ISO 3103 is a standard published by the
International Organization for StandardizationThe International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO , is an international-standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on 23 February 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary industrial and commercial...
(commonly referred to as ISO), specifying a standardized method for brewing tea. It was originally laid down in 1980 as BS 6008:1980. It was produced by ISO Technical Committee 34 (Food products), Sub-Committee 8 (Tea).
The abstract states the following:
The method consists in extracting of soluble substance*Substance theory, in philosophy, that element of an object without which it would not exist, or what exists only by itself *Chemical substance, in chemistry, any material with a definite chemical composition*Substance...
s in dried tea leaf, containing in a porcelainPorcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
or earthenwareEarthenware is a common ceramic material, which is used extensively for pottery tableware and decorative objects. Although body formulations vary between countries, and even between individual makers, a generic composition is 25% ball clay, 28% kaolin, 32% quartz, and 15% feldspar. Earthenware is...
pot, by means of freshly boilingBoiling, a type of phase transition, is the rapid vaporization of a liquid, which typically occurs when a liquid is heated to its boiling point, the temperature at which the vapor pressure of the liquid is equal to the pressure exerted on the liquid by the surrounding environmental pressure...
waterWater is an ubiquitous chemical substance that is composed of hydrogen and oxygen and is essential for all known forms of life.In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or state, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam. Water covers 71%...
, pouring of the liquor into a white White is a color, the perception which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
porcelain or earthenware bowl, examinationTo examine somebody or something is to inspect it closely; hence, an examination is a detailed inspection or analysis of an object or person....
of the organolepticA sensory system is a part of the nervous system responsible for processing sensory information. A sensory system consists of sensory receptors, neural pathways, and parts of the brain involved in sensory perception. Commonly recognized sensory systems are those for vision, hearing, somatic...
properties of the infusedAn infusion is the outcome of steeping plants with a desired flavour in water or oil.-History:The first recorded use of essential oils was in the 10th century by the Muslim Persian chemist Avicenna.-Preparation techniques:...
leafIn botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin. There is continued debate about whether the flatness of leaves evolved to expose the chloroplasts to more light or to increase the absorption of carbon dioxide. In...
, and of the liquid with or without milkMilk is an opaque white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It provides the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. The early lactation milk is known as colostrum, and carries the mother's antibodies to the baby. It can reduce...
, or both.
This standard is not meant to define the proper method for brewing tea, but rather how to document tea brewing procedure so sensory comparisons can be made.
Discussion
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ISO 3103 is a standard published by the
International Organization for StandardizationThe International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO , is an international-standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on 23 February 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary industrial and commercial...
(commonly referred to as ISO), specifying a standardized method for brewing tea. It was originally laid down in 1980 as BS 6008:1980. It was produced by ISO Technical Committee 34 (Food products), Sub-Committee 8 (Tea).
The abstract states the following:
The method consists in extracting of soluble substance*Substance theory, in philosophy, that element of an object without which it would not exist, or what exists only by itself *Chemical substance, in chemistry, any material with a definite chemical composition*Substance...
s in dried tea leaf, containing in a porcelainPorcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
or earthenwareEarthenware is a common ceramic material, which is used extensively for pottery tableware and decorative objects. Although body formulations vary between countries, and even between individual makers, a generic composition is 25% ball clay, 28% kaolin, 32% quartz, and 15% feldspar. Earthenware is...
pot, by means of freshly boilingBoiling, a type of phase transition, is the rapid vaporization of a liquid, which typically occurs when a liquid is heated to its boiling point, the temperature at which the vapor pressure of the liquid is equal to the pressure exerted on the liquid by the surrounding environmental pressure...
waterWater is an ubiquitous chemical substance that is composed of hydrogen and oxygen and is essential for all known forms of life.In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or state, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam. Water covers 71%...
