The Chinese Tea Ceremony

I would like to introduce to you an entirely different way of drinking tea and I don’t mean the strong (which it is; have you ever tried it without milk?) black tea from India. I mean tea from China; pure soft tea with nothing added. What is more, tea that is drunk in the same way as in the Chinese tea ceremony? And not the Japanese tea ceremony because they stole the idea from the Chinese.

The Chinese tea ceremony is a totally different approach to drinking tea because it is about something we practice so little of in the west and that is ritual. This doesn’t mean that the ceremony is bogged down in some complicated practice, far from it; it is simply a special way to prepare, serve and savor tea.

Let me explain. The Chinese tea ceremony is much more than just drinking tea. It is about sharing the time with others, about giving respect to others and it is about relaxing.

Now having said that it is about sharing and giving respect, you can drink tea this way on your own and enjoy your own company and the taste of the tea. You don’t have to wait for others to arrive before following the simple ceremony.
What do you need to follow the ceremony?

Firstly there is little point in improvising when it comes to the items required because it just won’t be the same. The aesthetics are almost as important as the tea itself.
1)You need to set the stage and the stage is a traditional tray for the pouring of tea. There is a lot of spillage when it comes to the ceremony and the traditional tray is designed so the spillage drains underneath, otherwise all your cups, pets and pots will swim in a small pool of liquid and this is not good.
2)Upon the stage you need the main characters; the small elegant purple or green clay teapot, the glass jug, the tiny china cups and the strainer. Then you need the supporting characters; the large tongs, the strainer stand and the tea pets!
3)A near constant supply of boiling water in a kettle to hand.
4)The star performer – the tea. Probably the most well revered of teas is Oolong (Wolong) but there is also white tea, green tea and Pu-erh tea. Please don’t even think about teabags from now on.

The tea ceremony - Generally Oolong (Wulong) or Pu-erh tea is preferred.
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It is important to have everything ready before you start and the starting point is to boil some water; hard water is favored.

1) When boiled, pour a goodly amount the into the glass jug, swill it round and then pour into the teapot until overflowing. Place the lid on the pot and pour more water over the pot to clean off spilt tea. Then from there, after picking up the cups with the large tongs, place them on the serving table and pour some boiled water into them until overflowing. Sometimes a small china bowl (which can be used for making white tea) is used to wash the cups. Now pour the remaining water over the strainer and discard the rest. Pour away the water in the teapot and cups. These are obviously all simple cleaning procedures.

2) Boil the water again and then place a measured quantity to taste (if it is Oolong, it will usually be the correct quantity in a small foil sealed packet in which the tea is packed) of tea into the pot. Then pour in the boiled water until overflowing. Place on the lid and using the strainer, pour the tea into the glass jug through the strainer and pour until the pot is empty. Now fill the cups with tea until overflowing from the glass jug and discard; it is not for drinking, just more cleansing the tea. This tea from the pot will not be drunk because it is to cleanse the tea. However the tea pets don’t mind this tea and so pour some over each. If you haven’t got any tea pets, just discard it. Discard all the tea in the glass jug and refill the teapot with more boiled water until full and replace the lid. Now pour a little water over the teapot and allow the tea to infuse for about 30 seconds and pour. Note: green teas are ruined by boiling water (temperature is best around 170-185 degrees is best but who’s going to bother with a thermometer?), so allow the water to go off the boil and Oolong tastes sweeter if the water is under boiled. http://www.holymtn.com/tea/chinetea.htm

Actually green tea is not generally used in the tea ceremony and is used for more everyday on-the-hoof drinking but I find it quite acceptable to drink it this way.

Some people use the tongs to pass round the small cups because they are so small and do not have handles. Now consume and savor the fragrance and taste of the tea.

One of the main features of presenting the ceremony for friends or relatives is that you are giving to them, showing them respect. So the person preparing the tea always pours for his or her guests and as soon as they have emptied their cup, to refill it. If they don’t want anymore, just don’t empty their cup. An empty cup will always be refilled. The host pouring the tea might seem a trifle matter; why not pour your own? But the Chinese ceremony is about giving respect and so to pour your own tea would be impolite. At weddings in China, the wedding couple might well prepare tea for their parents or one for the other. Before leaving to go to college or university in a new city, children may well prepare tea for their parents. It is a way of saying thank you and showing respect by serving another.

The server will refill the teapot as soon as it is empty and once infused (infusion time increases by about ten seconds with each filling) will refill the glass jug using the strainer. Tea is always poured from the glass jug into cups, so that the color and clarity of the tea can be seen.

The tea ceremony is never to be rushed and can last as long as your guests stay or as long as you wish to sit and drink. It should be about producing the finest flavor.