A Pu'er Tea Exhibition : "Now I believe!"

Last week, Teaparker and I returned to Penn State for the Pu'er Tea exhibition organized by the Tea Institute. Most events, tea classes, happened at the Ritenour building where the institute is located.

Ritenour building

The subjects were puerh historical cakes, the best suitable brewing methods, suitable wares, puerh quality: blending or single mountain...

Each class consisted of a theoretical part and then practical exercises. We set up several Cha Xi every day, brewed tea in turns. We let everybody express what they felt with each cup of tea.

At the end of our last class, each Tea Institute member gave us some feedback concerning the classes. They were pleased with the wealth of information they learned, and were glad to taste some great puerhs. The combination of the 2, clear knowledge and high quality teas has created a new level of understanding. 

For instance, Murph said that before this week, he didn't believe that you could taste somebody's state of mind through the tea that he brews. "But now I believe! Yesterday, I could taste my nervousness in my tea cup."

Tea can seem magical at times. But with the right study and focus, we can all understand tea. And the more we respect tea and pay attention to our brewing, the better our tea becomes. This creates a positive feedback that leads to more study...