Tea Ceremony and Tea Knowledge

1. Tea ceremony is the art of cooking and drinking tea. It is a kind of life etiquette that uses tea as a medium. It is also considered a way to cultivate one's moral character. It is very beneficial to enhance friendship, cultivate virtue and learn etiquette through making tea, appreciating tea, smelling tea, and drinking tea. A kind of harmonious ritual. Drinking tea can calm the mind and spirit, help cultivate sentiments, and remove distracting thoughts. This is in line with the Eastern philosophy that advocates "quietness and indifference", and is also in line with the "introspective practice" of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. The spirit of tea ceremony is the core and soul of tea culture. There are six types of tea: black tea, green tea, dark tea, yellow tea, green tea (oolong tea) and white tea. A tea-drinking art that expresses certain etiquette, character, artistic conception, aesthetic views and spiritual thoughts through tea-tasting activities. It is a combination of tea art and spirit, and expresses spirit through tea art. It flourished in the Tang Dynasty of China, flourished in the Song and Ming Dynasties, and declined in the Qing Dynasty. The main content of the Chinese tea ceremony pays attention to the beauty of the five realms, namely tea leaves, tea water, heat, tea sets, and environment, as well as emotional and other conditions, in order to achieve the highest enjoyment of "taste" and "heart". Known as an aesthetic religion, the Japanese tea ceremony, which takes harmony, respect, purity, and silence as its basic spirits, inherits the legacy of the Tang and Song Dynasties. The tea ceremony must follow certain rules. In order to overcome nine difficulties in the Tang Dynasty, they were making, distinguishing, utensils, fire, water, broiling, mincing, boiling and drinking. In the Song Dynasty, there were three points and three no points for tea tasting. The "three points" were new tea, sweet springs, and clean utensils. Good weather was one, and elegant guests with similar smells were one. On the contrary, it was "three no points." . In the Ming Dynasty, there were Thirteen Pros and Seven Taboos. The "Thirteen Pros" are as follows: one has nothing to do, two is a guest, three is sitting alone, four is chanting poetry, five is waving, six is ??wandering, seven is getting up from sleep, eight is waking up, nine are offering sacrifices, ten are in a monastery, and eleven are concentrating. Twelve Appreciation, Thirteen Scholars; the "Seven Taboos" are: one is not in accordance with the law, two are evil utensils, three hosts and guests have no rhyme, four are wearing clothes with harsh etiquette, five are meat dishes with mixed flavors, six are too busy, and there are many evil things on the desks between the seven walls. . There are three specific forms of Chinese tea ceremony. ① Sencha: Pour the tea powder into a pot and boil it with water. Sencha tea in the Tang Dynasty was the earliest artistic form of tea tasting. ② Tea fighting is an art of tea appreciation in which ancient literati each brought tea and water, and judged the quality of the tea by comparing the flowers of the tea noodles and soup and tasting the tea soup. Tea fighting, also known as Ming Zhan, flourished in the late Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Song Dynasty. It was first popular in Jianzhou, Fujian. Tea fighting is the highest expression of the ancient art of tea tasting. The ultimate goal is to taste, especially to absorb the liquid on the tea surface. Finally, the tea contestants must taste the tea soup. Only when the color, aroma and taste are all good can the final victory of the tea contest be considered. ③Gongfu Tea: Gongfu Tea, which has been popular in some areas since the Qing Dynasty, is the lingering influence of the art of tea tasting since the Tang and Song Dynasties. Gongfu tea in the Qing Dynasty was popular in Tingzhou, Zhangzhou, Quanzhou in Fujian and Chaozhou in Guangdong. Later, it also became popular in Qimen area of ??Anhui Province. Gongfu tea pays attention to the time of drinking. There are two ways to drink Gongfu tea: frying it yourself and tasting it yourself, or entertaining guests. Hospitality is especially important. Tea Art Tea Ceremony The tea ceremony is the art of drinking tea with the purpose of practicing Taoism. It includes four major elements: tea ceremony, etiquette, environment, and practice. Tea art is the foundation of tea ceremony and a necessary condition for tea ceremony. Tea art can exist independently of tea ceremony. The tea ceremony takes tea art as the carrier and depends on tea art. The focus of tea art is on "art", focusing on learning the art of tea in order to obtain aesthetic enjoyment; the focus of tea ceremony is on "the Tao", which aims to cultivate the mind and nature through tea art and comprehend the avenue. The connotation of tea art is smaller than that of tea ceremony, and the connotation of tea ceremony includes tea art. Tea art The connotation of tea ceremony is greater than tea ceremony, and the connotation of tea ceremony is greater than tea ceremony. The "art" we are talking