Seasonal Tea for Enjoyment (Chinese Tea Through the Eyes of a Japanese Tea Person)

Author: Huang Anxi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Because she married a Chinese artist, Huang Anxi's name sounds quite Chinese. This Japanese tea master, who studied Japanese tea ceremony for four years, spent seven years traveling to China's most famous tea-producing regions while also experiencing the seasonal changes of tea in the famous mountains and rivers. The Joy of Drinking Tea All Year Round is the seasonal tea menu designed for tea lovers, and it is also an elegant life linked by China's 24 solar terms. The book includes Chinese poetry, songs, and rhymes, as well as Chinese solar term customs. Different teas correspond to different solar terms, and the charm of the environment cannot be ignored. The dark green tea is Anxi Tieguanyin's spring tea. Its aroma makes one recall the verdant mountains. The texture is smooth and pleasing. Huangshan Mao Peak has a crisp temperament and pure fragrance. Green Peony reminds one of a brooch made of glossy silk. The silken hairs of Baihao Yinzhen are as luxurious as sable fur. Junshan Yinzhen is as sharp as cut fingernails. Although it is not advisable to pick up the tea leaves with bare hands, I still couldn't help but want to feel the weight and texture of every tea bud, every tea leaf, and every silken hair. Before pouring hot water, admiring the aroma of the tea leaves is also one of my hobbies. Placing the tea leaves in a tea scoop made of split bamboo, I bring it close to my nose and inhale the tea's fragrance. Some aromas are overpowering and linger long after; others drift into my nostrils subtly, fresh and serene. Even the same type of tea can have subtle differences in fermentation and roasting, and the aroma will never be uniform. Tea is a "magic" that everyone understands. When one stands up and then sits facing others to brew tea, the brewer naturally straightens their back. Opening the lid of the kettle, observing the temperature of the water on the stove—though it is scorching and somewhat irritating, the solemn atmosphere in the room flows all the way to the fingertips. Setting up the tea utensils and warming the pot. The sound of boiling water pouring from a height is melodious. People stop chatting and focus their attention on the water falling in a parabolic arc. The tea leaves are smoothly poured into the pot with a of the hand. After a series of concise and fluid movements, it is time to wait for the tea to steep, and at this moment, the brewer's expression becomes one of detachment. I think this is like an original prayer. Silently calculating the unseen passage of time. Fire, water, tea. Gathering them all in one's hands and presenting them to the world in this setting. This is what is called "magic." In no time, the fragrant liquid is poured from the pot into the cups, and instantly, the quiet space becomes lively again. People pass around the cups and savor the fragrant tea. Sometimes they are filled with deep emotions, and the scene is lively; other times they close their eyes and meditate, savoring the tea's aroma and lingering aftertaste. Then, "One more cup." Bringing the nose close to the bottom of the cup and inhaling deeply, the lingering fragrance fills the nostrils. Though not very elegant, it is the authentic way of drinking Chinese tea. It is truly irresistible.