A Study of Tea

One of my favorite things in the world is tea. Tea is central to my being. A day without tea just isn’t a day at all! Most everyone knows how enthusiastic I am about tea. So of course I feel right at home in China, where everyone drinks tea all the time. In fact, you’re often given tea instead of water in restaurants. Another benefit of this is that no matter where you go, inevitably, one of the local specialties is some kind of tea that only grows in that part of China. The Chinese really know what they’re talking about when it comes to tea. Their teacups often have lids – not everyone is a fast tea-drinker. Also, there’s this special kind of ceramic only produced in one part of China called boccaro earthenware – it’s a deep brown and apparently retains the flavor of the tea for much longer than a normal teapot. That is, with a normal ceramic teapot, the tea, if left in the pot, only retains the original, untainted flavor for about a day or so. This special teapot, though, will not alter the flavor of the tea. On the other hand, why you would want to drink week-old tea is still a mystery to me. I am constantly amazed by the tea here. One of the big differences between drinking tea in China and in America is that here, the tea leaves are placed directly in the cup. No bag, no filter, nothing. The drawback, of course, is that you often end up with tea leaves in your mouth, which is less than savory. On the other hand, normal bag black tea like the kind you can find in the States is only good for one steeping. Chinese tea, no matter how many times you refill your cup with hot water, retains the original strength and flavor. Unbelievable. The other day I walked into a tea shop – one of the umpteen to be found locally – and was treated to a tea-tasting. My roommate Liz and I tried two kinds of very well-known teas: 竹叶青茶 (bamboo leaf-green tea) and 普洱茶 (Pu’er tea). The entire process of the serving of the tea was quite complex. Our server had an ample supply of hot water and all of the necessary tea accessories were spread out on this long, thin, hollow box with slits in it so the water could be spilled and not make a mess. One of the vital steps in this process was pouring the hot water over the cups you were going to be drinking out of and then drying them off so your hands didn’t get wet. This way, I assume, the tea stays as hot as possible for as long as possible. Liz and I got into a bit of a conversation with the woman who was serving us tea. It turned out she was my age – 22, I’m such an old thing, aren’t I – and she was still in school. She asked us what we were studying, and we duly replied with our appropriate majors. Upon asking her the same question, she replied that she was studying tea. In China, it seems that you can get a three- or four-year degree in tea. How to drink it, how to serve it, the different kinds – a degree in the art of tea. Maybe I should stay in China a little while longer and pick up that degree.