about here refers to the art of tea making, tea cooking, and tea tasting. Technique; the 'Tao' we are talking about here refers to the spirit implemented in the process of artistic tea. If there is Tao but no art, it is an empty theory; if there is art but no Tao, the art will be without essence and spirit. Famous and tangible, it is the external expression of tea culture; tea ceremony is the spirit, principle, law, origin and essence. It is often invisible and intangible, but you can completely understand the combination of tea art and tea ceremony through your heart. There is Tao in art, and there is art in Tao, which is the result of the high degree of unity of material and spirit. The connotation and connotation of tea art and tea ceremony are different. The two should be strictly distinguished and should not be confused with tea drinking, tea tasting, and tea art. Realm - Tea Ceremony: Treat tea as a drink to quench thirst. Tea Tasting: Pay attention to the color, aroma and water quality of the tea, and savor it carefully when drinking. Tea Art: Pay attention to the environment, atmosphere, music, brewing skills and interpersonal relationships. etc. The highest realm - tea ceremony: integrating philosophy, ethics, and morality into tea activities, cultivating one's character, savoring life, and achieving spiritual enjoyment through tea drinking. Tea ceremony is a good thing for ordinary people. Drinking tea according to the requirements of tea ceremony is good for everyone. There are definitely many benefits to our physical and mental health. However, we ordinary people do not have much possibility to drink tea according to the rules of tea ceremony. We can pay attention to the following aspects when drinking tea, which are listed below and try to be our "mortal tea ceremony". ”: ·1. The direct response of the ratio of water to tea is the density of the tea. The density must be appropriate so that we can appreciate the color and aroma of the tea. At the same time, the appropriate density has an impact on the leaching of substances in the tea. Yes, this not only affects the color and aroma of the tea, but also affects the effect of the tea on the human body. The density can be scientifically measured, but usually no one pays attention to this indicator. It is still up to you to decide whether it should be light or not. Strong. Generally speaking, the weight ratio of tea to water is 1:80. A commonly used white porcelain cup can hold 3 grams of tea; a typical glass cup can hold 2 grams of tea. The water temperature requires different water temperatures for different teas, which should depend on the levels of different types of tea.

But we often don't pay attention to this and always like to use very hot water to brew. Generally speaking, it is better to brew black tea, green tea, and oolong tea with boiling water, which can quickly extract the active ingredients in the tea. Some very tender green tea, such as Longjing tea, should be brewed with boiling water at 80°C to 85°C to make the tea green and bright, with pure aroma and mellow taste. 3. The length of soaking time is generally about 3 to 10 minutes, and it is not advisable to soak for a long time. Black tea is steeped a little shorter than regular tea. 4. Usage of cups: Black tea generally comes in glass cups, and other commonly used white porcelain cups. 2. Tea knowledge: China’s top ten famous teas: Hangzhou West Lake Longjing West Lake Longjing ranks among the top famous teas in China. Produced in the mountains surrounding West Lake in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province. For many years, Hangzhou has been famous around the world not only for its beautiful West Lake, but also for its West Lake Longjing tea. Suzhou Dongting Biluochun is one of the famous green teas in China. Dongting Biluochun tea is produced in Dongting Mountain, Taihu Lake, Wuxian County, Jiangsu Province. Biluochun tea has slender ropes, curled into a snail, covered with hairs and green in color. Taiping Huangshan Maofeng Tea is produced in the Huangshan Mountains south of Taiping County and north of She County, Anhui Province. Huangshan Maofeng Tea Garden is located around Yungu Temple, Songgu Temple, Suoqiao Temple, Ciguang Pavilion and Banshan Temple at an altitude of 1,200 meters. The tea trees are immersed in the steaming clouds every day, so the tea buds are particularly fat, soft and tender, and the leaves are thick and durable. , fragrant aroma, mellow and sweet taste, becoming the top grade tea. Anxi Tieguanyin belongs to the green tea category and is one of the famous oolong teas in my country. Anxi Tieguanyin tea is produced in Anxi County, Fujian Province. Anxi Tieguanyin tea has a long history and is known as the King of Tea. "Sand green blooming frost" has become a symbol of the high quality of Tieguanyin, and has won the reputation of "green leaves with red edges, and lingering fragrance after seven brews". Yueyang Junshan Silver Needle is one of the famous yellow teas in my country. Junshan tea was first produced in the Tang Dynasty and was included as tribute tea in the Qing Dynasty. Junshan is an island in Dongting Lake in Yueyang