in water, while flat ones sink slower. The part close to the stem is heavier, while the part at the end of the leaf is lighter, and it usually sinks slowly with the bottom facing down. Therefore, flat Longjing and Guapian are mostly poured from below to reduce the floating state, which will cause a lot of inconvenience to the drinking process.

For Biluochun and Maofeng, the upper or middle pouring method is sufficient. If the temperature is not high enough, and the warm brewing method is used, the tea leaves generally absorb water more slowly and are less likely to sink.

What is the water temperature for brewing tea?

Ordinary green tea is usually brewed with hot water at 80-85 degrees, but when it comes to extremely delicate and fine high-quality green tea, it can usually only be brewed with hot water at 75-80 degrees.

The tea buds of white tea and yellow tea are mostly tender, and some varieties are relatively precious. Therefore, when brewing, only water at around 70 degrees can be used.

For bulk black tea and scented tea, since the tea processing raw materials are moderate, they can be brewed with water at about 90 degrees.

When brewing oolong tea and Pu'er tea, you must use boiling water over 95 degrees. Since these teas choose more mature tea as raw materials, they are semi-fermented teas and the amount of tea leaves used is large, so boiling water must be used.

Brick tea and black tea made from coarse and old raw materials are difficult to brew even with 100-degree boiling water, so when drinking tea, it is best to use the decocting method.

Do I have to wash the tea leaves before making them?

You must wash the tea leaves before making tea, but there are exceptions.

1. Unwashed tea buds

Teas like Jin Jun Mei, Xinyang Mao Jian, Bai Hao Yin Zhen, Guzhang Mao Jian, Bi Luo Chun, etc. are basically not washed. The raw materials of these teas are basically single buds or one bud and one leaf just beginning to unfold, the first harvest of spring tea, and the tea hair content is very high. 50% of it has been dissolved in the first brew. It would be a pity if it is poured out, so people usually drink it directly without washing it, which would be a pity after washing.

2. Tea that must be washed

Black tea must be washed. The fermentation process of black tea cannot be completely lifted off the ground, so hygiene issues are still common in black tea. Not only must the tea be washed, but lower-grade tea must also be washed twice quickly. In addition to black tea, other lower-grade teas must be washed. Although washing the tea actually wakes up the tea, it is conducive to brewing out the aroma.

3. There is another type of tea that you can choose yourself, such as Queshe, Junshan Yinzhen, second and third grade Biluochun, West Lake Longjing, etc. This kind of tea is based on personal choice. Some people don't wash the tea leaves, but I still wash them. If it does not affect the normal drinking, I will try my best to wash the tea leaves. I usually drink a lot of tea, so I will pay more attention to it. If I drink it occasionally, it will not cause negative accumulation, so washing or not will not have a big impact.