Is it possible to prepare tea with Italian espresso maker?
The answer is “YES“. Of course the question will be “which kind of tea? “
I will not use this method with premium quality green/yellow/lightly fermented oolong or golden tippy black tea. In stead, it is pretty handy for those have no suitable tea ware at home to brew fruity tea or herbal infusion.
I started to work in 1975. The disappointment from the first job interview urged me to think how to proceed from the choice of job, i.e. 1. working for big company with higher income? or 2. working with new start up to re-shape my learning in international business management knowledge and to advance my capabilities further without worrying too much about income? Without hesitation, I chose the 2. to work with a new start up. I still remember how it was then till today: at the beginning there were only 4 people in the new start up trading company, my boss, his wife (responsible for the finance), a bookkeeper and I (you can say I did almost everything in the company except baby sitting); eventually we grew the company to >30 people. I worked more than 10 hours a day (6/7) and everyday I went to work with full of sunshine energy and returned home with singing, and I started to attend different training programs to improve myself. My parents knew I was happy without understanding the reason why.
There are plenty benefits of working with a new start up operation, for example I worked more than 10 hours a day (6/7) and I have no time to think too much about how I should feel but simply focus on what and how to grow the operation I involved with my colleagues. To exchange in the reality I have plenty opportunities to deepen my knowledge and capabilities i.e. selecting qualified factories, choose products and even involved with the product design, contact international potentials and continue to follow up until a deal is made, place order to factory and follow the QC procedure, arrange shipment and prepare negotiation documents for banks… when the case is closed, then calculate the P&L for each business transacton.
It seems I was ambitious type with clear idea about my career goal, actually I was and still am not; the early almost-burn out experience really woke me up. The only thought that I have in mind then was and still is today : Do you Best and do the good things well!
Funny thing was that almost all jobs I did were all with new start up operations and I could enjoyed the prosperous growing and positive changes before I moved to Europe in 1991.
Yes, due to various reasons and situations, I have experienced many changes from 1975 to 1991 and nontheless I never have a moment of regret. The most common questions people asked are:
1. How did you do it? Because you have not only changed the job responsibility levels, but have changed jobs in various industrial types which have no link in between.
Answer: For me, I focused only one thing “Customers”. For me not only potentials were customers, I saw and treated my colleagues as my “Customers”.
2. Which job you loved the most?
Answer: I devoted 100% of my devotion, energy and appreciation to each job, for me they were equally beautiful and I appreciate every experience and time with each job. There were like my babies, how can anyone ask me to make a choice?
3. How do you plan your future? What do you see yourself 10 years later from today?
Answer: Stay alive, stay healthily alive with ease and peace in mind. Doing best every day, so can enjoy a good night sleep every night.
In life we will go through many ups and downs, when heading upwards with confidence and strength without arrogance or blinded with over-confidence; in case must moving downwards in order to climb up again, just pay caution on each step without seeing it as failing, certainly not to give up or give in but consider it as a moving forwards process to motivate self to reach the next rising hill.
Today, my hair is grey and have lost my shape for some years. So what! The journey of learning continues, old habbits to update learning never died away and my heart still feels the vibes in life. And, I have my tea
In “Cha Jing” written by Lu Yu, he has mentioned tea morals for the personality cultivation in four Chinese words which worthwhile for repeatedly relearn through reflection:
“精 jing”
The direct English translation is “Refinement”. How to refine the daily life is a matter of choice, the challenge is whether we know what and how to take own responsibilities for the choice we chose.
Making tea is same as making self and vice versa; how to create and sustain the harmony in life subjects to how we manage details in everyday’s life.
“行 xing”
It’s about behaviors and manners; it’s upto whether we are willing to delightfully implement in daily life without feeling been impulsed or obligated, it also urges us to rethink the philosopophy of what and how to put “Knowing & Acting in One” ( by Scholar Wang YangMing in Ming Dynasty). There are plenty great thinking in different languages in the East and the West, but sharing the same essence of reminding us the important values of collectivism, mutual respect and unitity.
The time of our life is limited, but the collective values that we can create and leave behind can be unlimited based on the efforts to pass on accurate knowledge and leave behind with good examples. We can create life values by self discipline, reflections as self examination and enlightenment through non-stop learning attitude.
“俭 jian”
Frugal in English which reminds us the importance in thrifty, pinching, chary and forehanded not only in everyday’s life but also important for society development which through tea we learn to put the principles of self-discipline, no greed, no corruption and no depravity to become a better person.
“德 De”
Moral in English, which is emphasized in Chinese Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism in 5000 years Chinese civilization history, and has great influence to improve the quality of everyday’s life till today; it also links with the essence in harmony of “Respect, Purity, Calm”.
Are these moral principles only limited to the learning and practicing of tea? Or actually it has very good impact to individual daily living and collective society development?
In the most well known Chinese web media, they mentioned the taste of tea is bitter, however it won’t stay on the bitterness. But, is it correct for Chinese fine quality teas? Perhaps the text written in the ShenNong BenCao Jing about tea – “the basic character of tea is bitter” – has been misunderstood that many people think the taste of tea should be bitter. Let’s face it, who in the world like bitterness in food or drink by knowing it can be bitter?
As matter of fact, the taste of fine quality tea provides you a sensual tasting experience:
Once it enters the mouth, the tip of tongue will be charmed by its gentle smoothness and mild sweetness, it tranvels further to the middle on the tonque and gradually spreading to both sides, glidely simulate the water in mouth at the side end, then turns back to the front to enjoy the mild astringency and sweetness under the tonque. In other word, tea polyphenols, amino acid, tea tannin, tea polysaccarides and natural frangrance substances will play around by turning in the mouth before swallowing. The taste of fine quality teas will not lock our throat because excessive bitterness or strong astringency that the body dislikes.