County, Hunan. In the Qing Dynasty, Junshan tea was divided into two types: "Jiancha" and "Rongcha". "Jiancha" is like a tea sword with white fur. It is regarded as tribute tea and is always called "Gongjian". Pu'er tea Pu'er tea is a new tea species cultivated on the basis of Yunnan big leaf tea. Pu'er tea, also known as Dian green tea, was originally shipped and sold in Pu'er County, so it was named Xinyang Maojian. One of the famous specialties of Henan Province and one of China's famous teas, it has always been characterized by "thin, round, light, straight, many pekoe, and high fragrance". It is well-known at home and abroad for its unique style of "strong flavor, green soup". It has many functions such as producing body fluids and quenching thirst, clearing the mind and improving eyesight, refreshing the mind, removing greasiness and digesting food. Nature and flavor of tea According to the theory of nature and flavor, sweetness is tonic and bitterness is diarrhea. 2. The meridians of tea According to classic records, the meridians of tea are “entering the five meridians of heart, spleen, lung and kidney”. The nature and flavor can be divided into warm and cool. Returns to the heart, lung, and stomach meridians. Tea - clears fire and removes diseases. Compendium of Materia Medica, a pharmacological monograph written by Li Shizhen (AD 1518-1593) in the Ming Dynasty of my country, was published in the sixth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1578). Li Shizhen herself also likes to drink tea, saying that she "will drink several bowls of new tea every time." The book discusses tea in great detail. The part about tea is divided into four parts: name, collection, tea, and tea seeds. It describes the ecology of the tea tree, tea production in various places, and cultivation methods. It also records the pharmacological effects of tea in detail, saying: "Tea is bitter and cold. The yin in yin is sinking and descending, and it is the most effective in reducing fire. Fire is the main factor in all diseases, and fire falls in the upper part. However, there are five types of fire. People with weak and strong stomachs will have more fire in their heart, lungs, spleen and stomach. , so it is suitable for tea." It is believed that tea has the function of clearing fire and removing diseases. Tea medicine and tea therapy Tea culture and traditional Chinese medicine have a very close relationship, and both are related to the legend of Shennong. Since Qilong brewed tea has very good medical effects, the term "tea medicine" existed in the Tang Dynasty (see the "tea medicine" inscribed by the kingdom in the 14th year of Emperor Dali of the Tang Dynasty); "Shanjia Qinggong" written by Lin Hong in the Song Dynasty "", there is also the conclusion that "tea is medicine". It can be seen that tea is medicine, and it is recorded in medicinal books (called Materia Medica in ancient times). But in modern times, the term "tea medicine" is limited to preparations containing tea leaves. Because tea has many functions and can prevent and treat many diseases in various internal and external gynecological and pediatric diseases, tea is not only a medicine, but also has the purpose of being as emphasized by Chen Zangqi in the Tang Dynasty: "Tea is the medicine for all diseases." Tea not only has therapeutic effects on many diseases, but also has good effects on longevity, anti-aging and strengthening the body. Types of tea Green tea Green tea is tea that does not undergo fermentation. The fresh leaves are spread to dry and then directly fried in a hot pot at 100 to 200 degrees to maintain its green characteristics. This is the type of tea with the largest output in my country, and its variety of colors ranks first in the world. Green tea has the characteristics of high aroma, mellow taste, beautiful shape, and resistance to brewing. Its production process goes through the process of greening, rolling and drying. Due to different drying methods during processing, green tea can be divided into fried green tea, baked green tea, steamed green tea and sun-dried green tea. The rare varieties include: Longjing tea, Biluochun tea, Huangshan Maofeng tea, Lushan Yunwu, Lu'an Guapian, Mengding tea, Taiping Houkui tea, Guzhu purple bamboo shoot tea, Xinyang Maojian tea, Pingshui pearl tea, Xishan tea, Yandang Mao Feng tea, Huading Yunwu tea, Yongxi Huoqing tea, Jingting green snow tea, Emei Erui tea, Duyun Maojian tea, Enshi Yulu tea, Wuyuan Mingmei tea, Yuhua tea, Mogan Huangya tea, Wushan Gaimi Tea, Putuo Buddha Tea, Rizhao Green Tea, Laoshan Green Tea, Xiaokeng Maofeng, Guiding Snow Bud. Black Tea: Black tea gets its name from the red color of its soup. Black tea is exactly the opposite of green tea. It is a fully fermented tea (the degree of fermentation is greater than 80%). The difference between black tea and green tea lies in the different processing methods. Black tea is processed without being killed and withered, causing the fresh leaves to lose part of their moisture. Then they are rolled (rolled into strips or cut into particles), and then fermented to oxidize the tea polyphenols and turn them into red compounds.

