Art of Tea Workshops
Back to LIGHT-LA
The Art of Tea Workshops are designed for Tea Lovers wanting to become
knowledgeable in preparing and serving a nice cup of tea in the sophisticated
Traditional way. How the harvesting and drying of the tea buds produce tea of
different quality and flavour, how to identify these different kinds of tea, how to
properly brew a cup of tea and ultimately, how to serve tea in a formal
ceremonial manner. A unique experience in a traditional cultural activity.
History and Customs
By 1800, the British were drinking nearly 5 billion cups of tea a year, and the empire was in
financial crisis. The Chinese tea merchants (tea had not yet been discovered in India) were not
interested in Britain’s primary trading good, heavy broadcloth, so the British had to pay in
silver. To balance the payments, The British East India Company sold Indian opium crops in
Calcutta, where it was bought by other British firms and smuggled to China (where it was
illegal) for, you guessed it, silver. Therefore the silver remained in Canton banks, where the
British could use it for future tea purchases.
This arrangement was great for the British but a disaster for the Chinese. Millions became
addicted. In 1839 the Chinese emperor ordered 20,000 chests of opium burned on the beach
at Canton. The British responded by declaring war and ultimately forcing the legalization of the
opium trade. Opium remained legal till 1908.
Tea unquestionably had its genesis in China. Legend has it that in 2737 B.C. Emperor Shen
Nong accidentally discovered tea. While he was boiling water in his garden, a camellia leaf fell
from a shrub and landed in his pot. Tea is discovered!
The British, with their insatiable demand for tea, resented the Chinese monopoly, and were
struggling to cultivate some stolen Chinese tea plants in India. They had a lucky break in the
1820’s when indigenous tea plants were discovered in the Brahmaputra river valley of India,
near Burma. By the 1830’s the dense forest of the Assam were being cleared to make way for
tea gardens.
The first Russian czar to sip a cup of tea did so in 1618, when an ambassador delivered a gift
from a Mongol prince. Tea from China made its way to Russia in camel caravans. The early
caravans had a strong influence on Russian tea-drinking customs. To reduce the weight, tea
leaves were stuffed into cloth sacks rather than heavy wooden chests. During to trek the
leaves absorbed the smoky scent of the evening campfires. This smokiness became a
desirable quality in “Russian Caravan” tea.
In Japan, tea arrived in the early eighth century, brought by Buddhist monks who found the
beverage stimulating during meditation and prayers. Legend tells of an Indian monk who fell
asleep during meditation. To ensure that it would not happen again, the monk cut his eye lids
off and threw them to the ground. A tea shrub sprang from the very spot they landed
producing a drink that reduced fatigue.
Ceylon grew very little tea until the 1800’s. Then two things happened: a parasite destroyed
the coffee crop and Sir Thomas Lipton, the British grocery store giant arrived, buying tea
plantations at bargain prices. His marketing flair and competitive pricing vaulted the Lipton
Tea Co. to such success, he expanded his market to America.
Where Tea Grows
Tea is indigenous to China and northern India. Over the years it has been successfully
transplanted and today is grown commercially between the equator and 42 degrees north. The
finest teas grow at elevations between 3,000 and 6,000 feet. In areas with no cold season, tea
can be plucked every seven to ten days year round. In drier mountainous regions, tea gardens
may produce only one flush a year.
An example of the latter can be found in the Uji countryside near Kyoto Japan where Gyokuro
(ghee-OH-koo-roe or “ Precious Dew”) is harvested. Three weeks before the harvest, as soon
as the first buds appear, the entire garden is covered with bamboo or canvas mats to filter out
the light. Tiny emerald leaves grow in the semi darkness yielding higher chlorophyll content
hence lower in tannin, resulting in a less bitter tea. Like the rare teas of China, Gyokuro is
plucked using the imperial method that removes only the bud and, if quality allows, the first
leaf.
Tea Grading and Terminology
Leaf grades are more a reflection of technical terms referring to production.
Orange Pekoe (OP):
Leaves roll lengthwise, eight to fifteen millimeters, showing no tip.
Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (GFOP):
Certain leaves have golden tips.
Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (TGFOP):
All tips are golden.
Broken Orange Pekoe (BOP):
Leaves that have been broken (deliberately or not), yield high-quality Golden
Broken Orange Pekoe (GBOP), or Tippy Golden Broken Orange Pekoe (TGBOP).
The crusted small pieces are called “Dust” or “Sweepings” and are less than one
millimeter in size. Pekoe “Fannings” describe tea processed by a CTC method
specifically for better quality tea bags.
