Art of Tasting

Tasting Summus Tea is a refined art, which consists of a number of variables. A good taster's palate and olfactory senses are subtle and discriminatory.

A simplified drinking procedure

In a drinking procedure, a clean pot and cups made of the finest porcelain are used. 6-8 grams of Summus tea is placed into the pot (for 3~4 cups), and water, which has just come to the boil, is poured over the tea. Then the pot is covered with a lid and the tea is infused for around 5 minutes depending on the drinker's preference. After that, the tea liquor is poured out into each cup and the tea is ready for tasting.

The colour, evenness and aroma of the infusion are an index to the intrinsic value of the tea. Many experienced drinker prefer to drink from the second fusion. Therefore, the first infusion is often discarded after basic evaluation of tea. For the second infusion, the drinker turns his attention to the liquor and takes a sip from the cup. In that split second, the palate registers the taste−flavour, briskness and strength, and meanwhile the types of aroma−honey, fruit, flower or milk are also identified. According to individuals' preference, it may be necessary to adjust the quantity of tea used per cup (usually 2~3 grams/per cup). From second fusion, brewing time is only around 3 minutes. However, depending on drinker's own choice, fine-tuning brewing time may be rewarding.