Why does Tieguanyin have oil bubbles after soaking? What is the best water temperature for Tieguanyin?

Tieguanyin is a very famous type of tea, belonging to the category of semi-fermented tea. Tieguanyin contains rich organic chemical components, which are also quite beneficial to the body. When brewing Tieguanyin, you will find a layer of oil film floating on the surface of the tea soup. So is this oil film a harmful substance?

Why does Tieguanyin produce oil after soaking?

Tieguanyin is a semi-fermented tea.

Tea contains an organic compound called tea polyphenols, which can easily form polyphenol oxygen compounds - tea pigments after oxidation.

The film formed on the brewed tea soup is tea pigment (polyphenol oxygen compound). The longer the time, the darker the color will be, and the longer the oxidation time, the more tea pigment will be oxidized.

Generally speaking, Tieguanyin is more likely to form tea pigments than black tea because some phenolic substances in black tea have been oxidized during the processing and fermentation process.

Apples that we often eat in our daily lives are also rich in polyphenols. If you cut an apple and leave it aside, it will change color after a while. In fact, the phenomenon that occurs in tea soup is the same as the principle that apples change color after being left for a long time. Therefore, tea lovers do not need to worry. Tea pigments (polyphenols) are harmless to the human body!

What is the best water temperature for brewing Tieguanyin?

Tieguanyin is a semi-fermented tea with a complicated production process. Some of the tea polyphenols have undergone oxidative polymerization, so it has both the fragrance of green tea and the mellowness of black tea.

Tieguanyin has thick and mature leaves, and its aroma types are mostly high-boiling point aroma substances. In order to show its special floral fragrance, charm and mellow taste, it must be brewed with 100-degree boiling water.

In order to ensure that the temperature is high enough during brewing, the tea container must be quickly scalded with boiling water before brewing, which can both warm the cup in advance and clean the tea set. After scalding the container, put Tieguanyin into the container and brew it with 100-degree boiling water.

The temperature is high enough, the aroma substances are fully volatilized, the aroma is rich like plum and orchid, the flavor components are more fully dissolved, the taste is more mellow and fresh, as soon as you put it in your mouth, it is like thousands of magical substances "drilling" into the teeth, straight into the bottom of the throat, the cheeks are full of saliva, and the tongue surface seems to be covered with a thin layer of synovial membrane, mellow and fresh. This makes Tieguanyin obtain the best quality flavor after brewing.

Is it better to boil water first or add tea leaves first when brewing Tieguanyin?

Tieguanyin is a semi-fermented oolong tea that needs to be brewed with boiling water at high temperature. So in order to ensure high temperature, you need to put the tea leaves first and then add boiling water.

At the same time, in order to ensure the high temperature, it is generally necessary to scald the container with boiling water first. On the one hand, it can clean the tea set and appreciate the fragrance of the dry tea. On the other hand, it can pre-heat the tea set to prevent the cold tea set from absorbing a lot of heat and failing to reach the high temperature we want.

When choosing tea sets, you can choose purple clay teapots, which have good heat preservation effects, to ensure the high temperature required for brewing.

In terms of brewing time, Tieguanyin is granular and relatively compact, making it difficult to brew, so there is usually a step of washing the tea, which is to quickly inject boiling water and then pour it out immediately, which takes about two or three seconds.

During normal brewing, let it sit for about 5 seconds the first and second times, about 8 seconds the third and fourth times, and about 15 seconds the fifth and sixth times.

Of course, this is not a standard. According to personal tea drinking habits, the firmness of the tea leaves and the amount of tea can be adjusted appropriately, but it generally will not exceed 1 minute.