La sagesse des classiques

"Trouve le bonheur dans les arts", Confucius. Et notamment l'art du thé, suis-je tenté de compléter en ce qui me concerne!

En philosophie, on continue de se tourner vers les anciens textes pour répondre à nos quêtes métaphysiques. En thé aussi, si l'on veut progresser on se tournera vers le passé pour bien comprendre l'évolution des techniques et de l'appréciation du thé.

Si, de nos jours, nous avons accès plus rapidement à une plus grande variété de thés de divers pays, cette évolution positive s'est faite au prix d'un nivellement de la qualité vers le bas. Autrefois, le thé dont parlait les classiques était surtout l'apanage de l'empereur et de la noblesse. Aussi, les fermiers et potiers rivalisaient d'ingéniosité pour obtenir les meilleurs résultats possibles (et les faveurs du monarque). Puis, les mandarins - sans Internet, télévision pour les distraire - savaient prendre leur temps pour préparer et déguster leurs quelques thés avec leurs accessoires dédiés. Raffinement, produits de qualité irréprochable, concentration de l'esprit, attention aux détails, répétition de la dégustation du même type de thé (et donc connaissance en profondeur), mariage de la culture du thé et d'un savoir-vivre ... tout cela explique pourquoi ils y trouvaient tant de plaisir.

Pour progresser dans le thé, nous pouvons nous inspirer de ce riche passé. Il ne s'agit pas de devenir aristocrate en apparence, mais fin connaisseur, préparateur et dégustateur. La quantité ne fait pas la qualité. Mais la qualité des feuilles, de l'eau et du matériel ne suffit pas. Encore faut-il bien savoir comment les associer pour en tirer le maximum. C'est tout l'art de trouver du bonheur dans le thé!

Spring !

My first spring tea has arrived. It's a green Bi Luo Chun harvested by hand on March 8 in the same San Hsia plantation as last year.

I prepare my Cha Xi with similar accessories: my qingbai porcelain set, a dark green Cha Bu, green plants and a Balinese statue, Ganesh. This deity with a human body and an elephant head represents wisdom and education. It's a nice reminder that we drink quality not just to quench our thirst. A good green tea brings peace of mind, a connection to nature as it's born again. Beyond that, tea is a culture, a vast field of knowledge and experimentation. Education leads to selecting tea better and brewing it better. And when we add our creativity, there are no limits to the beauty and pleasure we can achieve with tea.

This Bi Luo Chun tastes simple, sweet and finely fresh. The fragrance of young flowers enthralls my nose. The sight of these green variations delights my eyes. The touch of the thin and smooth porcelain is light and delicate. A breeze a fresh air whispers to my ears: Spring is here! I can feel it with all my senses and foremost with my heart!

Bi Luo Chun de San Hsia, Taiwan

Le temps des récoltes du thé vert a débuté! Cette jeune cueilleuse de plus de 80 printemps a le geste assuré et le regard vif. Je la remercie au nom de mes lecteurs occidentaux de nous aider à récolter ces jeunes pousses.

La saison s'annonce bonne à Taiwan. L'hiver a été froid et bien sec. La nature a eu l'occasion de bien se reposer.

En ce début de saison, cette fraicheur réduit les rendements, mais améliore la qualité.

Vous reconnaissez peut-être cette petite plantation entourées de palmes à betel. C'est la même que l'an dernier et qu'en 2008. Le fermier continue de l'exploiter de manière organique, sans pesticides et engrais artificiels.

Les feuilles pointent au ciel et ne demandent qu'à être cueillies par des mains douces et expertes!

Ma chance d'habiter ici me permets d'aller sélectionner mes feuilles quand je le veux. J'ai pu goûter plusieurs lots. Chaque lot correspond à un jour de récolte. Comme les conditions météo changent, chaque jour est différent. Parfois, ces différences sont très grandes. Ainsi, j'ai rejeté le lot du 15 mars, car il manquait de finesse ; ce jour-là avait été très chaud.
Pour mon Cha Xi, j'utilise ma porcelaine qingbai (théière et coupes chantantes) sur un Cha Bu vert foncé. La statue hindoue de Ganesh me vient de Bali. Ce dieu de la sagesse et de l'éducation tombe à pic et donne une touche encore plus exotique, s'il en fallait, à mon thé!

