I bet the National Palace Museum has a fairly extensive collection of tea items, but I haven't seen many of them before. Have you been to any special tea exhibits that they've had?
Kat, No, Teaparker was on the side of the stage making the presentation and commenting on what's going on. All 3 are his students.
Did anybody notice that Ming and modern era brewers used their bare hands to put the leaves in the teapot? They didn't use a porcelain Cha He or a bamboo scoop. Why?
Hi Stephane, yes i did notice that both ladies used their hands to put the tea into the teapot. I also do this, not sure why but i feel i get a better measure for how much is needed i guess. Very cool video. Thanks Elton
RTea, Yes, NPM has a nice site and it's a must see for all travelers to Taiwan.
Elton, Not just that. It's also to have a good feel on where to drop the leaves. Also, this allows the leaves to be one with the brewer's body. This makes the sensorial experience more complete (adds the sense of touch).
Of course, this means you need to have clean hands! But hands are very natural tea 'tools'. Pickers use them to harvest, farmers use them to feel them during various stages of their process. (For wine, they even used to press with their feet). So, using hands doesn't mean we don't treat tea with respect. On the contrary, a direct touch is like removing a glove before shaking a hand. It shows a willingness to become intimate.
it was interesting to see the various teas of each dynasty. Is the first guy Teaparker then?
ReplyDeleteI bet the National Palace Museum has a fairly extensive collection of tea items, but I haven't seen many of them before. Have you been to any special tea exhibits that they've had?
ReplyDeleteGreat video.
Kat,
ReplyDeleteNo, Teaparker was on the side of the stage making the presentation and commenting on what's going on. All 3 are his students.
Did anybody notice that Ming and modern era brewers used their bare hands to put the leaves in the teapot? They didn't use a porcelain Cha He or a bamboo scoop. Why?
RTea,
ReplyDeleteSee my April 17, 2009 article. I recommend the book of that (past) exhibition.
interesting stuff Stephane.
ReplyDeletei enjoyed it just for the playing of Rubinstein's Melody in F lovely :)
Wow, that is really beautiful - I didn't know the NPM had so much info on their site. Thanks for the link.
ReplyDeleteHi Stephane, yes i did notice that both ladies used their hands to put the tea into the teapot. I also do this, not sure why but i feel i get a better measure for how much is needed i guess. Very cool video. Thanks
ReplyDeleteElton
Lastcoyote,
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked the music.
RTea,
Yes, NPM has a nice site and it's a must see for all travelers to Taiwan.
Elton,
Not just that. It's also to have a good feel on where to drop the leaves. Also, this allows the leaves to be one with the brewer's body. This makes the sensorial experience more complete (adds the sense of touch).
Of course, this means you need to have clean hands! But hands are very natural tea 'tools'. Pickers use them to harvest, farmers use them to feel them during various stages of their process. (For wine, they even used to press with their feet). So, using hands doesn't mean we don't treat tea with respect. On the contrary, a direct touch is like removing a glove before shaking a hand. It shows a willingness to become intimate.
There were a few differences between the Japanese style tea ceremony and what I learned at Urasenke. Do you know what form exactly Teaparker teaches?
ReplyDeleteJoel,
ReplyDeleteTeaparker teaches neither Japanese ceremony. He teaches the Chinese Sung dynasty technique! This is the technique that inspired the Japanese.