Leaf Teas
FTGFOP1 Fine Tippy Golden Flowery
Orange Pekoe 1
( 1: denotes the best selection of
this grade)
TGFOP Tippy Golden Flowery Orange
Pekoe
FOP Flowery Orange Pekoe: Leaves
roll lengthwise, five to eight
millimeters.
P Pekoe
Broken Teas
BP Broken Pekoe
TGBOP Tippy Golden Broken Orange Pekoe
FBOP Flowery BrokenOrange Pekoe
BOP Broken Orange Pekoe
Finest Brokens
A mixture of different broken grades:
TGBOP, FBOP, BOP
GF Golden Fannings
(Fannings = smallest leaf grade)
BOPF Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings
Dust The finest grade of tea. 'Dust' is a
misleading term because it is often
wrongly believed to be of poor
quality.
A Guide to the Leaves
Black Tea Varietals
Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), produces a black tea known for its aromatic amber liquor and its rich,
full, astringent flavor. It is lighter than an Assam and not as flowery as a Darjeeling.
Ceylonese estates all produce a tea that can stand on its own, or blends well with fruit and
essentials oils. Classification is not by estates. The island’s tea is classified by grade of leaf,
progressing from the mildest to the strongest in this order: FOP—OP—FP—BOP—BOPF.
China’s Keemun (KEY-min) has a small, slender, tightly curled, very black leaf and is unique in
that it gains character with age. It is known for its orchid aroma and dark red liquor. Its mild
sweet flavor produces a great evening beverage. Keemun is frequently used as a base for
scented blends.
Lapsang Souchong (LAP-sang SOO-shong) is a moderately smoky tea, produced by withering
the leaves over open fires of pine. It goes well with salty and spicy dishes and with cheese.
Yunnan (YOU-nahn) is nicknamed the “mocha of tea.” With a fine golden liquor and a long
finish, it goes well with a drop of milk and continental breakfast.
India’s Assam (ah-SAHM) teas often are blended with “breakfast” teas producing a strong
malty taste and dark liquor. They go well with a drop of cold milk.
Darjeeling (dar-JEE-ling) is a rare and very fine small leafed tea found in the Himalayan
foothills of northern India and is noted for its clarity and light but flavorful cup. Darjeeling
leaves are intentionally broken during manufacture. The closely planted Darjeeling gardens roll
for acres between elevations of 3–6,000ft. The higher the elevation, the lighter and more
flowery the tea. Darjeeling means “Land of the Thunderbolt.” Darjeelings are sometimes
identified and sold by estate (such as Glenburn, Bloomfield or Namring) or by flush.
Black Tea blends have no real recipe. You need a good scale, some intuition, and a few basic
ground rules. Never blend teas with great character, start with a neutral base then add to it.
Here are some examples of the classics.



English Breakfast is a small leafed tea generally composed of a Ceylon BOP with a hint
of Assam and some Darjeeling. This very British blend is drunk with a drop of milk and
goes well with toast, honey, or jam.
Five O’clock Blend is another typical English blend; this time using whole leaf Ceylon
teas OP or FOP. This beverage is fuller in body and is a light aromatic brew. Milk can
be added although it is great on its own. As an afternoon tea, serve it with a snack or
some sweets.
Russian Caravan is generally a hearty black from China. An oolong from Formosa is
blended with a Lapsang Souchong to give the smoky taste.
Scented black and green teas include a number of classics that are a great evening beverage.
Sugar may sometimes be added but never milk.



Earl Gray is a China or Darjeeling tea (greens and oolongs are now available), scented
with oil from the peel of bergamot, a Canton orange.
Jasmine came from Persia and grew well in China. The night blooming flowers are
picked just before sunrise and kept in a cool place till after the daily harvest, when the
fragrant flowers are placed next to the dried green tea leaves. This process is repeated
once or twice for ordinary teas, and as many as seven times for the special grades
known as Yin-Hao. The presence of leaves in the tea has know bearing on its quality.
Imperial Russian black tea from China is flavored with bergamot and other citrus
scents.
Green Tea Varietals
Gunpowder tea comes from China and Formosa (the Chinese call it “Pearl Tea”). Each leaf is
rolled into a tiny pellet which explodes when dropped into boiling water. Fine gun powder has
a low green liquor and a refreshing taste. Add fresh mint leaves for a thirst quenching summer
drink.
