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!
LOL, it's so cold and nasty here in NYC today that I pulled out the winter jin xuan for comfort! But I've enjoyed green tea over the course of the last week while the weather was fine, and in was heaven to experience spring in a cup.
ReplyDeleteThanks Karen. It is really heaven to be able to find the feeling of spring in a cup of tea!
ReplyDeleteWeather has been great in Taipei recently, but I hear it will get cold again tomorrow. I'll have some roasted Oolong then.
I have a question about your cha xi if you do not mind answering. In the beautiful photos you post of each design for the cha xi, there is always a wide, deep bowl in the left side corner, but you never talk about this item or mention its purpose? Would you be so kind as to enlighten this ignorant, humble tea drinker? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteJhimm,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your question. This bowl (zafang) is used to pour the unwanted water that one poured to warm up the teapot and cups. Also, sometimes some water spills on the plate (cha chuan) holding the teapot. This is where you can conveniently put this unwanted water during your tea session.
This accessory isn't used when you have a bamboo tray that automatically drains or collects the water under the tray. I prefer to use a separate bowl and a fabric. It provides a good motivation to be careful and focused on how you pour.
Just had to comment on this springs Bi Luo Chun that I recently received from you Stephane. We too have had a few days of lovely warm sunny but typically fresh spring days here in the UK and just this weekend gone I enjoyed very much this tea. Really is so delicate, fresh and floral. Truly does evoke the feeling of spring. Almost has a purifying quality to it as well, like it's doing my body good while I drink it! So glad I get the chance to experience such quality.
ReplyDelete