‘Cha Dao’ (茶道) - Tea Appreciation

Tea appreciation is more than just tasting the tea.

It is an experience of the entire process.

In Cha Dao (茶道), there are 4 commonly described experiences.

They are 

i. 3 Observations 三看

- dry leaves, liquor and wet leaves

a. Dry leaves

- deals with the aesthetic of the leaves - the way it looks

- the idea is not to judge the book by its cover 

- sometimes the best looking leaves do not yield the best tasting tea

- the holistic approach is the ideal when looking at dry leaves - wait until you experience it in its entirety

b. Liquor

- the tea liquid must not be dull and cloudy

- the tea liquor should and has the ability to prepare the drinkers state of mind

- the appearance of the the tea must be clear, shiny and has the ability to let light through

- the Chinese describe the ideal liquor for green tea to be soothing, lightly oxidized oolongs to be elegant, whites tea as pure, heavily oxidized oolongs as aristocratic and dark teas as calming

c. Wet leaves

- will reveal the character of the tea

- are they tender, shoots with 1 bud or 1 bud 2 leaves

- does it have a fresh color

- it will reveal the level of oxidization through the patches of black or red

- the wet leaves will reveal the brew

ii. 3 Fragrances 三闻

- dry fragrance, hot fragrance and cold fragrance

a. Dry fragrance

- this is experienced at the initial stage of the steeping process

- here we examine the actual leave - whole, pieces, curled, twisted

- the scent of the dry leaves will reveal the freshness, musty or stale

- was it over oxidized - burnt

- more often than not this stage will indicate to the drinker as the whether this tea will go through the steeping stage 

- also the dry leave stage will also be the stage for saleability

b. Hot fragrance

- this is the initial fragrance of the tea upon contact with hot water

- the scent of the tea will be most apparent at this stage

- the scent will reveal if the tea is floral, spicy, fruity

c. Cold fragrance

- there will be lingering scents after the tea is cooled

- these scents are usually overwhelmed during the wet stage but are after notes

- the best way to experience this is when the vessel is empty and cool

- many times the more subtle floral notes will reveal themselves at this stage.

iii. 3 Critiques 三品

- first, second and third critique

- this is more of an assessment than an actual critique

- the harmony- ‘pin yun’ (品韵)of the tea will be revealed at this stage as well

a. First critique

 - will reveal the mastery of the roasting process

- it reveals the 'firing' skill applied to the tea - roasted, baking or sin-drying

- was it overly baked or roasted, how much of rawness or greenness is still preserved

- did it go through  second firing

b. Second critique

-  the assessment here is to allow the tea to be aerated in the drinking process

- how was the texture of the liquid when it flowed over the tongue

- here flavors will be revealed

c. Third critique

 - here we are looking at the harmony of the tea with all the other components that have been uncovered

- it is an amalgamation and culmination of tea components along with visual, flavor, scent, texture and the after taste

iv. 3 Aftertastes 三回味

- first, second and third aftertaste

a. First aftertaste

 - we are looking for the feel of the tea upon the tongue

- the lingering sweetness 

- is there a recurring sweetness that the Chinese call ‘hui gan’ (回甘), this is usually tasted after the initial bitterness and tannins, leaving a soothing and comforting sense

b. Second aftertaste

 - this is a little tricky as it requires the drinker to suck the tea between the teeth

- here what we re seeking is how does it feel on the teeth

c. Third aftertaste

 - this stage is seeking the feeling it gives on the throat and beneath it

- good tea will open the heart and not just the palate

it should have an invigorating feeling that affects the entire body

Why Chinese teacups are small

Gong Fu Cha Dao is about savoring tea.
 It is not merely drinking a hot beverage.

Gong Fu Cha Dao style of steeping tea involves several infusions of the tea.

This is about savoring different types of tea in one sitting - tea tasting/testing.

Ti be able to do this the required cups have to be small.
About the size of half a ping pong ball to be exact 1/2 oz serving capacity.
The idea is to taste multiple teas without having an excessive amount of caffeine and tannins that may effect the body.

These little tea cups are very small when compared with Western standards.
Western cups measure in the amounts of 4 oz up to 18 oz.
The chinese call the larger cups that are used as “fully grown” cups.
Their capacity measures between 1 oz to 4 oz.
Essentially, the cup is never filled up the brim but about 1/2 or 3/4.
So, a cup with capacity for 2 oz will usually be serve the amount of one to one and a half ounces.

The art of tea appreciation in Chinese is termed as ‘pin cha’ (品茶).
The word ‘pin’ (品)  has a complimentary meaning.
It often denotes a person having good taste.
This person is described as ‘pin wei’ (品味) and a person with ‘pin ge’ (品格).
Chinese characters or 'hanzi' are not words but they correspond to the spoken syllable that has a distinct meaning.
The words usually have 2 or more characters.
The word ‘pin’ is written with 3 ‘kou’(口) ( chinese character for 3 mouthfuls) - 品.

