Belgium Chinese Tea Centre – Page 21 – Only Pure & Authentic Quality Tea

Cherry Loose leaf Tea

On 03/06/2017

Hand picked & made Cherry Loose Leaf Tea from the Spring plucks.

There are many different kinds of cherry blossom tree (Zakura) and Yaezakura is the only one that we can consume its flowers and leaves.

These Yaezakura trees have already been cultivated more than 10 years. It is pesticide-free herbal tea, because no pesticide is needed for cherry blossom trees.

Cherry Leaf Tea has various benefits to health:

Prevention against cancer due to the antioxidant components
Help to lower risk of blood pressure and bad cholesterol, to lower the risk for cardiovascular problems.
Potentially contribute to the detoxification process in body
Help to balance pH by lowering uric acid levels in body

Cherry leaf tea does provide many health benefits as other types of tea but do consider it as a healthy herbal tea and shouldn’t exaggerate its medicinal benefits. Always check with your doctor if having any health problem.

Quality Managements in Practice

By Mei Lan Hsiao

On 01/06/2017

In About Us

In the tea sommelier certified lesson this week, we again touched the critical issue about what is our primary responsibility as a tea sommelier. Is it just limited to the knowledge of knowing how to make a good cup of tea? or much more? Students were very enthusiastic and asked for more information about the bitter taste of fair-trade and organic tea.

As promised, here is the link of The Bitter Taste of Tea: A Journey into the World of Fair Trade which I think people who like to support the concept of fair trade tea should all take a look : http://www.films.com/id/16330

I first saw this video few years ago and I think the course and intention of these reporters who dared to report this matter deserve respect and support.

From the free pre-review I am sure it would give you an idea about the bitter taste of so-called fair trade in reality. Finding a good balance is indeed a unsolved struggle to find a good balance between

Policies vs. Reality,
Development vs. Preserve Nature Harmony
Economy Development vs. Culture Development

I follow the philosophy of fair trade and the basic concept for organic and pesticide control started from 1995. For years I follow the quality management and best practice, because I believe actual actions are more important than slogans or stamps.

It was great to embrace questions from enthusiastic tea lovers:

Q: How do you know these people are really following the principals?

A: Honesty is the key and trust is something people need to learn to earn but don’t expect to obtain blindly by telling fancy stories. When people are willing to tell you truth not only good and beautiful stories, but also honest to share all hinder information that might influence the harvest and quality; when they are equally persistence in believing in Nature, Quality, Traditions and Morals. That laid down the corner stone for trustful friendship.

Of course, there is a risk for people to change their course when facing the financial challenges and/or attractions. That’s why how to sustain and to revalidate trust is an on-going task for “BOTH” parties.

The cost of ‘fair trade’ and ‘organic tea’ labels are simply too expensive for me and those friends for years, who are either small individual tea farms and/or tea producers, can afford. Instead of talking or putting the label, we simply put these fundamental believes and philosophies in actions. Our common goals are

Promote and introduce the pure and good quality tea to the market
Help more people to have the right attitude about healthy life style, know how to brew tea correctly
Help more people to have the correct knowledge about how to distinguish quality

Honesty and trust are essence in business ethic, particularly in the tea world.

Why batanical tea garden is unique

By Mei Lan Hsiao

On 23/05/2017

In Oolong

Here are some information about the organic quality traditional Oolong from the batanical tea garden from KP:

Self made natural fertilizer – he creates the fertilizer himself by using natural ingredients
He only picks tea once a year, so tea trees could have sufficient resting to regain their energy
The tea garden is situated on high mountain altitude which is surrounded by forests
KP extremely respects to the harmony balance with the Nature
The tea garden is absolutely chemical- and pesticide-free
In order to teach the local villagers to pick tea according to what he wants, 1 young with 1-2 leaf, he ensures the daily income of these tea pickers instead of paying them by kg.

