Choosing and Brewing Tea at the Tea House
IntermediateHobby
A female tourist visits a tea house and asks the male shopkeeper to explain the differences between several types of tea and how to brew them properly at home.
L
LinZ
ZhangL
老板，你好，我想买点茶叶，可是我不太懂，你能给我介绍一下吗？
lǎobǎn, nǐ hǎo, wǒ xiǎng mǎi diǎn cháyè, kěshì wǒ bú tài dǒng, nǐ néng gěi wǒ jièshào yíxià ma?
Hello, boss. I'd like to buy some tea, but I don't really know much about it. Could you give me an introduction?
Z
当然可以。我们这儿主要有绿茶、红茶、乌龙茶和普洱茶，每一种的味道都不一样。
dāngrán kěyǐ. wǒmen zhèr zhǔyào yǒu lǜchá, hóngchá, wūlóngchá hé pǔ'ěrchá, měi yì zhǒng de wèidào dōu bù yíyàng.
Of course. Here we mainly have green tea, black tea, oolong tea, and pu'er tea, and each one tastes different.
L
那绿茶和红茶有什么区别呢？它们的颜色看起来差别挺大的。
nà lǜchá hé hóngchá yǒu shénme qūbié ne? tāmen de yánsè kàn qǐlái chābié tǐng dà de.
So what's the difference between green tea and black tea? Their colors look quite different.
Z
对，主要区别就在于发酵。绿茶不发酵，味道清淡；红茶是全发酵的，味道浓一些，也比较甜。
duì, zhǔyào qūbié jiù zàiyú fājiào. lǜchá bù fājiào, wèidào qīngdàn; hóngchá shì quán fājiào de, wèidào nóng yìxiē, yě bǐjiào tián.
Right, the main difference lies in fermentation. Green tea isn't fermented and tastes light; black tea is fully fermented, so it tastes stronger and a bit sweeter.
L
原来是这样。那乌龙茶呢？我经常听说，可是从来没喝过。
yuánlái shì zhèyàng. nà wūlóngchá ne? wǒ jīngcháng tīngshuō, kěshì cónglái méi hē guò.
I see. What about oolong tea then? I often hear about it, but I've never actually tried it.
Z
乌龙茶是半发酵的，介于绿茶和红茶之间，香气特别浓郁，很多人都喜欢。
wūlóngchá shì bàn fājiào de, jièyú lǜchá hé hóngchá zhījiān, xiāngqì tèbié nóngyù, hěn duō rén dōu xǐhuan.
Oolong tea is semi-fermented, sitting between green tea and black tea. Its aroma is especially rich, and lots of people love it.
L
听起来很不错。那我在家应该怎么泡才好呢？水温有讲究吗？
tīng qǐlái hěn búcuò. nà wǒ zài jiā yīnggāi zěnme pào cái hǎo ne? shuǐwēn yǒu jiǎngjiu ma?
That sounds great. So how should I best brew it at home? Is the water temperature important?
Z
水温很重要。绿茶要用八十度左右的水，水太烫的话，茶叶会被烫坏，味道就变苦了。
shuǐwēn hěn zhòngyào. lǜchá yào yòng bāshí dù zuǒyòu de shuǐ, shuǐ tài tàng de huà, cháyè huì bèi tàng huài, wèidào jiù biàn kǔ le.
Water temperature is important. Green tea should use water around 80 degrees. If the water is too hot, the leaves get scalded and the taste turns bitter.
L
那红茶和乌龙茶呢？也用八十度的水吗？
nà hóngchá hé wūlóngchá ne? yě yòng bāshí dù de shuǐ ma?
What about black tea and oolong tea? Do they also use 80-degree water?
Z
不是，红茶和乌龙茶得用刚烧开的水，差不多九十五度到一百度，这样香味才泡得出来。
bú shì, hóngchá hé wūlóngchá děi yòng gāng shāokāi de shuǐ, chàbùduō jiǔshíwǔ dù dào yìbǎi dù, zhèyàng xiāngwèi cái pào de chūlái.
No. Black tea and oolong tea need freshly boiled water, roughly 95 to 100 degrees—only that way can the aroma come out.
L
明白了。那一般泡多长时间呢？我怕泡太久了不好喝。
míngbái le. nà yìbān pào duō cháng shíjiān ne? wǒ pà pào tài jiǔ le bù hǎo hē.
Got it. So how long should I usually steep it? I'm worried that steeping it too long will make it taste bad.
Z
一般泡个一两分钟就行了，泡好以后马上把茶水倒出来，这样一份茶叶能泡好几次。
yìbān pào ge yì liǎng fēnzhōng jiù xíng le, pào hǎo yǐhòu mǎshàng bǎ cháshuǐ dào chūlái, zhèyàng yí fèn cháyè néng pào hǎojǐ cì.
Usually one or two minutes is enough. Once it's done, pour out the tea right away—that way one portion of leaves can be brewed several times.