Tea Ceremony

1. Tea Ceremony By Fang Xiao Exchange teacher of TCLP

2. Are you starting to learn about tea? Are you confused by the different types of tea that exist? Broadly speaking, there are two main types of tea. First, you have the Camellia sinensis teas, which come from tea plants. Then, you have the herbal teas, which are pretty much everything else i.e. ginseng tea and flower tea. The Chinese people characterize the Camellia sinensis tea by color of the tea liquor. So, here you are - the six types of Chinese tea!

3. Different types of tea

4. The six types of tea are: green tea, white tea, yellow tea, oolong tea, black tea, and dark tea. However, the use of colors to classify the types of tea can be a little confusing. After processing the leaves of each of the types of tea do have a different appearance and in the west, the teas are often described according to the color of the leaves (such as black or green). However in China the name refers to the color of the brew, such as "hong cha" (red tea), as the black tea leaves actually produce a red tea when brewed.

6. Chinese Tea #1: Green Tea Health Benefits Correspond to Antioxidant Contents Chinese green tea is the oldest and most popular type of tea; it has been enjoyed in China for several thousand years. Green tea is made from the new shoots of the tea plant, and the tea leaves are dried and processed according to the type of tea desired. The techniques for processing green teaare sub-divided into three categories: water removing, rolling, and drying. Traditional green tea has a pale color and a sharp, astringent flavor. It is produced primarily in the provinces of Jiangxi, Anhui, and Zhejiang. The most famous green tea is West Lake Dragon Well Tea , which is produced in Hangzhou.

8. Fresh Fried Bean Aroma (In Chinese describe), taste smooth and thick,also is fresh sweet with a little green tea bitter; • Origin from XiHu,HangZhou,China,Famous Green Tea; • Suggest 3g of tea with 250-300ml,85℃ water to brew,can brew 3 times; • Made you refresh and cool when you feeling tired and hot; • Green tea drink every days is good for health. Taste Specialty: - Aroma:LongJing Green Tea have a strong aroma of Fried Bean Incense（In Chinese describe）and smell fresh; - Taste:It tea taste is distinct and sweet,just a little green tea bitter,but not much astringent,after your drink you still can feel sweet and the fresh tea taste in your mouth; - Tea soup:It's smooth and thick. Appearance of LongJing Green Tea Shape is Flat and Smooth; Color is ‘Yellow and Green’,not 'emerald green'; Touch is Dry and Crisp. Because it have tea buds,so will have a bit of villus. Brewing Tips: - Suggest 3g of tea with 250-300ml,85℃ water to brew,can brew 3 times; - Just put the tea soak in your cup is ok,very easy to brew; - The tea soup is very clear and bright.

9. Chinese Tea #2: White Tea White tea is unfermented, uncured green tea that has been quickly dried. It is indigenous to Fujan Province, and is lighter in color than other types of tea with a subtle, delicate flavor.White tea got its name from the tradition of poor Chinese people offering plain boiled water to guests, if they had no tea, and calling it "white tea".Popular brands of white tea are White Peony and Silver Needle.

11. Chinese Tea #3: Yellow Tea Yellow tea is produced by allowing damp tea leaves to dry naturally. It has a distinctive aroma, similar to red tea, but its flavor is closer to green and white teas. Yellow tea is also used to describe the high-quality tea that was served to the emperors, as yellow wsa the traditional imperial color. Junshan Yinzhen is produced in China's Hunan Province and is the country's most popular yellow tea.

13. Chinese Tea #4: Oolong Tea Intensely Aromatic Oolong tea, also known as blue tea, is unfermented tea with unique characteristics. Made from a blend of green and red teas, oolong tea boasts the best flavors and aromatic qualities of both. Sometimes called "green leaves with a red edge", oolong tea is thought to aid in fat decomposition and is widely regarded as a weight loss aid and a beauty enhancer. Wenshan Baozhong Tea and Dongding Oolong Tea are two exemplary brands of this popular tea.

