Japanese tea ceremony

"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;…

The formation and development history of tea culture is very long. By the time of King Wu's campaign against the Shang, tea was already being presented as tribute. In the late period of the primitive commune, tea became an item for trade. During the Warring States period, there was a certain scale of tea production. The ancient anthology "The Book of Songs" from the Pre-Qin period has records about tea. In the Han dynasty, tea became a special nourishment for Buddhist "zazen" meditation. In the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern dynasties, the custom of drinking tea had emerged. In the Sui dynasty, tea drinking became widespread among the general populace. During the Tang dynasty, the tea industry flourished; tea became something that "no household could do without daily," tea houses, tea banquets, and tea parties appeared, and the practice of offering tea to guests was promoted. In the Song dynasty, the custom of tea competition became popular, along with tribute tea and imperial tea gifts. In the Qing dynasty, storytelling entered tea houses, and the foreign trade of tea developed. Tea culture was conceived and born alongside the emergence of commodity economy and urban culture. Throughout its history, tea…