Sample note
Processing matters as much as place
The same leaf can become green, oolong or black tea. Makers talk as much about withering and roasting as about origin.
Asaya Herbal World
Tea is a journey. Come along.
Asaya is a passionate tea drinker who takes tea very seriously. Here he shares where tea grows, how it is made and how to brew it well, one unhurried cup at a time.
Demo site · sample content
Gongfu, step by stepRead it
Where in the world is Asaya now?
Notes from the road
The tea regions Asaya visits, and the teas he finds there.
A world tour of tea
Where tea comes from
The hour-long ritual
An hour for one tea.
Asaya often spends about an hour on a single tea preparation. A good tea opens slowly, changing from one infusion to the next, and the only way to meet all of it is to give it time.
- PrepareFresh water, the right temperature, warm teaware.
- Meet the leafLook at it, weigh it, smell it warm and dry.
- Infuse, taste, repeatShort steeps, each one a little different.
- Read the spent leafIt tells you how the tea was picked and made.
From the journal
Learn something new about tea
Start here · 7 min read
A beginner’s path: four weeks, eight teas
You don’t need a cupboard of teaware to start. Here is a gentle route through the main families of tea, one week at a time.
Read
Start here · 8 min read
The families of tea, explained
White, green, yellow, oolong, black and dark tea all come from the same plant. What makes them different is what happens after picking.
ReadScience & tools · 8 min read
Water, heat and vessels: the science of a good cup
A cup of tea is about 99% water. Why the water you choose, how hot it is and what you brew in all change the taste.
ReadWhat’s latest
News from Asaya
Short posts about what Asaya is tasting, reading and learning.
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The conference notebook
What the tea world is talking about
Asaya goes to tea conferences to learn from growers, makers and fellow tea lovers. These are the kinds of ideas that come up.
Sample note
Water is part of the recipe
The minerals in your water change the cup. It is one of the easiest things to experiment with at home.
Sample note
Growers, climate and fair prices
How buyers and drinkers can support the people who grow tea, and help keep traditional tea-making alive.
Steep chart
How hot, how long?
| Tea | Water | Western steep |
|---|---|---|
| Green | 75–80 °C | 2–3 min |
| White | 80–90 °C | 3–5 min |
| Oolong | 90–100 °C | 3–4 min |
| Black | 90–100 °C | 3–4 min |
| Pu-erh | 95–100 °C | 3–5 min |
| Herbal | 100 °C | 5–7 min |
Glossary
Words worth knowing
- Gaiwan
- A lidded bowl with a saucer, used to brew and sometimes drink tea, especially in gongfu brewing.
- Hui gan
- “Returning sweetness”: the sweet sensation that rises in the throat after swallowing a fine tea.
- Oxidation
- The browning reaction when a picked leaf’s enzymes meet air. Controlling it is what separates green, oolong and black tea.
- Terroir
- Everything about a place (soil, altitude, climate) that shapes the taste of what grows there.
- Umami
- The savoury taste, strong in Japanese green teas, especially shaded ones such as gyokuro.
- Tisane
- An infusion of herbs, flowers or fruit rather than the tea plant. Also called herbal tea.
The tea cellar
Want to brew along?
Asaya keeps a small shelf of the teas and tools he writes about, for anyone who would like to taste what they read.