Select a teapot, brew the tea

Author: Chi Zongxian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: Is the pot bought for collection and appreciation, or for practical use in brewing tea? If you buy a pot with the former mindset, then the effort you put into it cannot rely on hearsay or merely looking at a few illustrated catalog books to understand the pot. If you buy a pot solely for brewing tea, then you must remember: the function of the pot is to serve the tea. Drink the tea you like, buy the pot that suits it: round pots for oolong tea, flat pots for Wuyi tea, flat purple clay pots for Tieguanyin.
The "Tea Style Series" is compiled and planned with a respectful heart for tea! It uses simple language to record how tea stands out amidst diverse and changing factors, and hopes to bring a fragrant aroma of tea appreciation to the Chinese tea-drinking art. Drinking tea can be a simple and ordinary affair, or it can be an artful experience that reveals fragrance and taste when done with mindfulness. To enjoy a good cup of tea, it’s not just about good tea and good water; a good mood for tea is equally important. Only then can you concentrate and carefully extract the essence of tea from its physical form, and penetrate the cultivation and craftsmanship of tea to find its flavor and depth! So, deeply understanding every detail of tea can become the foundation of a tea enthusiast. Unfortunately, without a profound yet accessible understanding and analysis of tea, one misses— an appreciation of how tea, influenced by the convergence of time, nature, and human elements, undergoes diverse transformations, and thus fails to realize the many graceful and multifaceted faces of tea appreciation!
The "Tea Style Series" is compiled and planned with a respectful heart for tea! It uses simple language to record how tea stands out amidst diverse and changing factors, and hopes to bring a fragrant aroma of tea appreciation to the Chinese tea-drinking art.
The "Tea Style Series" covers the following three aspects:
1. Tea—A Tea, A Story. Every tea has its own fascinating and winding history. We systematically introduce popular teas in the world, such as "Tieguanyin," "Pu-erh Tea," and "Wuyi Tea," writing biographies for each, revealing their legendary tales!
2. Tea and Life. Boiling water, placing tea in the pot, pouring hot water, and transferring the tea into a cup—these seemingly simple steps of brewing tea contain subtle nuances in water selection, temperature control, tea quantity, and the speed and amount of water used, all of which influence the aroma and flavor of the tea.
3. Tea Ware. Fine tea deserves a matching pot to enhance its brilliance. Among the classic Chinese tea wares, many come from renowned kilns or have been passed down in imperial courts or among scholars and connoisseurs, becoming a popular theme for collection. This series will explore the inseparable bond between tea drinking styles and tea ware across different eras, using Chinese tea ware as the vertical axis and time as the horizontal one.
Tea is the national drink, and its fragrance has been spreading for a thousand years. In the vast world of tea, have you found its soft freshness? Have you been able to taste its charm just by drinking a cup? Let the "Tea Style Series" accompany you as you discover the fragrance of tea in its literary essence.
Is the pot bought for collection and appreciation, or for practical use in brewing tea? If you buy a pot with the former mindset, then the effort you put into it cannot rely on hearsay or merely looking at a few illustrated catalog books to understand the pot. If you buy a pot solely for brewing tea, then you must remember: the function of the pot is to serve the tea.
Buying a tea pot should not rely solely on the artist’s seal. If you remove the seal left by the artist on the pot and still recognize it as a worthy piece, then you have earned the right to buy a pot. Otherwise, you are merely buying a seal, not the pot itself.
Buying a tea pot is about brewing tea well. If the 1,000 yuan pot you buy can elevate the quality of 1,000 yuan of tea to 1,500 yuan, then the cost of brewing two pounds of tea will be recouped. Therefore, buyers should first purchase a tea pot, rather than chase after famous artist seals on it. Buyers should develop a deep connection with tea, wholeheartedly understanding the relationship between the pot and the tea, allowing the pot to serve the tea, rather than just being a specimen displayed in a showcase or used to match catalog illustrations.
If the pot in your hand looks exactly like the one printed in the book, does that add to its assurance and value?