In Japan, Gen Mai Cha is comprised of green sencha leaves blended with fire toasted rice. It is
a hardy tea with a salty grainy taste that is both refreshing and filling. Gyokuro (ghee-OHkoo-roe) utilizes flat, sharply pointed leaves like pine needles. The liquor is green, sweet and
smooth. It is made from first flush tips plucked from plants cultivated in the shade and
harvested only once a year in May.
Oolongs from Formosa with their semi-fermented teas have become the specialty of the
island. They are to be drunk plain, without milk, during or after a meal. Infused leaves are
rusty brown and very large; the leaf and bud sets having desirable silver tips. It is highly
aromatic and non astringent. Fine Taiwan Oolongs compare with Darjeeling, but with a
rounder, deeper cup. Its flavor has been compared to chestnut, honey, and peaches.
How Tea Grows
A Guide to the Herbs
Herbs, by definition, are plants that lack a “woody” stem and whose leaves, stems, and
flowers have aromatic or medicinal characteristics.
Herbal beverages are referred to as “Infusions,” not as Herb Teas. Tea applies only to
beverages made from the leaves of the “Camellia Sinensis” plant.
There are several categories of herbal preparations:



Infusions, called tisanes, are beverages made by steeping dried or fresh parts of
plants in boiling water.
Decoctions involves boiling plant parts for medicinal purposes until the water is
reduced.
Extracts are concentrated preparations made by evaporating liquids (water, alcohol or
ether) in which plants have been boiled.
Heated or iced herbal infusions are often enjoyed as a caffeine free alternative to coffee, tea
or sodas.
“Simples” utilize a single herb and the process of experimenting with one herb at a time is
called “Simpling.” Infusing one herb at a time is the best way to discover and appreciate the
flavors and effects of each herb. “Blends” evolve...
Making Herbal Infusions is a simple process of boiling water and infusing herbs:
1. Use fresh filtered cold water.
2. Use full leaf herbs— leaves and flowers release their essences more efficiently when they
are cut up and stored in tea bags.
3. Use an infuser, cup or tea pot—Herbs need space and good circulation. Avoid tea balls.
Select a glass or ceramic tea pot, not metal. Make sure that you pre warm the pot.
4. 1.5 grams or one rounded teaspoon of herb per cup is sufficient. Always remember—“a
teaspoon per person, and one for the pot.”
5. Steep for about five minutes or to taste.
6. Remove the Herbs, or strain the liquid before you enjoy the beverage. The spent Herbs are
great for flower gardens.
7. Herbs make a wonderful iced product. Use two to three teaspoons per cup and pour the
infusion over ice. Unlike camellia sinensis, herb infusions will not cloud over.
What to look for in herbal infusions
There is no standard language for evaluating infusions because every herb, every blend, and
every cup is likely to be different from the last one. A few guidelines might be helpful.
1. The body of the infusion carries the beverage’s flavor tones. It should be strong and have a
lasting finish.
2. The color will range from light yellow-green in a chamomile—to golden in a cinnamon or
cardamom—to deep brown with chicory and carob—to bright red with hibiscus.
With practice you should be able to distinguish three or four flavor notes—green, flowery,
fruity, and spicy. However you might want to follow my personal rule If you don’t like what it
tastes like spit it out!
1.
Tea is made from the young, tender leaves of the tea tree. The differences
among the many kinds of tea available are based on the particular methods used
to process the leaves. The key to the whole process is the roasting and
fermentation. Through fermentation, the originally deep green leaves become
reddish-brown in color. The longer the fermentation, the darker the color.
Depending on the length of the roasting and degree of fermentation, the
fragrance can range from floral, to fruity, to malty.
Tea that has not been fermented is called "green tea." Tea steeped from green
tea leaves is jade green to yellow-green in color, and gives off the fragrance of
fresh vegetables. Examples of green tea are "Dragon Well" (Lung-ching) and
"Green Snail Spring" (Pi-lo-ch'un). The Chinese call tea that undergoes full
fermentation "red tea" (hung-ch'a); in the West it is known as "black tea." Tea
made from black tea leaves is reddish-brown in color and has a malt-like aroma.
Oolong, or "Black Dragon" (Wu-Lung) tea is an example of a partially-fermented
tea. This tea is unique to China, and Taiwan is one of its most representative
areas of production.
Oolong tea comes in three degrees of fermentation: lightly fermented, moderately
fermented, and fully fermented. The identifying features of lightly fermented
Oolong tea, such as Paochung, are a full aroma, clarity, and a golden color.