Thé vert: Bi Luo Chun

Cultivar: Qingxin ganzhong

Récolté à la main le 8 mars 2010.

Origine: San Hsia, Taiwan.

Production du lot: 4,2 kg.

Vue:

Feuilles 'poilues' en spirale. De nombreux bourgeons blancs. La taille est plus petite que pour le Oolong, mais plus grande que pour le Bi Luo Chun de Chine continentale.

L'infusion est claire et d'une excellente transparence. J'ai mis toutes les feuilles de la photo dans la théière. Au final, les feuilles ouvertes occupent environ 25-30% du volume de la théière.

Fragrances:

Sec: végétales

Infusion: très fraiches, légères et délicates. Je sens le printemps et ses odeurs de fleurs nouvelles. Finesse et pureté.

Goût:

Agréable. Beaucoup de moelleux et de douceur. En même temps, il y a cette sensation de fraicheur absolue d'un thé tout jeune. Sa persistance en bouche n'est pas longue. Une coupe en appelle une autre.

Simplicité. Pureté.

Douce fraicheur.

C'est le printemps!

A tea set for shu puerh

In August 2009, I spent 3 days with David Louveau de la Guigneraye. He showed me how he works, we drank nice teas and then I gave him directions to create tea specific accessories. In the above Cha Xi, we can see the first results of our cooperation.

After understanding David's natural approach to pottery, I decided to help him design a set with cooked puerh in mind. His clays are very pure and wild. His technique is also very free and powerful. That's why the best fit is shu puerh, a tea that benefits from a very porous and pure clay.

We started to design some simple accessories for our Cha Xi.

For glazed items, David usually uses his gas oven (left) to fire them. We decided to start with a basic tea set, glazed in white, to serve as a contrast to the dark puerh.

The gas oven will give the pieces a more even color so that we can pair them more easily and it will also make them more affordable.

For these items, David has prepared a mix of local clay and unrefined, iron rich kaolin from Auvergne (50/50). The slip and glaze consists of unrefined felspar, lime and this kaolin.

What he obtains is a crackled (Ge or Ko) porcelain. The cracks appear because the materials used are very rough.

- The tea boat and teapot stand have a diameter of 18 cm and a height of 4 cm approx. They weigh 450 and 100 gr. They are very heavy and somewhat uneven, because they were handmade with rough materials. This brings a feeling of stability and power to the Cha Xi.

Next, David made this cup and stand (Cha Tuo). Its maximum diameter is 10 cm and the total height is 8 cm. The cup weighs 90 gram for 7cl and the stand 210 gr approximately.

We found our inspiration in the shape of this Yuan dynasty cup. Since David uses old techniques, I feel that ancient designs are a good match. Here, this Cha Tuo elevates the cup in the air. The effect is similar to a wine glass with a long foot. The tea is closer to heaven and feels more 'respected'.
After drinking wo dui (shu) puerh several times, the cracks started to absorb the color of the tea (below). This underlines how alive this cup (and the plate) are. They will change color over time. You will even notice how they even change color as you pour boiling water in them, because this renders the glazing transparent.

The teapots have been fired by wood end of January 2010, under the snow. They came out of the kiln on February 2nd.

David used a mix of local clays which are rather fine, sandy and rich in iron. It requires firing at a temperature of 1200 degrees Celcius.

For the shape, I advised David to make the teapot more 'classic', rounder without appearing fat. The handle, knob and spout look in harmony with each other and the body of the teapot. The handle isn't completely round, but a little square for a better grip. A small foot isolates the foot from the ground. The wall of the cover is long and slightly bent inside... (David has paid a lot of attention to a lot of important details.)
The inside filter is flat and composed of 9 holes. White spots on the rim of the pot are marks left by a natural separation during firing: the cover was fired directly on the pot so that the fit would remain tight.

The 13 cl teapot weighs 200 gr approximately.
The result of this firing under snow is a naturally dark colored teapot. Red firing marks are subtle.

The teapot in the tea boat is a nice contrast of light and darkness, Yin and Yang. A similar contrast happens also in the cups.

At my first sip, I was amazed of how sweet and mellow my shu puerh tasted! Amazingly beautiful and delicious!
With this Cha Xi, my other potter friends, Petr Novak (the jar) and Michel (the black bowl) join David Louveau's tea set (and the black vase) to compose a perfect picture of tea and friendship.

