Lily visited a tea shop in Japan a few years ago and was very impressed by their tea culture. She found a job in a tea shop in Hong Kong and read a lot of books to acquire professional (專業) knowledge (知識) of the tea market. One day, a Japanese lady walked into the shop and gave Lily a big surprise. She was Miho, the owner of the tea shop in Japan that Lily visited. She didn't expect to see her face-to-face (面對面) again. It’s always nice to meet an old friend after several years of no communication (沒聯絡). Lily was very eager (熱切的) to tell her what kind of tea the shop was selling and show how to make a cup of good tea.
Miho: Before making a cup of tea, can you show me your utensils (用具)?
Lily: Sure. I know that utensils vary by culture. The basic ones include:
Teapot (茶壺), sieve (過濾器), cup, glass jar for dividing tea into different cups and measuring spoon.
Lily found it a good opportunity (機會) for new staff to demonstrate (示範) tea making in front of Miho. She then asked her new colleague (同事) to make a cup of tea for her. The training that Lily offered to her staff was very professional. She told this new staff how important it could be to brew (泡) different tea types using different water. Today, she reminded her this point once more.
Lily: The water temperatures (溫度) for brewing white tea, green tea and Oolong is 100-degree Celsius and 80-degree celsius for green tea.
Below are the steps of brewing tea:
(1) The first step is to warm teapot with hot water.
(2) Then, put the tea leaves into the pot
(3) Next, rinse (沖洗)the leaves with the hot water and discard (丟棄) the water immediately.
(4) Add fresh boiling water. Steep it for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
(5) Finally, you can strain (過濾) and serve the tea.
Tea is the most widely consumed beverage (飲料) in the world. Hong Kong's inhabitants (居民) love to drink tea because of the Chinese and British influence. The tea shop that Lily works for is located in the central business area and that’s why it has always been a popular place for people who work nearby to go during lunch break.
Lily spent a holiday in Sri Lanka (斯里蘭卡), one of the world’s major tea producing (出產) countries. She and her friends joined a local tour to pick tea leaves at a plantation (茶葉場). In the industrialised (工業國) countries like Japan, this activity is performed by machinery (機械). However, in countries like India and Sri Lanka, this is mostly done by hand. Neither Lily nor her friends could pick a full basket of tea leaves within a designated (指定) time. Though this involved a lot of hard work, they all found it fun. Lily told Miho her idea of organising a photo exhibition (展覽會) in the basement of the tea shop so that people could know more about the tea industry in Sri Lanka. Miho found this idea sound (很好) and could possibly attract more clients.
Questions:
(1) What are the tea brewing steps?
(2) Should we brew all kinds tea with water of the same temperature?
(3) Can you name some major tea producing countries in the world?
Answers:
(1) The first step is to warm teapot with hot water. Then, put the tea leaves into the pot. Next, rinse the leaves with the hot water and discard the water immediately. Add fresh boiling water. Steep it for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Finally, strain and serve the tea.
(2) No. he water Temperatures for brewing white tea, green tea and Oolong is 100-degree Celsius and 80-degree celsius for green tea.
(3) India and Sri Lanka.
Article: Lily Poon
Script: Louise Chow
Director: CP. Chan
Actress: Miho
Special thanks to Leaf Tea Boutique - SOHO, Central
