Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Video: "Love of Tea," by Chinese-American Tea Association
The Chinese-American Tea Association (CATA) produced this short video as an introduction to Chinese tea.
An observation: Whereas Japanese tea ceremony is intended to allow one to experience peace and harmony through the actions and carefully controlled environment of the tea ceremony itself; and English tea time is designed to give one a cozy, cultered sensation via the plenitude of accoutrements-- flowered tea cups, doilies, finger sandwiches, and so on; and American tea (well, of this, the less said, the better); the Chinese tea ceremony seems to me terribly pragmatic, every movement designed to squeeze the most flavor and aroma out of those leaves. By being so deadly serious about making leaf juice taste yummy, the Chinese have designed a very efficient process, hidden within all this seeming complexity.
I will have to find out more about CATA, and I'm very glad they spent the energy to create this video.
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1 comments:
You've said it well. This is why there's so much interest in the Chinese tea ceremony among American tea lovers, or at least the most devoted among them. It could be argued that the Chinese are seeking the most pleasing sensual experience with the tea itself. And that's attractive, though I'd add that it doesn't have to mean it's not spiritual just because it's meant to delight the senses. --Jason
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