Tea tasting class

        Do you know how to taste tea? We had a tea tasting class at the Swan Tea House.The class helped to build a student's sensitivity to view, to taste, and to smell tea like a educated person. 

Japanese tea ceremony

Chinese Tea Ceremony

Tea Ceremonys

                              1-18-2012 Tea Ceremony

 Chinese tea ceremony is quite a different way to drink tea than either traditional English style or Japanese tea ceremony.

Chinese tea culture refers to the methods of steps preparation of tea and serving the tea, the equipment used to make tea and the occasions in which tea is consumed in China. The terms chayi "Art of Tea 茶藝" and "Tea Ceremony" have been used, but the term "Tea Culture茶文化" includes more than just the ceremony. Also "culture" is easier to translate into English from the Chinese term "art 藝".Chinese tea ceremony is about art, elegance 雅and harmony和.（Respect敬、Pure清、Silent寂、honest and clean廉、simplicity俭、beauty美、happy乐、quiet静）

Tea culture in China differs from that of Europe, Britain or Japan in such things as preparation methods, tasting methods and the occasions for which it is consumed. Even now, in both casual and formal Chinese occasions, tea is consumed regularly. In addition to being a drink, Chinese tea is used in traditional Chinese medicine and in Chinese cuisine.

Chinese Tea Culture Festival

Chinese Tea Ceremony

doing Yunnan dance

 

Serve Yunnan Pu-er Tea

Serve Tea Snack and Tea

 2006 in China in Shanghai

TEA TASTING FORMULA

The same tea leaves can produced different tea according to different tea-making processes. Each method of preparation provides an individual taste. However, to ensure the quality of any given tea variety, the following six steps should be adhered to.

1. THE BREW

    Put in 3 grams of tea leaves to a tasting cup, pour in 150cc of boiling water, steep for 5 minutes and pour out the tea to a tasting bowl. This is a universal formula to determine the quality of the tea.

2.CHECK THE AROMA

   Sniff the aroma of the brewed tea leaves to ascertain the pureness of the tea.

3.CHECK THE COLOR

   Look for the translucent shine in the brewed tea. Good tea  should be bright and rich in color.

4.TASTE THE TEA

   Sip a little bit to descern the strength, smoothness and sweetness of the tea infusion. The preferred taste is smooth sweet and rich.

5.CHECK THE TEA LEAVES

   Check the tea leaves after brewing for signs of freshness and tenderness.

6.CHECK THE DRY TEA LEAVES FOR QUALITY

   having tasted and checked the brewed tea, examine the dry tea leaves to assess their quality.  Good tea leaves are of even sizes and tightly folded with fine lustre.

this is from 《A PASSAGE TO CHINESE TEA》

历代饮茶法 CENTURIES OF PRESER VATION AND SAVOURING OF TEA IN CHINA

历代饮茶法

CENTURIES OF PRESER VATION AND SAVOURING  OF TEA IN CHINA

  TANG DYNASTY   
 Before Lu Yu, tea was brewed with other ingredients, thus losing its original flavour. Later, upon his advice, compressed leaves were crushed before brewing which resulted in obtaining its true essence.  

SONG DYNASTY
The curing technique was refined and tea leaves were crushed and placed in bowls before boiling water was poured over it. The infusion of heat and tea leaves brought out the distinctive of the tea taste.  

YUAN AND MING DYNASTY    
Tea was produced in loose form instead of the old compressed cake form. Crushing the tea leaves became unnecessary. Tea was brewed directly using the loose leaves.

QING DYNASTY    
From Ming to Qing onwards, tea was brewed in small clay teapots, which continues to this days.



all from 《A PASSAGE TO CHINESE TEA》

Lily's Tea Garden: SEVEN CUPS OF TEA

Lily's Tea Garden: SEVEN CUPS OF TEA: The first bowl moistens my lips and throat; The second bowl banishes all loneliness; The third expelled the dullness from my mind,...

SEVEN CUPS OF TEA

The first bowl moistens my lips and throat;

The second bowl banishes all loneliness;

The third expelled the dullness from my mind,

Inducing inspirations born from all the books I’ve read;

At the fourth cup, I begin to perspire –

life's troubles evaporate through my pores.

The fifth cup cleanses my entire being.

Six cups and I am in the realm of the Divine.

Seven cups - ah, but I can drink no more:

I can only feel the gentle breeze blowing through my sleeves,

wafting me away to the Isle of Immortality!

Lu Tung, 8th century Taoist poet

一碗喉吻润，两碗破孤闷。

三碗搜枯肠，唯有文字五千卷。

四碗发轻汗，平生不平事，尽向毛孔散。

五碗肌骨清，六碗通仙灵。

七碗吃不得也，唯觉两腋习习清风生。

蓬莱山，在何处？

玉川子，乘此清风欲归去。

 ——唐代  卢仝

Tea Ceremony in 2012

 

茶源 THE ORIGINS OF TEA

茶源

THE ORIGINS OF TEA
 

THE DISCOVERY OF TEA – EARLY USES

 

  

 At the dawn of creation, there must have been tea shrubs growing in the wild, waiting to be discovered.

 

It was said that the Emperor Shen Nong  first discovered tea in China. He found the leaves edible, drinkable when brewed and even to possess healing powers. Thus began his fascinating search to identify and classify tea variety and quality. He painstakingly tasted innumerable species of herb and shrub, notified their healing properties and recorded them for posterity.
  As legend has it, Shen Nong accidentally tasted a type of poisonous weed which could kill a man within ten steps. Only tea leaves could save him. But before he could reach any tea bushes, the poison took effect. He died within his seventh step. It was a great tradegy. But without his discovery TEA as is known worldwide now may not have such an illustrious journey in history down to the present time. It is not only a general beverage found in every corer of the world, but it has become part of the lifestyle of many nations. For the Chinese it is a cultural tradition practiced daily and on special ceremonial occasions. It is offered to both the dead and the living. Tea is served as a mode of respect, goodwill, acceptance, blessing and friendship. It is presented at weddings, births and burial ceremonies. In any Chinese household it is an accepted courtesy to serve tea to visitors and guests on entering the house.