Moderately fermented types such as "lron Buddha" (T'ie-kuan-yin), "Narcissus"
(Shui-hsien), and "Frozen Peak" (Tung-ting), have a brown color, a full "mature"
flavor that appeals more to the sense of taste than that of smell, and a vaguely
sweet aftertaste. Tea infused from moderately to heavily fermented tea leaves
like "White Hair" Oolong (Pai-hao Wu-lung) has a red-orange color and a fruity
aroma.
To make a good pot of tea, special attention must be pald to the quality of the
water, water temperature, the amount of tea leaves used, and the type of teapot.
Soft water (water with a low mineral content) that is clear and fresh is required to
steep tea; hard water should by all means be avoided. The correct water
temperature varies from tea to tea; for most fully fermented and moderately
fermented kinds it should be near boiling (100 or 212); however, it may be low as
90 (194) or less for lightly fermented or green teas.
2. Demonstration: preparing a good cup of tea
A Perfect Cup of Tea
Prepare your water.
Use a Coolie Cup or a Go Cup.
Add a teaspoon into a tea filter.
Add boiling water, let infuse for 3 to 5 minutes.
For guests that use a Coolie cup you have to provide them with a tea caddy so they can put
the spent filter on it.
For customers that are in a hurry and are taking out give them a napkin and a zip lock baggie
for the spent filter.
Tea Preparation
Tea brewing is an art that is simple to perform but which also requires some care to do well.
While essentially tea is brewed by adding boiling water to the dry leaf, the quantity of leaves,
the temperature of the water and timing is of vital concern. The following is a guide for
brewing tea leaves. Please feel free to experiment to find the method that best suits your
taste and the particular leaves that you are preparing. Each package of our tea contains
detailed instructions as well as brewing times for the various teas.
1) Warm your empty tea pot by filling it with hot water. This will prevent the hot water from
cooling too quickly when it is added to the leaves.
2) Boil freshly drawn tap water. If the quality of your tap water is poor, try using filtered or
bottled spring water. For black tea, use the water when it comes to a boil. Water left boiling
too long will de-aerate. This will result in a flat tasting tea. For green tea, the water should be
heated to a lower temperature (usually approximately 80 degrees Celsius), which may vary
from tea to tea.
3) Empty the hot water from your tea pot and add 2.25g or one rounded teaspoon of tea
leaves for each cup (5.5 oz) of water (or one heaping teaspoon per mug). We suggest placing
the tea directly into the bottom of the pot or using a basket infuser. Tea ball strainers, while
convenient, often yield poorer tasting tea as they are often too small to allow all of the leaves
to fully unravel. If you do use a tea ball, be sure to use one that is sufficiently large.
4) Add the freshly boiled water over the leaves in the tea pot.
5) Brew your tea for the appropriate amount of time. The amount of time needed to brew your
tea varies depending on the leaves being used and the drinker's individual taste. Careful
timing is essential for brewing tea that meets your desires. A very general rule to follow is the
smaller the leaf, the less time required for brewing. Broken grades of tea leaves and most
Darjeeling teas usually only need 3-4 minutes to brew. Whole-leaf teas often need 4-5
minutes. All teas, however, will become bitter if brewed for longer than 5 or 6 minutes. When
brewing tea, time with a timer, and not with your eyes. It is a common mistake to brew the
tea until it looks a particular color or shade. The color of tea is a poor indicator of the tea's
taste.
6) Serve the tea. If you use a basket infuser or a tea ball, remove these promptly when the
brewing time has expired. If you placed the tea directly into the pot, pour the tea into the
cups through a strainer to catch the leaves. In this instance, if you do not wish to serve your
tea immediately, pour your tea through a strainer into another pre-heated tea pot.
3. HOW TO TASTE TEA
A tea drinker can have a quite uncritical palate and yet derive enormous enjoyment
from tea; knowing how to tea-taste in any formal sense is not a prerequisite to
appreciating it. But having some discrimination about what you sip from your teacup
heightens appreciation and thus makes tea drinking more rewarding and interesting.
Tea tasting is a way of exploring the world of fine tea to become aware of the
characters different teas have and to learn to distinguish the difference in quality
among ordinary, fine, and superlative teas. The kind of amateur tea-tasting we
advocate falls far short of the experience, practice, and skill necessary for
professional tea-tasting but it will without doubt enhance your enjoyment of tea and
can be as interesting and entertaining as wine-tasting, coffee-sampling, or cheesenibbling.