The first impression of excessive bitterness in taste could prevail several problems:
Problem in the tea production process due to one who make tea fail to produce tea by knowing tea
One who brew tea fail to brew tea by acknowleding tea that fail to bring out the best characters that we can appreicate from the tea taste, often the tea has excessively brewed in the brewing process.
Gushu has very rich biochemical compounds in tea leaves, brewer does need to pay attention on the brewing process.
Tea, the essence for health cultivation, it helps to unthirst, release stressful energy, ease headache, brighten vision, calming worries, good for joints, cast way tireness; regularly drinking tea for a longer period of time helps to bring joy to mind, improve and refreshing thinking…..Besides those basic health benefits, tea lovers who truly into tea would also appreciate 5 (five) beauties in life, which are:
The beauty in Taste
The beauty in Tea Ware
The beauty in Fire
The beauty in Drinking
The beauty in Mind
Mental state in tea actually is not that differ from the daoist mind in poem or other arts. Only those who respect tea and consciously embrace the calm, peaceful energy can bring out the taste of harmony !
In life we will experience a lot ups and downs, regardless age, there are 3 major learnings we all have to encounter in life:
What and how to maintain innocence in mind – the most easiest way is to give self sometime to embrace it through reflection
Do best with devotion – we don’t always get what we want or have hoped for, and no complaints or signs can help but do our best as we can everyday.
Learn to let go before it’s too late – Indeed happy moments can bring smiles on our face but eventually will fade away in time when we get old; however, learnings from painful experience open more windows of learning that eventually turn into strenths that stay for life.
What is 意境, Chinese PinYin is yì jìng. What does it mean? It is not difficult to understand the meaning by the direct translation of each character:
意 (yi) means intention, meaning;
境 (jing) means state, condition, level
However, when you put these two Chinese characters together, even Chinese will puzzle and reply “it’s about the holistic description of inspiration or feeling”. When even Chinese have problem to give a very analytical explanation, you can then imaging the difficulty for foreigners who would like to learn the meaning of these two words without straight forwards and clear explanation?
Chinese is a inspirational graphic language, there are lot of expressions imply inspirational thinking or imagination which require repeatedly non-stop reflections from daily living.
Autumn is a beautiful, romantic yet unpredictable season in a year because in Autumn we will experience a ‘long-planned’ energy mobilization and we never know what will happen later in a day. However, we will live through the energy change that drivves the dispersal of wind and clouds, the day is getting shorter, the discoloration of plants and trees while fruitfulness in the fields. The migratory birds to the warm south and fly high, great changes happen in the Nature that sweeps across the land with the change of energy in the heaven and the earth to cold.
The change of Yin – energy in heaven, earth and environment would stimulate the retaliated Yang – energy to rise in our body. People with low immunity resistance or sensitive to the change of energy might experience lots of discomfort, i.e. lungs infection, caughing, dehydration, headache in this season.
How to enhance the immunity system and tosolve the cause of headache , frankly speaking we need to hand these medical matters to more professional medical experts for their facts-based dignosis and suggestions. However,we do can consider to practice some easy and cost-free steps in actions to improve our daily health.
copyrighted Mei Lan Hsiao, Belgium Chinese Tea Culture Association, info@chinesetea.be Tel: +32494506899
To my husband and children, same as many friends know me for being “stubborness with dignity” but not necessary know how my upbringing has influenced who I am and how I am.
I was the only child in the family for the first six years in my life. At that time, even though as a military family in the 60’s, we had a pretty earthy and rough life and I could only see my Dad 2 max. 3 times a year. But I really had a very fine memories from the wild childhood and love from my parents. I stayed with the best friend of my parents for nearly 8 months before I saw my younger brother for the first time. Immediately I loved the idea to take care of him by being a ‘elder sister’. When Nian Yong was young, he often got sick; so it’s normal that he got all the attention and care from my parents and accepted Mom has no extra energy for me.
Dad used to lead soldiers, so it’s ‘normal’ that I have to take the responsibility based on joint and several ‘liability’ for my brother; I learned to accept it without argument.
One night I had a very strang dream when I was 9-10 years old, when I woke up I started to question whether I was adopted, but I did not dare to ask but kept quiet. The real question rose when I had my first blood test at the age of 12, because I am the only one in the family with A blood type while Dad and brother are O and Mom is B. But again, I dared not to ask, simply put this question in the drawer in heart. That year we went to Taichung for uncle Chen’s wedding, I was so exciting because it was the first time I wore stockings with a beautiful dress and new shoes. In the middle of wedding feest, Mom and Dad decided to leave earlier after meeting a full-sized woman with a little boy, who were them? I dared not ask until when I was 16 years old that little boy sent me a letter to my school, then I realized they were my biological family. After the visit to my bio-sister in the nearby university, when I saw how she and I were so alike as twin, instantly I knew there’s no question about the adoption. Immediately I made the decision not to ask the ‘why’ question to either side, simply quietly accepted the reality submissively because I did not want to make both side parents felt scare of losing me or felt quilty for giving me away for adoption. Without knowing, underconsciousely since then I start to avoid and not to talk about my feeling deep inside on how I dream for love but do not dare to ask for love from others. Since made the decision of accepting not to ask for love from others, I then realized the importance in life is to love self by holding integrity and enhancing self disciplines strongly. Time passed, the level of stubborness deepened.