Japanese tea

"Burning incense, preparing tea, hanging paintings, arranging flowers— these four leisurely pursuits should not burden one's home." —Wu Zimu, Dream of the Liang Dynasty Readers who have watched the TV series Dreamy Song Dynasty will surely remember the scene where the main character Zhao Pan'er prepares tea with skillful and graceful movements, a sight that is pleasing to the eye. Tea became popular in the Tang Dynasty but flourished in the Song Dynasty. The custom of drinking tea was widespread in Song society, enjoyed by everyone from nobles and literati to merchants, gentry, and common folk, all of whom found pleasure in it, leading to the emergence of various tea-related activities. The method of drinking tea in the Song Dynasty differed from today's practice of steeping tea leaves in boiling water. In the Song Dynasty, tea was made from compressed cakes, which were ground into a fine powder before being mixed with boiling water. This process, known as "crushing the tea into powder, pouring hot water over it, and using a whisk to froth it," is referred to as "pointing tea." Song Dynasty people poured their hearts, filled with mountains and rivers, into their paintings and also into their tea.…

Yesterday, the shop owner shared some basic knowledge about Tieguanyin. A tea enthusiast asked: How can we distinguish the quality of Tieguanyin? Honestly, it's difficult for the shop owner to explain Tieguanyin in just a few lines, but there are some general characteristics of good tea. Let's first look at how the national standards define it. Table 1: Sensory Indicators for Fresh-Aroma Tieguanyin Tea Table 2: Sensory Indicators for Strong-Aroma Tieguanyin Tea In summary, it comes down to good shape, ample aroma, bright liquor color, and uniform infused leaves. When evaluating a tea, we use these criteria, but for most beginners, the shop owner believes that this is not the most important thing. Drinking tea is an everyday affair, with many ways to enjoy it, from simply tossing a handful of tea leaves into a large cup of hot water to the ritualistic Japanese tea ceremony, each finding its own pleasure. Calm your mind, engage your senses of sight, smell, taste, and touch to appreciate the color, aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel of the tea. Before brewing, observe the dry leaves' shape, color, and aroma. After brewing, inspect the infused leaves' shape and color. Just having a general understanding is enough;…

Due to being part of the same Eastern cultural sphere, Japanese tea wares emphasize connotations just like those in China. This piece shares content from Chapter Five of “Tea Pleasures in Variegated Colours: The Spread of Chinese Tea and Foreign Tea Affairs,” written by Yu Yue and published by Guangming Daily Press in August 1999. Since the 13th century, the custom of drinking tea has been widespread in Japan. After Kato Saemon studied porcelain making in our country and returned home, he began to pay attention to the porcelain industry. Kato, also known as Tojirō, settled in Seto, where generations of potters have maintained the traditional production of Seto ware. In 1510, Goro-taifu came to Jingdezhen, China, to study porcelain manufacturing and returned to Japan in 1515. He brought back the techniques and materials needed for producing blue-and-white porcelain from Jingdezhen, setting up a kiln in Arita, known for its clay, marking the beginning of porcelain production in Japan. While in China, he went by the pseudonym Wu Yangrui, and the porcelain he made was also called Xiangrui. These products were limited to using Chinese techniques and materials without significant innovation but later became rare and expensive porcelain. By the…