Professional tea tasters are more concerned with evaluating tea quality than
appreciating it, but these two aspects of tea tasting are closely allied. A description
of why and how then experts taste helps tea lovers understand what they can learn
from even very simple comparative tastings.
4.
Besides choosing good tea, water, and tea sets, the way of pouring the hot
water is also a method to learn in making nice teas. There are three elements:
amount of tea, temperature of water, and lastly, how to make the taste you want!
1. Amount of tea
There is no rule for using certain amounts of tea. It differs depending on its kind,
size of tea cup and one's habit. As you might already know, there are many
different kinds of tea and each one should be used in different amounts.
Generally speaking, you use 3g of dried tea in 150-200 ml of water for red and
green teas. Puer tea requires about 5-10g. Wulong is the one that needs the
most amount of tea. Fill half or two thirds of the tea pot every time you brew.
2. Water Temperatures
The high quality of green tea, especially those with small sprouts, should avoid
hot water of more than 100 degrees. It requires about 80 degrees (after boiling it
should cool down a while). This way the color of the tea is a bright light green,
the taste is better and has more more vitamin C in it. If the water gets too hot, the
tea turns yellow and the taste will be bitter. Other mid-quality teas like Hua Tea or
Red Tea might be brewed at 100 degrees. If the temperature is too low, the tea
wouldn't brewed sufficiently, and it becomes too plain. Wulong tea and Puer tea
also require hot water because there is a lot of tea used and it is normally kept
for a long time. To keep the water hot, they even pouring water on the surface of
the tea pot. Many minorities drink brick tea (its shape is like a brick), and they
place it in the container to brew.
3. Way to Brew
No one can find certain rules for drinking tea because it depends on the time,
brewing methods, types of tea, water temperature, amount of tea and personal
preference. Approximately 3g of red or green tea could be used for a regular cup
with about 200 ml of water. Water shouldn't be too hot or too cool. You have to
remember color, smell, and taste. There are convenient ways to enjoy your tea! Put
small amounts of tea in your cup and pour just enough hot water to covers the tea.
Let it brew for 3 minutes, then pour water up to 70-80% of the cup and drink it
before it cools down. When 1/3 of the tea remains, pour more hot water to balance
out the cool water in your cup. You can enjoy the tea in this manner up to 3 times. If
you drink Hongsui Tea or Lusui Tea (the particles are very small), leave it for 3-5
minutes. It's not a good idea to re-brew it because it would have already used up its
effectiveness, as with instant tea bags. When you drink Oolong Tea, it is better to
have a Zisha tea pot. Use a lot of tea and throw away the brewed water - the first
brew is for 1 minute, second is for 15 seconds more than the first, and the third is 1
minutes and 40 seconds. The fourth is 2 minutes and 15 seconds. As you saw, the
brewing time gets longer and will even out the density and concentration depending
on the water temperature of and actual amount of tea. The hot water means shorter
time, and in contrast, lower temperatures and smaller amounts of tea mean longer
brewing times. Make sure to find the appropriate brewing times for your preferred
density and taste! Fermentation
Tea leaves are prepared by being plucked by hand from the tea bushes, dried, then
rolled, and finally heated ("fired") in kilns to assure complete drying.
Teas are named both for their place of origin and their mode of production or in
some cases the way in which they are served or the shapes they assume when
marketed. For example, Silver Needle tea leaves come rolled into tiny, needle like
pieces, while gunpowder tea comes in tightly rolled balls.
All tea may be graded for the uniformity of the size or maturity of leaves, the
presence of foreign matter (such as stems), whether leaves are broken or not,
freshness, and so on. However a fundamental difference in types of tea is based on
whether they have been fermented, and if so for how long.
Based on fermentation, three main types are distinguished: unfermented (green
tea), fermented (black tea), and semi-fermented (oolong tea).
5. Tea Storage
Tea easily absorbs moisture and odours and so it is essential that it is kept in a cool dry place
away from any strong smelling items. It must be stored in an airtight container not exposed to
light and used within a reasonable time. Because light breaks down the quality of tea, glass
containers are not suitable for the storage of tea unless stored away from light.
Packaging
is
Important
The process of packaging tea is important because tea that is old or not properly packaged
loses its flavour and aroma. Our tea is fresher than most tea brands because it is packed and
exported in vacuum sealed foil pouches. Quality teas are packed in different types of
packaging/caddies made from tropical hardwoods, metal, papier mache and/or cartons.
The Benefits of Drinking Tea:
Tea
and
Health
Is
tea
good
for
me?
