Tea happiness is easy

After starting the tasting with a JinGuanYin Baozhong (see previous post), I proceeded with this Qingxin Oolong from Alishan (from spring 2022). At 7 USD for 25 gr (or 35 USD for 150 gr), these leaves are great value and genuine Alishan high mountain Oolong from it's freshest and finest season (spring). 

On a mid September afternoon in the hills of Taipei, this tea brought a cool, refreshing feeling and the sweet, powerful taste of the Alishan region.

The gaiwan is very useful outdoors. Since it's much less expensive than an Yixing zisha, it is easier to carry around, because you don't worry so much that you might break it. And since it's made of porcelain, you can brew multiple teas in the gaiwan after a quick rinse between teas. One gaiwan rules all the teas! It's more difficult to brew with a gaiwan compared with an Yixing teapot. The leaves don't open up as easily. That's true if your technique is lacking. But if you do everything well, it's doable and then you feel a higher sense of accomplishment with a gaiwan!

As you can see from the harmonious way the leaves have opened in the gaiwan, this must have been a good session. The clarity of the brew is another clue that the tea is of good quality. And the proof is 'in the pudding' or, in this case, in the brew itself when you taste its sweetness and experience its light aromas.

The goal of learning tea is not just knowledge and skills. It's to apply these knowledge and skills to strive for harmony, another word for perfection within the constraints of reality. Good tea leaves are a blessing. We have a responsibility to make the best of them by understanding them, by cultivating ourselves and through a focused and cheerful practice. 'Focused and cheerful' might seem opposites. I mention both because one should maintain a balance and neither become too serious, nor too careless. Pouring water in the vessel and pouring the brew in the cups is a time for focus. Enjoying the scents, taste, touch and view of the tea is a time to be cheerful and poetic. 

One day, as you become good at tea, you might realize that you can apply the same principles to yourself and your life! 

(Tea) happiness is easy (but it requires learning)!