David Louveau de la Guigneraye

David porte le patronyme d'une des plus vieilles familles de France. Au sens premier, le seigneur, le noble, était celui qui possédait les terres de son fief. Potier, David Louveau de la Guigneraye commence par la recherche, le travail et l'entreposage de terres brutes. Que ce soit en forêt ou dans son atelier, le contact entre sa main et la glaise est intime et passionné. Quand il la petrit, il lui arrive même de lui parler. Oui, la terre le possède plus qu'il ne la possède.

Enfant, pendant que nous regardions la famille Crusoë ou Tarzan, David grandissait en Nouvelle-Caledonie, au contact de la nature et des tribus Kanaks! Cette force sauvage et cet attachement aux traditions et techniques primaires se retrouvent dans sa personne et son travail.

David rayonne de force physique, de concentration et de stabilité. Ses gestes son précis et rapides. En même temps, il a garde toute l'innocence et l'émerveillement de l'enfance.

Le feu le fascine. Là aussi, il s'agit d'une veritable passion pour cette force naturelle. Il a construit deux fours a bois traditionnels dans son jardin. Cuire dans ces fours demande une attention et une alimentation continue.

Dans cette vidéo, David nous parle de sa flamme avec la passion et la gentillesse qui le caracterisent:


Terre et Feu.

David Louveau de la Guigneraye est potier par destin. Il nous ramène aux sources et méthodes ancestrales. Grâce a lui, nous avons accès à des objets comme on les faisait autrefois. Leurs formes sont souvent simples et traditionnelles, car elles laissent les éléments de la nature s'exprimer. Avec respect et harmonie, David cherche à dompter, sans totalement soumettre, ces éléments. Ses potteries restent tres libres. Cela demande beaucoup d'humilité et de sagesse, je trouve, de laisser la nature s'exprimer.

Au bout du chemin, il a le bonheur de suivre sa voie et de créer, pour nous, des objets vivants et sincères!

From Earth to Clay with David Louveau de la Guigneraye

For a potter, clay is THE fundamental ingredient. Like a chef can't cook a good meal without fresh and tasty vegetables/meat, a potter needs high quality clay to make his wares. Most tea drinkers know this, because they understand how intimately the teapot and cup react with the brew. And because tea is a natural product, it reacts best with materials that have been obtained naturally.

David Louveau de la Guigneraye is a potter in La Borne. This village in the center of France has a pottery tradition that can be traced back to 1260. In those times, transportation was slow and costly, so potters and ovens were located close to good sources of clay.

In the nearby woods, we can still see holes where the clay makers would dig 3 meters deep and make galleries.

Here, they would extract a rich yellow earth that has a plastic feel. Even on the surface, we could easily spot such earth during our walk (near the water). The basic material for clay seems to be readily available under our feet!

A little farther, David showed me a place where he had digged clay for his workshop. This is very hard work (and very few potters do so nowadays). But one can imagine how satisfying it must be for a potter to know where his material come from. What was a necessity in the past has become almost a luxury!

David also turns to quarries, open-pit mines, that extract minerals, stone, sand. These unrefined materials are mostly used for construction material. The important point for him is to obtain ingredient in their original state, without any industrial additions.

This soil isn't ready to use clay yet. I played with some in my hands, but couldn't make a smooth shape. It contains small stones and organic material. It need to be crushed, filtered, and refined. David also uses traditional methods for these steps. The variations of weather are a good tool. The natural change of weather and temperature, (sun, wind, rain and ice) help to slowly decompose the soil.

David regularly flips his various soils with a shovel in order to expose all of it to the air. This process can take several years. He has one heap that is even 40 years old! (It is the one in the middle on the right in the picture above).

Continuous drying and humidifying is how the clay is naturally refined.

Next, the clay is placed in big pools with water. There, it will rot (!) and continue to improve. It will become more plastic.

In Chapter 3 of A Potter's Book, Bernard Leach writes that this slow, traditional step makes the clay better than if it were simply processed through a press filter.