KP is devoted to the harmony balance with the Nature. When I asked him what is his motivation to start the batanical tea garden to produce pure organic quality tea? His answer was very simple,

he wants and he drinks only clean and pure quality tea.

KP and I both have passion to preserve the traditional wisdom and techniques. Often people asked us why the traditional fermented/roasted processed Oolong? Simple, because

it is more gentle to the stomach and it tastes good.

Because KP only picks once a year in the spring time, therefore, the annual outputs are very limited. For example, the output for Mei Zhan Oolong was less than 15 kgs in 2017 because of the warm winter.

Do you want to enjoy this pure and authentic organic quality traditional Oolong? Please contact us directly by email : info@teasommelier.be

Learning Attitude

By Mei Lan Hsiao

On 22/05/2017

In Others

It was a great pleasure meeting an old friend, Staf Daems, who is a Belgian Japanese Tea Master I heartedly respect in the Japanese garden yesterday.

During the conversation, Staf also agreed with me that tea learning does not and shouldn’t be limited to the learning of tea or how to whisk or brew a cup of tea only. Tea provides us much more to learn and requires us to deeper and to shape our learning attitude towards the Nature, the Inner Self, Philosophies and Wisdom of life, the Essence of living based on morals starting from Honesty and Respect…. Tea is not just what to drink, it teaches us how to live.

Talking is easy but how to implement these learning and disciplines in life are challenging, especially today.

shakespeare wrote “To be or not to be is not a question”, with tea we learn

To learn or not to learn, just submit to the learning

To do or not to do, just do

Who are you and what are in your heart when facing tea, when handling tea? These are questions.

When we share, we receive

When we teach, we learn

When we learn, we grow

Life is an endless learning but no score can measure the achievement; sooner or later we are all going to face the ‘final exam’, so what say you before that date?

People like Staf and I who devote our passion in life to tea and tea culture probably will never become wealthy or even famous on the media because we simply focus what we should do and try to it well; the richness and happiness in heart by submitting to the leaning of life through tea are our best rewards.

Being able to enjoy a cup of pure quality tea, having a true partner and few good tea friends and having peace by enjoying simplicity in life. How can our life be bore or poor?

Have a cup of tea.

Event – The Dialogue of Music, Mind & Tea

By Mei Lan Hsiao

On 18/05/2017

In Events

Erhu is a classical Chinese musical instructment. It looks simple with two strings but it can touch the deepest feeling in heart and enlighthen the emotion in life.

This is our pleasure to have Ms. Wang Ying-Chieh and Ms. Adilia Yip to perform an unique music concert of Erhu in our centre.

This is a close encounter with Erhu, a moment of Ch’an (Zen) and tea.

The program includes not only classical musical performance of Erhu, we also practice meditation while enjoying music and then close with a Chinese tea ceremony.

Participants: max. 20

Reservation in advance is needed

Trust & Respect

By Mei Lan Hsiao

On 16/05/2017

In Others

Tea is from nature, but quality tea does not come naturally.

Good quality tea requires tea farms who respect nature and good consciousness plus years of experience and diligent efforts from production Sifu (specialist);

if couldn’t smell the natural flavor and couldn’t taste the fine pure taste, even if could write a tea book, it’s nothing but just pile of words without soul.

When receiving a certificate or diploma, it only indicates what you have studied but not what you should achieve. Don’t let egoism blocks your views, to slow you down.

It does not matter the difference in job title or from which industry, one must work his/her best to win trust and respect, because trust and respect based on their attitude and behaviours, and it won’t come for free.

When able to win trust and respect from others, the real challenge of how to maintain and to sustain begin.

Diligent is a important teaching from my father who constantly reminded me:

One can neither lazy nor arrogant

A construction takes hundred years and destruction only takes a minute.