In the southern region of China, the tea culture practices what is termed as
a small ‘pin ming bei’ (品茗杯), meaning tea appreciation cup.
 The drinker is expected to be consume the tea within 3 sips or mouthfuls.
The logic behind this is as follows:

The First Sip
- to clear the palate of any lingering tastes or sensation, while preparing the mouth for the next 2 sips.
 
The Second Sip
- to appreciate the flavor and taste of the tea

The Third Sip
- to appreciate the body and fullness of the tea, its liquor, texture, harmony of nuance in flavors, in its entirety
       

Scented Cups (wenxiangbei 聞香杯)

Scented cups are among one of the many unique tea implements in the Gong Fu Cha Dao practice.

The cup itself is not for drinking out of but used in the tea tasting/testing aspect of the Gong Fu Cha Dao practice.

The design of the cup is tall and narrow when compared to the tasting or drinking cups. 

The call for a tall cup is purely to capture the scent of the tea as well as to aerate the tea when it is poured out of the scented cup into the actual teacup. 

Aerating the tea the steeped tea awakens the favors and scent of the tea further.

Scented cups are sometimes also known as aroma cups, snifter cups or fragrance cups.

The first infusion of tea steeped is called the "infusion of the good smell."

The scented cup or snifter cup always goes along with the 1/2 oz drinking cup.

 The tea is initially poured into the scented cup.
Then from here into the drinking cup.
The empty scented cup is then lifted between the palms of hands and gently rolled, to stimulate and activate  the residual scent of the tea.
It is then held under one’s nose while gently inhaling the escaping fragrance.
 More often than not to intensify the scent emitted by the snifter cup, it is pre-scented.
This is done by pouring the first wash of tea into the scented cups.
The tea is often poured to the brim almost overflowing into the scented cup.

 Drinking cups and scented cups are usually available as complementary sets.
However, the scented cups are often sold singularly and comes in porcelain white.
This is for the viewing of the the color of the tea in as much as to experience the fragrance of the tea.

During the Chinese Cultural Revolution - fall of 1966, the PRC went through a culture purge.
The core of the idea was to have a utopic society rise like a Phoenix from the ashes of the old society.
Old habits, manners, customs and culture of the past was to be fully eradicated - the PRC wanted to wipe out the history of old China.
Much of ancient China's relics, traditional objects, books and intellectual property were sacrificed to the Red Guards.
Taiwan became the guardian of Chinese Culture in this carnage.
She became a great cultural influence to the PRC who were looking at restoration of their culture.
Taiwan also played a major development in the restoration of Chinese tea culture in the 1970's.

The introduction of the of the aroma cup was purely a Taiwanese modification to the Gong Fu Cha Dao.
Introduced in the 1980's as part of a traditional tea set up.
It was coined as wenxiangbei 聞香杯 - the aroma cup.
Elongated and intended purely to accentuate the fragrance of the tea being served and then used to transfer the served liquid into the drinker's own teacup.
The entire idea was to create an experience for the drinker - the intense fragrance emitted from the residual liquor that clung to the inner surface of the cup.
It became the an important implement as part of the Gong Fu Cha Dao setup - a classic tea ware for the tea connoisseur.

Reference:

A Quintessential Invention : Genesis of a Cultural Orthodoxy in East Asian Tea Appreciation 

By Loretta Kim 金由美, Hong Kong Baptist University and Lawrence Zhang 張樂翔, City University of Hong Kong 

ISSN 1833-8461
No. 29, March 2012

Puer from Kwong Chen Beverage Trading

This was the puer that was purchased at the kwong Chen Beverage Trading in Singapore.

It was their 10 year old plus loose Puer that cost Singapore $10.00 per 100 grams.

The brew was clear but with slight particles.

It has a very earthy and robust flavor.

The scent was of damp earth after the rain.

Kwong Chen Beverage Trading

Most Chinese of Cantonese descent that patronize this store was probably brought here by their grandparents.

This is one of the older tea shops in Singapore - established in 1935.

This is Singapore's tea heritage and Chinatown's heritage store.

This merchant carries puer teas and Dragonwell.

They sell prepackaged teas in tins and their Puer is from Yunnan and Dragonwell tea is from Shanghai.

The owner was very friendly and chatted about tea and how there are those who drink tea and don't understand what they are drinking. 

She further noted that Puer tea that she sells is quite old and has a distinctive earthy overtones, which many are not familiar with consequently think the tea is of poor quality.

The least expensive puer she has in the store was a loose Puer that was over 10 years old and cost Singapore $10.00 per 100 grams.