, pouring of the liquor into a white White is a color, the perception which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
porcelain or earthenware bowl, examinationTo examine somebody or something is to inspect it closely; hence, an examination is a detailed inspection or analysis of an object or person....
of the organolepticA sensory system is a part of the nervous system responsible for processing sensory information. A sensory system consists of sensory receptors, neural pathways, and parts of the brain involved in sensory perception. Commonly recognized sensory systems are those for vision, hearing, somatic...
properties of the infusedAn infusion is the outcome of steeping plants with a desired flavour in water or oil.-History:The first recorded use of essential oils was in the 10th century by the Muslim Persian chemist Avicenna.-Preparation techniques:...
leafIn botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin. There is continued debate about whether the flatness of leaves evolved to expose the chloroplasts to more light or to increase the absorption of carbon dioxide. In...
, and of the liquid with or without milkMilk is an opaque white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It provides the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. The early lactation milk is known as colostrum, and carries the mother's antibodies to the baby. It can reduce...
, or both.
This standard is not meant to define the proper method for brewing tea, but rather how to document tea brewing procedure so sensory comparisons can be made. An example of such test is a taste-test to establish which blend of teas to choose for a particular brand in order to maintain a consistent tasting brewed drink from harvest to harvest.
The work was the winner of the parodic
Ig Nobel PrizeThe Ig Nobel Prizes are a parody of the Nobel Prizes and are given each year in early October for ten achievements that "first make people laugh, and then make them think"...
for Literature in 1999.
Details
To maintain consistent results, the following are recommendations given by the standard:
- The pot should be white porcelain or glazed
Glaze is a layer or coating of a vitreous substance which has been fired to fuse to a ceramic object to color, decorate, strengthen or waterproof it.-Use:...
earthenware and have a partly serrated edgeSerrated Edge is the second album by Tempest. It was their first with a fiddler, and was released in 1992.-Tracks:#Hal-an Tow #Raggle Taggle Gypsy #A Kiss in the Morning Early...
. It should have a lidA lid, also known as a cap, is part of a container, and serves as the cover or seal, usually one that completely closes the object.Lids have been found on pottery dating back as far as 3100 BC....
that fits loosely inside the pot.
- If a large pot is used, it should hold a maximum of 310 ml
The litre or liter is a unit of volume. There are two official symbols: the Latin letter L in lower and upper case . The lower case L is also often written as a cursive ℓ, though this symbol has no official approval by any international bureau...
(±8 ml) and must weigh 200 g (±10 g).
- If a small pot is used, it should hold a maximum of 150 ml (±4 ml) and must weigh 118 g (±10 g).
- 2 gram
The gram , ; symbol g, is a unit of mass.Originally defined as "the absolute weight of a volume of pure water equal to the cube of the hundredth part of a metre, and at the temperature of melting ice" , a gram is now defined as one one-thousandth of the SI base unit, the kilogram, or...
s of tea (measured to ±2% accuracy) per 100 ml boiling water is placed into the pot.
- Freshly boiling water is poured into the pot to within 4-6 mm of the brim.
- The water should be similar to the drinking water where the tea will be consumed
- Brewing time is six minutes.
- The brewed tea is then poured into a white porcelain or glazed earthenware bowl.
- If a large bowl is used, it must have a capacity of 380 ml and weigh 200 g (±20 g)
- If a small bowl is used, it must have a capacity of 200 ml and weigh 105 g (±20 g)
- If the test involves milk
Milk is an opaque white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It provides the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. The early lactation milk is known as colostrum, and carries the mother's antibodies to the baby. It can reduce...
, then it can be added before or after pouring the infused tea.
- Milk added after the pouring of tea is best tasted when the liquid is between 65 - 80 °C.
- 5 ml of milk for the large bowl, or 2.5 ml for the small bowl, is used.
Competing standards
In 2003, the
Royal Society of ChemistryThe Royal Society of Chemistry is a learned society in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemical sciences." The organisation carries out research, publishes journals, books and databases, as well as hosting conferences, seminars and workshops...
published a news release entitled "How to make a Perfect Cup of Tea."
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