In the last step, David will place the clay in a big fabric. Once it is just dry enough, he will knead the clay by stepping on it with bare feet. Then he obtains a big cake that looks like this:

The natural and powerful feel of David Louveau's bowls and other wares comes from the direct link their clays have to the earth. His genuine materials and his traditional processes create clays that are alive and completely natural.

Thank you David for all the hard work and dedication it takes to follow this difficult path!

Tea exchange with Petr Novak

In recent articles, I have shown Petr Novak's wood fired bowl and jars. (Here, a double walled cup). They are part of an exchange I made with him: my tea for his tea ware. As part of this exchange, I have tested Petr's wares and given him feedback about with which teas to use them and how to further improve them.

In an exchange, feedback runs both ways, so here are Petr's first impressions about the teas he received:

Petr: "Take it only like feelings and findings of somebody who drink tea a lot for many years but who is not expert, especially not in field of Taiwanese teas. And what else I am aware of my limits in English:

First, I tried Qizhong Oolong 2006. I have prepared it for tree times. On First try I put too many leaves to my small 100ml stoneware teapot. In spite of this mistake I enjoyed it. But tea was too strong for my body and roasted aroma of leaves killed all sweeter fragrance which I have expected. But I brewed it for many times and it was still good. So second time I used only few leaves and brewed for longer time. It was better. More fragrance, strong aftertaste but I can feel there something what I did not like. Some smell which I can identify…And on third try I used middle way of preparation. More leaves (but not too much) and only 20-40second of brewing. It was of course the best but I still can feel something wrong for me, some smell (more in the teapot than in cup) but it has an affect also on my body. But I still do not give up. Now, when I am writing this, I am tempted to try it again. Actually I like it but I am not sure why…

Second was Luanze Hung Shui Fall 2009: Fantastic! So many fragrances in this tea. In the best stage of drinking I have called it sweet chocolate but very soft and smooth without aggressive colors. Only may be also too strong for me, for my body and my mind. I was in rush for a while after it. Probably because we have still winter…But I like it and I have to say thank you for sending this sample.

Third tea was Luanze Gao shan-Shan Lin Shi Spring 2009- Again a lot of fragrance but in this case with combination which I have some prejudice- some sweet vanilla milk shade. But I have to say that in this Gao shan it is very cultivated, neither cheep nor aggressive. I am not sure but I probably can say: very good tea, everything is how it should be but it is not my style. Or by another way: I like this tea but it is not a kind I would like to drink again and again.

And today I try your Raw wild puer from Yiwu 2003. I am happy that you send me this sample. I like it a lot. Every brew is good, it does not matter how hot is water, for how long I brew it or if it is brewed for five or eight times- I still like it. To first tree brews I put more attention and It surprise me how clear were the infusions, sweet, smooth…I do not have a lot of compare with, I have only more fresh puers and not from wild trees but this is winner for me. It reminds me one tea I have brought in Korea from Chinese people from Hunan. This tea was also from wild trees and the basic taste was very similar.

Oriental beauty spring 2009- It is several years ago when I had this kind of tea. In the past it was my favorite so when I opened bag with this one I was really curious. First smell of the leaves and multicolored look of this Oriental beauty was fascinating. But taste overcomes my expectation. Or may be it is better to say that it was what I have expected but clearer, stronger and astonishing in both taste and fragrances. I call it linden in blossom with honey. It so strongly reminds me the spring with all the wildness of sprouting, with flowers and bees around. Amazing but I have to be careful with it ( I am not so young anymore …)

Wenshan Baozhong 1983- I have to say I like this tea a lot. There is everything what I like in the right degree: roasting, fragrances, energy are strong but not too much. I like experimenting with it . Ones I tried it with a lot of leaves for short brewing and than small amount of leaves for longer time. Second approach seems to be more proper for this old olongs- with more fragrances of dried fruits and aftertaste is still strong. I am happy that I asked you for this tea."

Thanks for your reviews!

3 jarres cuites au bois de Petr Novak

J'ai eu envie de faire cet échange -thé contre potterie- avec Petr Novak lorsqu'il m'a montré ces 3 jarres récemment cuites dans son four à bois. Grâce à elles (et donc grâce à lui), je vais pouvoir élargir mes expériences de stockage de thé. Aussi, dès leur arrivée, j'ai aéré et nettoyé ces jarres avant d'y mettre de l'Oriental Beauty.