The teapots in the store were quite old as well and from YiXing. 

So, if you are looking for some old YiXing teapots this might well be the place to seek these gems out.

Tea Getaways in Singapore - Enjoy Tea

A lovely tea shop tucked away in Chinatown.

Chinese New Year preparations are at its heights in Chinatown.

The store was hidden in the midst of the tents that are being erected outside the stores along Sago Street.

This happens every Chinese New Year for the seasonal vendors.

The owner was also busy with his preparations as he was unloading inventory but was gracious to allow me to take some photographs of his store for this article.

It was a lovely store that carried an array of teas in particular some Puers and religious Buddhist paraphernalia.

It was one of the more modern style tea houses in Singapore.

The tea accoutrement are more contemporary in style and they had a lovely collection of tea trays and bamboo scoops. The teapots were more streamlined and functional.

The incense pots are some of the Buddhist and Art of Tea paraphernalia that the store carries.

As we were leaving, we were greeted by a beautiful Mulberry plant and its seasonal yield.

Location of this store is:

Enjoy Tea

18 Sago Street, #01-01

Singapore 059017

New Aquisition - Tea Cups

Wandered into Chinatown Singapore and found these rather unique and lovely teacups.

They are white, eggshell thin porcelain with Blue and White renderings.

The teacups have a shallow depth to them and makes them ideal for summer tea drinking maybe even winter with the way the weather has been this past week.

This particular tea store has some lovely pieces and are most from China rather than the coveted\

Taiwanese tea utensils.

Very well executed and detailed designs.

The delicateness of the porcelain is quite remarkable for the fact that these are commercially produced.

Pek Sin Choon - The oldest tea merchant in Singapore

We wandered into Mr. Kenry's store after walking for a few hours in Chinatown, Singapore.

It was quite a warm and humid day and he was in the midst of tea taste testing.

The cup of tea was quite a thirst quencher.

This particular brew was in the midst of being taste tested when we were offered to partake of it.

It was a very delicate brew that had hints of a an oolong and an after taste of sweetness that was only triggered at the back of the throat.

It reminded me of some of the more delicates Korean teas I have had.

Mr Kenry mentioned that it was at its taste testing stage and that there were these tiny Chrysanthemum flowers and some oolong tea in it.

Mr Kenry's ancestors were Chinese immigrants when they first arrived in Singapore during the early 1920's.

It the spirit of all immigrants his ancestor's who worked as coolies began the enterprising of tea in the early days of Singapore and has thrived and lasted to this very day.
Pek Sin Choon is the family business of Mr. Kenry.
It is the oldest tea merchant in Singapore.
He is the fourth generation tea merchant and is the oldest tea merchant in Singapore.
It was founded in 1925.
Pek Sin Choon is the largest distributor of teas particularly to the Bak Kut Teh hawkers in Singapore.
We want to thank Mr Kenry for his cups of generosity upon our impromptu visit to his store.

 Pek Sin Choon
36 Mosque Street
Singapore 059514
63233238

Operation hours: 8am to 7pm
Closed Sundays and Public Holidays

Blessed and Healthy New Year

Blessing of a healthy, prosperous New Year to all.

Saying goodbye to the year

 

The year is almost up! 

This was an intense year for the country and the world. 

Much to the consolation of many that the year is almost over and hopes for a brighter and fresh new year are hours away.

We look back before ushering the new year in thankfulness and gratefulness for having survived it.

We are thankful for our health, a place to live, food, tea, new friends, old friends, family and relationships.

Thanksgiving gives us the opportunity to be thankful while in the midst of getting to the feasting table that as soon as the linens are washed and the turkey carcass is in the soup pot we forget, as we drift into the Christmas season.

But new year's eve gives us another opportunity to put right our thoughts, deeds and attitudes that may have slipped away in the hustle and bustle of preparing for the joyous Christmas season.

We are looking forward to putting the old for the new.

On this eve, we have much to be thankful for. 

We are thankful for having had the time to write on the blog and to continue to correspond to many regarding tea.

Thankful that having the interest in tea has gotten us through some tough situations and moments when the only cure for the ills are the things that can refocus your mind.

We are also thankful to the new readers and look forward to newer encounters.

We thank all those who have taken the time to read the blog and follow it.

We are currently, re-doing the online store and hope to have it up and running again with fresh and new inventory the latest by Spring 2014.

We hope that our readers and visitors will continue to follow the blog.

We render our best wishes to all and that you will take time, perhaps over a cup of tea to look back, to be thankful for and make peace with the past before ushering the New Year 2014.

Wishing all warm cups of tea throughout the New Year.

A Very Blessed and Joyous Christmas

Wishing all my readers and passerby a very Merry and Happy Christmas to you and yours.