Part of this compound is soluble in water, and part is insoluble in water, and accumulates in the leaves, forming red soup and red leaves. There are three main categories of black tea: Souchong black tea, Gongfu black tea and black broken tea. Rare varieties include: Qihong, Dianhong, and Yinghong. Green tea, also known as oolong tea, is a semi-fermented tea between red and green tea. It is properly fermented during production to make the leaves slightly red. Oolong tea has the most complex and time-consuming process among the six major tea categories, and the brewing method is also the most particular. Therefore, drinking oolong tea is also called drinking Kung Fu tea. It has the freshness and richness of green tea and the sweetness and mellowness of black tea. Because the middle of the leaves is green and the edges of the leaves are red, it is called "green leaves with red edges". Rare and precious varieties include: Beiyuan Royal Tea, Banjiao Oolong, Wuyi Rock Tea, Tieguanyin, Phoenix Dancong, and Taiwan Oolong. Yellow tea The production method of yellow tea is a bit like green tea, but it needs to be simmered for three days. During the tea making process, it is simmered and yellowed, resulting in yellow leaves and yellow soup. It is divided into "Huangya Tea" (including Junshan Yinya from Dongting Lake, Hunan, Mengding Huangya from Ya'an, Sichuan, Mingshan County, and Huonei Ya from Huoshan, Anhui), "Huang Xiaocha" (including Beigangzai from Yueyang, Hunan, and Weishan from Ningxiang, Hunan). There are three categories: Maojian, Pingyang Huangtang from Pingyang, Zhejiang, Luyuan from Yuanan, Hubei), and "Huang Dacha" (including Dayeqing, Huoshan Huangcha from Anhui). The famous Junshan Silver Needle tea belongs to yellow tea. Dark tea: The raw materials are coarse and old, and the accumulation and fermentation time during processing are long, making the leaves dark brown. Dark tea was originally mainly sold to border areas and is an indispensable daily necessity for the Tibetan, Mongolian, Uyghur and other fraternal ethnic groups. The valuable varieties include "Hunan Dark Tea", "Hubei Laoqing Tea", "Guangxi Liubao Tea", Sichuan's "Western Tea" There are varieties such as "Roadside Tea", "South Roadside Tea", Yunnan's "Tight Tea", "Bian Tea", "Fang Tea" and "Round Tea". The famous Yunnan Pu'er tea was once classified as dark tea. Historically, Pu'er tea was classified as dark tea. At the same time, Professor Chen Rong of Anhui Agricultural University also made this classification in his book "Tea Making Science". However, there are objections to this in the industry, mainly because its technology is different from that of black tea. Especially in recent years, the controversy has become even greater. It was not until the local industry standards of Yunnan Province introduced in 2006 that Pu'er tea was defined as pressed tea and loose tea made from large-leaf tea in a certain area of ??Yunnan. This was regarded as the first in the industry. Knowledge means that Pu'er tea is a special kind of tea and does not belong to any kind of tea. By July this year, after the geographical labeling of Pu'er tea was issued, this statement became more solid. In addition, it is also placed in the special tea category in the national import and export commodity catalog. In summary, Pu'er tea does not belong to black tea, nor does it belong to any kind of tea. It is a special kind of tea. White tea White tea is basically made by sun-drying and is a specialty of my country. The appearance, aroma and taste of white tea and yellow tea are very good. It is processed without frying or kneading. Only the tender tea leaves with hairy backs are dried in the sun or over a slow fire to keep the white hairs intact. White tea is mainly produced in Fuding, Zhenghe, Songxi and Jianou counties in Fujian, and there are several types: "Silver Needle", "White Peony", "Gongmei" and "Shoumei". Rare varieties include: Baihao Silver Needle Tea and White Peony Tea. What beneficial ingredients are contained in tea? There are many ingredients in tea, nearly 500 kinds. Mainly include caffeine, theophylline, theobromine, choline, xanthine, flavonoids and glycosides, tea tannins, catechins, terpenes, phenols, alcohols, aldehydes, acids, esters, Aromatic oil compounds, carbohydrates, multivitamins, proteins and amino acids. Amino acids include cysteine, methionine, glutamic acid, arginine, etc. Tea also contains calcium, phosphorus, iron, fluorine, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, zinc, selenium, copper, germanium, magnesium and other minerals. These ingredients in tea are beneficial to the human body, especially manganese, which can promote the formation of vitamin C in fresh tea and improve the anti-cancer effect of tea. Their synergistic effects are of great significance to the prevention and treatment of diseases in the human body, so there is a saying that "you cannot live without tea".