When we evaluate tea, it is essential to have systems in place that focus specifically on the quality of the tea rather than pure preference. Drinking tea for evaluation is very different from drinking tea to enjoy. One way we do this is by using a method of evaluation called the “Kill Brew.” This method is called Zuo Bei (坐杯) in Chinese terminology, which means “sitting cup,” or “let the tea sit for a little bit.” To use this method, we do just that—let the tea sit in water for a longer time. This will force all the flaws out of the tea, allowing us to push the tea to its absolute limit for evaluation.
The Kill Brew step in tea evaluation takes brewing variables out of the equation. It doesn't matter what someone's brewing skill level is when we forcefully brew everything out of the tea and focus on which tea is the least unpleasant. This method is also used in tea competitions, where the “least unpleasant” tea wins. When we brew tea for enjoyment, we want to brew it to show its best performance. But when we're evaluating tea, we want to push it to its worst to acknowledge its flaws.
Doing a Kill Brew at Home
This is a fun activity to try at home to elevate your relationship with a particular tea. To do a Kill Brew, we recommend brewing your tea in a Gai Wan for a full session, so around nine brews. Then, once your tea is finished (but not totally exhausted), add more water to your Gai Wan and let it sit for around three minutes. If you decide to do a Kill Brew at an earlier stage, you can let it sit for around one minute.
We feel that once the tea is complete, we've enjoyed a full round of it, and then it still performs well in a Kill Brew, it gives us a sense of pride even after pushing the tea that far. It's a way to connect more deeply to the leaves and the brewing experience at home.
You can learn more about rough tea evaluation in our article on Mao Cha.
Shunan discusses Kill Brew in an Educational Tea Club session on our Wu Liang Shan Single Tree, Spring 2015.
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