Category: Others Page 11 of 14

It’s more than 50 years and today I still remain as an exciting “young” student of tea learning. I keep my mind opened and do not set the limit of my learning, as long as information are accurate and honest.

We love tea for its purity, simplicity, honesty and health, when we learn tea, we are not just about learning tea but we learn the way of health through a cup of tea that leads us to the learning of implementing the learning in the way of life.

Tea is in life and I am in tea. When we share, we expand the learning and enrich our life.

Often in the tea bag or package there is a small bag of moisture-proof agent.  What do you do with it after you open the tea bag?

First of all, it absorbs moisture and to keep tea leafs dried when they packed the tea in bag.

Once the bag is opened, tea leafs are once again engage with air.

• If you have a vacuum packaging machine, then it’s OK to keep it in the bag.
• If you don’t have the vacuum packaging machine, then it is better to take it out.

Because I don’t think you want your tea absorbs moisture just because this bag absorbs moisture in the air.

It is great to see tea lovers try to share their knowledge about tea with more people. But it is very important to get the basic knowledge right first.

In one of the Youtube video clip that I was invited to take a look today, I was surprised when I saw the presenter introduced White Tea first by saying that white tea is coated with white hair and it’s the first choice of 1 or 2 leafs.

I think first of all, white tea is not always have white hair coating. There are different types of white tea; the difference is because of quality grades, each is named differently as well, also the oxidation processes are different in the production.

What is perfect?

Is it a piece of object that’s beautiful and shinning, almost perfect?

Or, is it the past memory that accompanies me quietly that moves my heart that we shared a valuable learning together?

It’s speechless, but it does not mean I do not remember;

It’s no words, but it does not mean I do not feel in my heart.

It is not what I got only from tea

but it is a calm and peaceful moment that we shared together.

Tea caught the attention of many researchers in the world, through scientific methods now many studies found some teas may help with cancer, heart disease and diabetes; encourage weight loss and to lower cholesterol, and it appears to have antimicrobial qualities.  Certainly tea helps to facilitates the emotional distress process that is what medicines can’t solve.

Indeed, tea has many health benefits, but still it has limit that it can’t solve the following problems:

• Unrequited love – what you can do is stepping out from your comfort zone and practice more on gentle social skills in face-to-face social events. Love is not something you can ask, but should learn to feel and to appreciate the moment.
• Over weight – Yes, Vitamins and caffeine in tea can help to loss weight, but tea is not medicine.  One must consider how to manage the balance life style but not just depending on tea. Each person is unique, so start to listen and work with your own body.
• Hypoactive – the learning and practice of Chinese tea arts help you to relax through concentration with calm, peace and simplicity.
• Sleeping problem – Pay attention to adjust the life style.  Visit friends who enjoy simple life style often are patient listeners and enjoy a peaceful tea time together. Learn to adjust the breathing technique, it is not which tea can relax you, it is how you can relax yourself.
• Impulsive and bully – If you felt tense easily, it is often you are perfectionist and impatient.  Learn how to brew tea correctly with ceramic tea ware but not porcelain.  Learn  to appreciate diversity from flavor and taste in different tea and the warmth from clay.
• Loneliness – Even when you are alone with a cup of tea, you are never alone, because there is another you in the cup and another one in the shadow. If you still feel lonely, then invite friends to organize a tea gathering, because those who appreciate tea normally are honest and kind in heart.
• Temperament – can extend the advice from impulsive and bully further by inviting friends to enjoy a peaceful tea time with pure quality tea  together.

All noises will automatically be smoothened out when you enjoy the moment of peace, harmony and tranquility with a cup of pure tea.

My mother was not a tea specialist, actually she has many health problems, that’s why she paid a lot of attention of what we eat and drink.  She always has the right and wise answers to my wacky questions.  Mom was a champion of using different Chinese medicinal herbs in daily cooking according to the change of season. From Mom I learned the wisdom of wok in Chinese kitchen, it further helped me to understand the importance of choose the right quality tea and steeping it correctly to the person I serve the tea according to their conditions.  The Confucius teachings from Dad then helped me to realise the importance of keeping a good balance by following the Zhong Yong (中庸) not only in tea steeping but also handling problems in life.

When I was very young, my mother helped me to establish a clear understanding about what is tea.   Tea is more than many different kind of tea that we normally know that made from Camellia sinensis, but also include other beverages (which are normally warm) that are good for health and we drink  in a cup. It does not matter what kind of tea, the important to bear the following things in mind:

• Authentic quality
• Pure & natural flavor and taste
• Brewing or steeping correctly
• Consume based on understanding own health at the time
• Never to stick to one all the time, adjust with care

The above principle can and should be applied not only for tea made from Camellia sinensis or blended infusion or blending medicinal herbs.  After all health is more important to each individual than to compete and to prove who is right or now, which one is better or bad or what much do one have.

The preference in flavor and taste is very subjective which we need to learn to listen and to respect. The attitude towards to tea is same as to life.

Tea is more than a cup of tea, it is a reflection of attitude towards life.  It quietly opens a door of life-time learning for us.