Different from the method of making tea in Tang Dynasty, the popular method of drinking tea in Song Dynasty is to order tea. First pour hot water on the fine tea powder to make it paste, then slowly add more hot water and beat it with a tea basket until a thick foam appears. This action of heating water is called "point", hence the name "point tea". This skill was listed as an intangible cultural heritage in Runzhou District, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province on 20 19. "Ordering tea" is described in detail in Song Huizong's book Daguan Tea. The standard of good tea in Song Dynasty should be white and delicate appearance. The better the tea, the whiter it is, and the longer the foam will last.
Generally speaking, the time from starting to order tea to finishing painting should be controlled at about 10 minutes. The ideal condition for creation is that the temperature of tea leaves is about 40 degrees Celsius, which is just edible. At first, he experienced many attempts and failures. Usually, it takes one year's practice to fully master the skill of ordering tea.
"Ordering tea" is the same as "frying tea", baking and grinding tea cakes. The "tea-ordering method" in the Song Dynasty was to put tea powder into each drinker's teacup instead of boiling water directly in a kettle. And slowly stir the tea powder with a tea basket, and finally introduce boiling water into the tea to complete a cup of fragrant teas. The principle is somewhat similar to that of instant coffee now. "Ordering tea" is a peak of tea-making method and tea culture development in ancient China, and its appearance is closely related to the prosperity of culture and economy in Song Dynasty.
The "tea ordering" in Song Dynasty was elegant and refined. Unfortunately, with the collapse of the Song Dynasty, the development of tea ceremony was hit. In the later Mongolian regime, due to the dietary differences of the ruling class, tea tasting culture had no chance to continue to develop. It was not until the establishment of the Ming Dynasty that the tea tasting culture began to revive. In the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court set up a special Tea and Horse Department to manage tea trade and taxation, and the commercialization and artistry of tea were improved again. Zheng He also brought a lot of tea to the west, and the tasting and research of tea rose completely. Many nobles are also very interested in this.