The sunny day

Qingxin Oolong from Tsui Feng, spring 2015

When the weather is cloudy in winter, the colors of the world seem washed away. This can last for weeks in Taipei. A sure sign that spring is coming is the sunny and warm weekend we just had. For the first time in months, I could head outdoors for a chaxi again.

This called for a celebration and bright colors. The Chaxi made me think of Van Gogh's paintings and their vivid colors. The Junyao bowl, the zhuni teapot and qinghua mini plate all add to this exuberance.

This warm spring day called for a refreshing high mountain Oolong. So, I chose to brew my Qingxin Oolong from Tsui Feng (1900 m) from spring 2015. The silver kettle is light and easier to get water to boil on the Nilu. And water from a silver kettle will also underline the freshness and fragrances of the tea.

Gongfu cha, the skill of tea brewing, is about coordination and project management. It's making sure that everything works well together with a specific goal: making a great cup of tea. It involves knowledge in several fields: understanding the character of the tea leaves, understanding the teaware and how it interacts with the tea, knowledge of the evolution of tea in history.

But it's not enough to know all the theory. What's even more important is to know how to apply this knowledge for your tea. Brewing tea shouldn't be left to chance. There should be a reason for each choice we make.

At the end of the day, what really counts is how much you've enjoyed your tea. To add beauty is a plus for the eye and a satisfaction for our sense of aesthetics, but it comes second to the taste. 

Of course, as you are reading this, you have no way to know how the tea tasted, but at least you can enjoy the pictures!

Coming from a 1900 meters high plantation, this very lightly oxidized Oolong has lots of flower and butter notes. And the refreshing feeling is intense and lasts for a long time. Spring feeling!

A sunny day with the slow pace of charcoal fired Nilu,

and the enhanced transparency of this Oolong in the light celadon cup lights up my day.