Green Tea Forum

wehayley · Posted: Jan 20, 2007 3:09 am Post subject:

My understanding it that the Chinese traditionally pour off the first steep, calling it "foot water."

Chip · Posted: Jan 20, 2007 3:32 am Post subject:

Ryan · Sensei Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 475

Of all the reading I've done and being in a traditional Chinese tea house in San Francisco, I have never seen the practice of pouring off any liquid for green tea on the first steep.

I'm certain enough that with green tea, in China, no one pours any of the first steep off. Like Chip said, this is only the case for oolong and it is usually only 2 seconds or so.

If anyone does throw out the first steep, whether it 2 seconds or 30 seconds then they must be doing it for their own personal purposes. But this is not a common practice by any stretch of the imagination for green tea.

Chip · Posted: Jan 20, 2007 4:06 am Post subject:

wehayley · Posted: Jan 20, 2007 4:35 am Post subject:

Since my source, Lam Kam Chuen, "The Way of Tea," was indeed referring to Kung Fu tea, I assume he was referencing red/black tea and not green.

Moving on, keep in mind that tea also has medicinal purposes. The effects of various teas may well have effects that differ from person to person. This, in turn, may explain why one person gets a buzz from white tea that is greater than what they get from green or red, or even why two people drinking the same tea may have very different results. This goes beyond issues of caffeine level, body weight, etc. and speaks to core energetics...

Kevangogh · Forum God Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 926 Location: Japan

The first infusion can be poured off if you don't want caffeine. As much as I hate to recommend anyone do that, it's better to than buying the poor decaf "green tea" they sell in the stores. This is not done because the tea is too bitter - if that is the case, then it was most likely brewed too hot.