15. Chinese Tea #5: Red Tea Rich, Mellow Taste Black tea is the second largest category of Chinese tea. It is made from the new shoots of tea leaves, which are wilted, rolled, fermented, and dried. The resulting infusion yields a lovely red color and a subtle aromatic fragrance. Keemun is the most popular brand of black tea.

17. Chinese Tea #6: Dark Tea Older is Better Dark tea is a kind of post-fermented tea, which undergoes an actual fermentation process aided by bacteria. The whole process comprises six steps: water removing, first-time rolling, heaping, second rolling, baking, and drying. It is generally acknowledged that dark tea originated in the 16th century in Anhua City, Hunan Province.

18. Pu'er tea is actually a dark tea, but deserves a category on its own because of its distinguishing features. Pu'er tea, originating from Yunnan Province, has an ancient history over of 2,000 years.Puer tea must be tea that is made from a large-leaf variety of a plant growing in a defined area, which is then processed into compressed tea or brick tea with a specified technology. There are two distinct types of Pu'er tea: sheng Pu'er (the raw or green Pu'er) and shu Pu'er (the ripened or black Pu'er).

20. Chinese Tea #7: Which Tea for the Season? While the green tea and white tea have the highest level of antioxidants, it doesn't mean that you should only drink these two types of tea. Drinking tea is as much about diversity and balance. You want to be drinking cooling (green tea, white tea) in the summer, and warming tea (dark Oolong, red tea and pu-erh tea) in the winter.

21. Chinese Tea Culture Chinese tea culture refers to how tea is prepared as well as the occasions when people consume tea in China. Tea culture in China differs from that in European countries like Britain and other Asian countries like Japan, Korea, Vietnam in preparation, taste, and occasion when it is consumed. Tea is still consumed regularly, both on casual and formal occasions. In addition to being a popular beverage, it is used in traditional Chinese medicine as well as in Chinese cuisine.

22. Chinese Tea Culture The concept of tea culture is referred to in Chinese as chayi ("the art of drinking tea"), or cha wenhua ("tea culture"). The word cha (茶) denotes the beverage that is derived from Camellia sinensis, the tea plant. Prior to the 8th century BCE, tea was known collectively under the term 荼 (pinyin: tú) along with a great number of other bitter plants. These two Chinese characters are identical, with the exception of an additional horizontal stroke in the Chinese lettering 荼, which translates to tea. The older character is made up of the radical 艸 (pinyin: cǎo) in its reduced form of 艹 and the character 余 (pinyin: yú), which gives the phonetic cue.

23. There are several special circumstances in which tea is prepared and consumed in Chinese culture.

24. A sign of respect In traditional Chinese society, members of the younger generation show their respect to members of the older generation by offering a cup of tea. Inviting their elders to restaurants for tea is a traditional holiday activity. In the past, people of a lower social class served tea to the upper class in society. Today, with the increasing liberalization of Chinese society, this rule and its connotations have become blurred. Sometimes parents may pour a cup of tea for their children to show their care, or a boss may even pour tea for subordinates at restaurants to promote their relationship; however, on formal occasions, the basic rule remains in effect.

25. Family gatherings When sons and daughters leave home for work or marriage, they may spend less time with their parents; therefore, going to restaurants and drinking tea becomes an important activity to re-establish ties at family gatherings. Every Sunday, Chinese restaurants are crowded with families, especially during the holiday season, for this reason. This phenomenon reflects the function of tea in Chinese family values.

26. To apologize In Chinese culture, tea may be offered as part of a formal apology. For example, children who have misbehaved may serve tea to their parents as a sign of regret and submission. To show gratitude and celebrate weddings In the traditional Chinese marriage ceremony, the bride and groom kneel in front of their respective parents and serve them tea and then thank them, which is a devout way to express their gratitude for being raised. On some occasions, the bride serves the groom's family, and the groom serves the bride's family. This process symbolizes the joining together of the two families.

27. Finger tapping Light finger tapping is a customary way to thank the tea master or tea server for tea. After one's cup is filled, the bent index and middle fingers (or some similar combination) are knocked on the table to express gratitude to the person who served the tea. This custom is common in southern Chinese cultures, like the Cantonese. In other parts of China, it is only acceptable if the person wishing to express gratitude is preoccupied with conversation or cannot actually say "thank you" when the cup is filled.

