A traditional Chinese proverb recites: “Firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. Everything you need to start the day. ” Tea is the last element of the list, but its importance in everyday life is easily observable and also elegant gifts for tea lovers.
Even the most frugal meal, called in Chinese Cu Cha Dan Fan (粗茶淡饭) (literally “raw tea and tasty food”) ends with good tea. So we can understand the importance of this element.
In Chinese traditional culture, there is a big difference between drinking tea and tasting.
Tea is consumed daily, as it is refreshing and invigorating, but tasting has a much wider and deeply rooted cultural value in Chinese society.
The tasty tea, as well as the tools used to prepare it, must be in a harmonious relationship with everything around them: the breeze, the moonlight, the pines, the bamboo, the prunes, the snow. All these witnesses one of the main values of traditional Chinese culture: the harmony between man and nature.
The tea is personalized and individualized, thus assuming the characters of a living being. Its scent is not aggressive but soft and durable. In addition, a cup of tea is often compared to a deep friendship between gentlemen and is considered a symbol of extreme elegance.
Savor good tea, watching and admiring the green leaves on the white background of a porcelain cup: what infinite sense of peace! Fame, wealth, and every other earth-related distress have never been so far away.
The tea element is also related to the religious practices of the Zen monks. In the Tang era, an esteemed Zen master had three monks of different status: “Go and each drink tea”. The only exhortation was to make monks understand that all humans are equal, even though they could perceive differences and inequalities among themselves.
There are specific manuals related to tea preparation, the recurring theme in many poems and novels, as well as subject to numerous paintings.
Cao Xueqin, in his work “The Dream of the Red House”, one of the four most important novels in Chinese classical narrative, proves his deep knowledge of tea and its usage, as well as the habits and ways of eating. This product in the Qing era, during which person of different age and social status, used to use different tools and types of water in preparing tea.
For example, the character of Miao Yu, a nun, welcomes its guests, belonging to the aristocratic class, preparing tea. It uses two types of very special water: rain water from the previous summer, Collected and preserved, and collected water created by the snow laid on pruning flowers during the winter. This is true of two types of water that could only be tasted in the past when the polluting agents had not damaged the air and, consequently, the rains.
Through the reading of the novel, it is also possible to see that at that time Thai tea was imported and consumed in China, appreciated by the most prosperous classes.
One of the heroines of the novel, belonging to one of the most affluent families of the whole city, intrigues the reader with a lively and rebellious behavior that leads him to express negative opinions about this type of tea. Of course, it is likely that his disdainful attitude was not so much due to the flavor of tea,
The tea features are many. It is a mysterious and harmonious drink at the same time, spiritual and material, it gives vigor, but also peace.
It also has different traits depending on the location where it is consumed. For example, in Japan, the tea ceremony, which also represents peace of mind, takes place in a particularly strict manner, following precise rules and this is a clear reflection of the general attitude of the Japanese people, Make the best use of all available resources in all its potential. In the West, however, tea has served as a dessert, accompanied by sugar and milk, with a view to creating a convivial and romantic atmosphere.
Top 10 gift ideas for tea lovers you must know
Likewise, even within the Chinese borders, Tea drinking habits are many. Risking perhaps being too generalistic, we can say that perfumed tea is widespread in Northern areas; Green tea, however, is consumed especially in eastern China. Finally, black tea is popular especially among the inhabitants of Fujian and Guangdong.
The so-called “Yum cha” (饮茶, which literally means “drinking tea”), a culinary experience that includes tasting a wide variety of light meals served with tea is very popular in the Hong Kong area Of Guangdong Province.
Though the so-called “dim sum” (भ心, “snack”) is the strong point of Yum cha, much appreciated by connoisseurs, tea remains an essential element of the entire dining experience.
The tips when you take the tea
Take hot tea: Tea is quickly oxidized after fermentation, its nutrients decreases, so it is advised to take hot tea.
Do not take too much tea. It is likely to upset your stomach or cause insomnia if you make tea too strong.
The best time to take tea in the meals. It is not advisable to take tea right after or before meals. If it does not inflate your appetite when your stomach is empty or causes indigestion when your stomach is full.
Do not take tea together with medicine. Tea contains large amounts of tannin, which reacts with some elements of medicine, thus reducing the medical effects. You can take tea a couple of hours after taking the medicine.
Green tea is the best choice for people working in the office. Green tea contains catechins that protect the skin from computer radiation. Green tea is also one of the best drinks for weight loss.