Cette première jarre en porcelaine fine et blanche de République Tchèque qui réagit bien avec le feu de bois. Une jolie couleur abricot apparait sur les parties non émaillée. Pour l'émaille, il utilise du feldspar, local également, (proche du shino). On voit des altérations oranges dues à la cuisson.

Toutes ces trois jarres ont un couvercle interne en plus du couvercle externe. Cela rend l'accès au thé plus difficile. Il est doublement protégé, donc d'autant plus précieux.

Cette seconde jarre est faite avec une porcelaine plus brute et mate. L'émaille céladon est réalisée par mélange d'émaux locaux. Il a aussi mis deux points décoratifs avec de l'oxyde de fer et de cuivre.

Ci-dessous, j'ai mis ma jarre de la dynastie Yuan à côté. On voit bien la filiation entre ces ces deux porcelaines. L'émaille est tellement brute qu'elle craquelle naturellement.

La plus grande des trois est cette jarre faite en glaise brute. Les variations de couleurs sont simplement le fait de la chaleur et des dépots de cendre. Il s'en dégage une force brute très réussie.

L'intérieur de la jarre a été émaillée. On peut voir cette émaille sur le couvercle interne de la jarre. Celui-ci est le plus stable des trois jarres.

Mais malgré cette émaille, il est vite apparu que cette jarre ne convient pas au Oriental Beauty. Les odeurs furent absorbées au lieu de s'épanouir dans la jarre. Un Oolong très torréfié, voire même du puerh pourrait mieux lui convenir. (J'essairai).

Je n'en ai pas encore terminé avec les deux autres jarres et l'OB. La finesse de la porcelaine semble jouer un rôle, car la première me semble mieux garder les odeurs que la seconde, malgré les parties externes sans émaille.

J'ai donné des pistes à Petr pour que ses jarres conservent mieux des Oolongs frais. J'espère que cela donnera l'occasion d'un autre échange dans le futur.

Je finis en partageant ce geste essentiel dans la compréhension d'une céramique: l'observation du pied de la pièce retournée. C'est là qu'on trouve les parties les plus 'nues', sans émaille, sans cendres, sans feu de la pièce. Parfois ce n'est que l'extrémité du pied, mais cela nous renseigne sur le type de glaise ou de porcelaine utilisée.

Pour les pièces anciennes, cela permet de savoir d'où vient la pièce, car les glaises varient d'une région à une autre. Or, jusqu'à un passé récent, les potiers privilégient les matériaux locaux pour des raisons évidentes d'accessibilité et de coût.

La manière dont le pied est taillé renseigne aussi sur la technique du potier. Comment s'arrête l'émaille? La coupe est-elle harmonieuse avec la pièce?...

Comprendre en regardant ce que les yeux ne voient pas d'ordinaire! C'est évident mon cher Watson!

Classic Music and beauty in pottery

In a newly published book, Philip Ball has found out that 'audiences hate modern classical music because their brains cannot cope'. To experience pleasure, the brain needs to recognize patterns and rules in what it hears. Classic composers followed traditions and rules much more closely than modern composers. An important function of the brain is to anticipate the future. It can do this easily when there is a melody, but not when the music is fragmented.

I think that the pleasure of watching something of classic beauty is similar. The brain loves to see things that follow patterns, where each detail fits well in the whole object. If you see just one part of it, your mind can easily imagine how the rest will look like.

And like there are certain sounds and tempos the human prefers, there are certain curves, shapes and colors that we like best. That is why some ancient masterpieces are still played in concerts or shown to millions of visitors in museums.

What does it mean for potters? I think they should see themselves like musicians, and I mean classic musicians. Instead of partitions from Mozart or Bach, they have bowls, cups and teapots... from ancient dynasties that they can arrange, interpret according to their skills and sensitivity. (Petr Novak's bowl, in my previous article, is a good example of a very classical Northern Sung dynasty shape and wood fired with a traditional kiln).

The concert of Han Tang Yuefu and Doulce Mémoire in front of the National Palace Museum has sparked this line of thought. This also applies to us, tea brewers. In old times, people already knew how good tea tasted, how to brew it and with which instruments. The closer we follow their steps, the farther we can travel the way. Traditions don't restrict or limit our freedom. They guide us.