28. Gongfu cha (Kung fu tea) Gongfu cha, meaning "making tea with skill", is a popular method of preparing tea in China. It makes use of small Yixing teapots holding about 100–150 ml (4 or 5 fl.oz.), the size being thought to enhance the aesthetics and to "round out" the taste of the tea being brewed. Brewing tea in a Yixing teapot can be done for private enjoyment as well as to welcome guests. Depending on the region of China, there may be differences in the steps of brewing as well as the tools used in the process. For example, Taiwanese-style gongfu cha makes use of several additional instruments including tweezers and a tea strainer. The procedure is mostly applicable to oolong teas, but it is some used to make pu'er and other fermented teas.

29. Teaware Traditionally, tea drinkers were regarded as the 'academic' and 'cultural elites' of the society. The practice of drinking tea was considered to be an expression of personal morality, education, social principles, and status. Increased enthusiasm for tea drinking led to the greater production of teaware, which significantly popularized Chinese porcelain culture.

30. Modern culture In modern China, virtually every dwelling—even down to the simplest mud hut—has a set of tea implements for brewing a cup of hot tea. They are symbols of welcome for visitors or neighbors. Traditionally, a visitor to a Chinese home is expected to sit down and drink tea while talking; visiting while remaining standing is considered uncouth. Folding the napkin in tea ceremonies is a traditional act in China performed to keep away bad ‘qi’ energy.

31. Tea was regarded as one of the seven daily necessities, the others being firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. There are several types of tea: green tea, oolong tea, red tea, black tea, white tea, yellow tea, pu’er tea and flower tea. Traditionally, fresh tea leaves are regularly turned over in a deep bowl. This process allows the leaves dry in a way that preserves their full flavor, ready for use.

32. In essence, what is desired in Gongfu Cha is a brew that tastes good and is satisfying to the soul. Tea masters in China and other Asian tea cultures study for years to perfect this method. However, method alone will not determine whether a great cup of tea will be produced. Essentially, two things have to be taken into consideration: chemistry and temperature.

33. Water chemistry Water should be given careful consideration when conducting Gongfu Cha. Water which tastes or smells bad will adversely affect the brewed tea. However, distilled or extremely soft water should never be used as this form of water lacks minerals, which will negatively affect the flavor of the tea and so can result in a "flat" brew. For these reasons, most tea masters will use a good clean local source of spring water. If this natural spring water is not available, bottled spring water will suffice. Yet high content mineral water also needs to be avoided. Hard water needs to be filtered.

34. Temperature • At 75–85 °C, the bubbles formed are known as "crab eyes" and are about 3 mm in diameter. They are accompanied by loud, rapid sizzling sounds. • At 90–95 °C, the bubbles, which are now around 8 mm in diameter and accompanied by less frequent sizzling sounds and a lower sizzling pitch, are dubbed "fish eyes". • When the water is boiling, neither the formation of air bubbles nor sizzling sounds occurs. At high altitudes water boils at lower temperatures, so the above rules cannot be applied.

35. Tools and equipment Below is a list of the main items used in a gongfu tea ceremony:1. brewing vessel, Yixing teapot, porcelain teapot, or a covered bowl gaiwan.2. tea pitcher (chahai), or any matching size decanting vessel, used to ensure the consistency of the flavor of the tea (Chinese: 公道杯, Pinyin: gōng dào bēi)3. hot water kettle, e.g. an electric kettle4. tea towel or tea cloth, usually dark colored5. tea spoon (tea pick) for clearing the teapot spout, separating leaves from pu erh cakes and clearing tea leaves etc.

36. 6. tea cups 7. timer 8. strainer, a tea strainer 9. tea holder, tea leaf holder for weighing and dispensing, or a wooden tea spoon to measure the amount of tea leaves required10. optional: A pair of tongs called "Jiā" (Chinese: 挾)