Tea suggestion for humid weather

By Mei Lan Hsiao

On 15/05/2017

In About Us

Which tea to drink in case the weather is warm and humid, feel sick when like to sweat but can’t sweat?
Suggestions:
1. traditional fermented & roasted Oolong
2. Red (black) tea
3. Ripped Puerh
4. Aged tea
5. Ginger tea

A sleeping beauty is awakened

By Mei Lan Hsiao

On 15/05/2017

In Oolong

Often people asked me the question of how long can they store the tea, here is one example of a pack Jade Oolong that I have stored it more than 15 years.

When it’s young and fresh, this Jade Oolong charms you with refreshing and sexy flora flavor as a young and beautiful girl. After the beauty being slept for 15 years , the original young and sexy flavor has calmed down. But once it’s being lightly roasted and awakened in warm water, the flavor is once again flourished.

Instead of young and refreshing flavor, it surprises you with charming combination of smooth flora and sweet nuts flavors. The taste is soft and smooth with long lasting after taste.

Well processed Oolong can also be stored for long time with the following basic requirements:

The quality of tea base is very important
The tea base must be well processed (often lightly fermented and not well processed Oolong could have problem)
Appropriate storing conditions and environment are critical

Tea & Cha Dao

By Mei Lan Hsiao

On 12/05/2017

In Others

Tea and Cha Dao (The Way of Tea) emphasis the close distance between

Person-with-Tea

Person-with-Person

Person-with-Heart

Heart-with-Life

When we were young, we thought we can concur the world and we have plenty of time to achieve many things. But life will eventually teach us it is not something to be concurred. Name and fame from career achievement won’t last forever; it does not matter how rich we think we are, money can’t buy time, love and health. Life itself is a journey that we need to learn how to face it and to manage each step with peace and ease in heart. That is learning of Ch’an (禪 Zen) in life.

Loving tea is the basic drive to start the journey

Knowing tea is the first and most basic step

Honest and humble attitude towards tea help you to identify the right direction, the way

Submit to learning helps you open the door and move forwards

Submit to life time learning helps you to move forwards on the path

Tea is more than just a cup of healthy beverage that provides us fine flavor and taste, when we are willing to submit to the learning of tea, the learning attitude and process provide us tools to engage the inner self and opportunity to explore the wisdom in life.

Tea Sommelier Certification Program

By Mei Lan Hsiao

On 05/05/2017

In About Us

Tea has more than 5000 years or more years of history in Chinese culture which has been through various major cultural shifts in the history of mankind, the journey started from China and it is now spreading to the world. Preparing a cup of tea is easy, but learning of tea and wisdom from tea that you can apply in life are much more complex than you think. Tea is healthy only if you have the basic knowledge about the basic principles of tea and the essential 5W and 1H.

Tea is about health that influences the quality of life. The best way to advance the learning of tea is to shorten the distance between person-to-person and person-to-tea.

Professional knowledge, respect of business ethics and able to live by example are essential quality to tea sommelier.

The basic module of tea sommelier certification program helps you to learn more than just about tea, it does not limited to how to brew tea and how to present tea. The certification program aims to enhance your knowledge in tea at the forefront level; more importantly it helps you to learn more about health, the wisdom about inner self , respect of nature and humane values that you know what and how to build and sustain a well balance and harmony in life.

The program is built based on over 32 years of learning and practice of Tea Master Mei Lan Hsiao aims to provide you a passport to continue your journey in tea with the authentic and correct knowledge. The program will equip you professional knowledge and skills as tea sommelier.

Basic Modules program :

Purpose of the program

Intensive interactive learning approach in a small learning group
Intensive tea degustation, learn by tasting
Intensive interactive learning, learn by doing
To enhance the clarity of each learning, students need to complete small exam per section
At end, students need to a) present learning thesis, b) oral presentation c) Q&A d) blind taste of tea e) tea cupping presentation

Logistic arrangement

Location: Paul van Ostaijenlaan 12, 2050 Antwerp (Linkeroever)
Frequency: Once a week
Hours: 3-4 hours per lesson
Period: 20 weeks
Fee: 2,500EUR/per person (excl. VAT)