Yesterday, I once again tasted my 1985 wild Tuocha. But instead of drinking it on a chair, I decided to get in a more traditional gongfu cha position: on a pillow on the floor and the tea set on a small table in front of me. I know I am still behind with detailed tasting notes on this tea, but I wanted to enjoy it, not study it. I even put some old Chinese music on my stereo. Then I was gone, flying through time and distance, embracing the world from my small apartment. My mind was clear, I could see what matters in my life and felt uplifted.Yeah, a great moment of tea! The only drawback, and here comes the link to my title, is that this wild pu-er has such a strong qi (chi) that I was sweating like in a sauna! My tee-shirt was completely wet and I had to change it (the shower followed soon!) At 28-30 degrees and high humidity, we are already cooler than at the height of summer. But best will be to wait for another couple of months that the temperature comes down to 20 to enjoy all the characteristics of this very strong pu-er!
Can you tell us more about the Qi of tea? What type of characteristics does it have, and how does it change from variety to variety?
ReplyDeleteFor example, in Chinese Herbal Medcine the Qi of an herb is described by various qualities such as flavor, temperature, and which meridians/organs of the body it affects. Therefore Bo He (mint) is spicy, cool, aromatic, and enters the Lung and Liver.
Many herbs in Chinese Medicine can induce sweating by activating the Wei Qi (protective Qi of the sufrace) causing it to open the sweat pores. This is very common among spicy herbs (hot and cold.)
Is this how Tea Parker references the concept of Qi for tea, or is it more generalized?
http://teamasters.blogspot.com/2005/03/ever-heard-of-cha-chi.html
ReplyDeleteI discussed cha chi more in detail above.