Not only is tea soothing and delicious, but it is healthy too. In fact, the American Health
Foundation
recommends
we
consume
5
6
cups
daily
because
.
.
.
Tea
•
•
•
•
•
contains
is
1/3
less
helps
maintains
stabilizes
fat
caffeine
free
than
reduce
mental
fluid
and
coffee
calorie
or
cola
fatigue
alertness
levels
free
The antioxidant in tea help prevent . . . cancers of the mouth, stomach, pancreas, lungs,
esophagus,
colon,
breast
and
prostate.
The antioxidants in a single cup of tea equal those in one serving of vegetables.
Tea’s
•
•
•
flavanoids
reducing
lowering
prevent
heart
blood
blood
disease
lowering
by
clotting
pressure
cholesterol
A study conducted by Harvard University researchers found that those who consumed one or
more cups of black tea per day had more than a 40 percent lower risk of having a heart
attack
compared
to
non-tea
drinkers.
Tea is a rare source of natural fluoride which inhibits growth of the oral bacteria and enzymes
responsible
for
dental
plaque.
Tea is also a rich source of manganese, necessary for healthy bones, and of potassium
which
regulates
the
heartbeat.
Other valuable vitamins and minerals found in tea include . . . vitamins B1, B2, B6, folic
acid,
and
calcium.
Eating Well Magazine named tea "Beverage of the Year" for its health benefits and mass
appeal to consumers searching for an alternative to soft drinks and coffee.
So
is
tea
good
for
you?
You
bet
it
is!
And tea is one of the least expensive beverages available today . . . costing just pennies per
cup.
Lose
Yourself
in
its
Charm
Relax with a cup of steaming, fragrant tea. Savor unblended, exotic and characterful teas like
Darjeeling, the Champagne of Teas.
The art of drinking and serving tea plays a
major cultural role in China. It inspires
poetry and songs. Mutual love of tea
cements lifelong friendships. For centuries,
the ritual of preparing and serving tea has
held a special place in the hearts and minds
of Chinese aristocracy, court officials,
intellectuals and poets.
The Chinese tea ceremony emphasizes the
tea, rather than the ceremony -- what the tea tastes like, smells like, and
how one tea tastes compared to the previous tea, or in successive rounds
of drinking. Ceremony doesn't mean that each server will perform the
ritual the same way; it is not related to religion. Each step is meant to be a
sensory exploration and appreciation.
These teas are particularly refined, such as oblong teas which are lightly
fermented and red teas that can be moderately to heavily fermented.
This style of tea-drinking uses small cups to match the small, unglazed clay
teapots; each cup is just large enough to hold about two small swallows of
tea. These tiny cups are particularly popular in Fujian and Chiujao, in
southern coastal China above Canton. In Shanghai and Beijing they use
large cups.
Demonstration of a Tea Ceremony explained by a Tea lover:
Hodge started her tea studies a decade ago when she was 23 years old and
working in a teahouse in Guang Zhou. Mastering tea requires a lifetime of study,
she said. Just as the Chinese have different dialects and customs throughout the
huge country, different regions drink different kinds of tea and have different
types of ceremonies. She visited farms to learn that tea leaves from the same
bush will taste different if they are picked in the morning or in the afternoon.
And she found that tea grows in lovely areas, proving true the old saying that
when a beautiful river finds a beautiful mountain, tea may be grown.
Unlike the Japanese, where tea ceremonies are very ritualized, the Chinese put
more focus on the preparation of the tea than on the ritual itself, Hodge said.
That doesn't mean there isn't ritual involved, as in the gung fu cha ceremony she
will do. Gung fu, as in the martial arts, means generally that it takes a long time
to master. Cha is the word for tea.
Hodge begins the ceremony by introducing a yixing (pronounced yee-shing) pot
- a tiny, porous clay pot that will absorb the flavor, color and aroma of the tea
over time because it is not glazed. She will pour the tea from there into what she
translates into a "sniff cup," a small cup from which you don't drink but inhale
the relaxing scent.
She will put a tiny cup over the top of the sniff cup, the closeness of the vessels
serving as a blessing for a happy family. And then she will flip it over, in a nod to
the Chinese folk tale about the red fish jumping over the dragon gate - the
classic you-can-overcome tale of a fish who wants to be king, but first has to
jump over a gate to get to a palace.
Men and women hold the cup differently, she notes. The men have more of a
closed-hand grip, while the pinkies and ring fingers of the women extend
outward.
And then, finally, comes the drinking. The first sip is a swishing sort of rinse to
coat the whole mouth with the tea. The second sip is a noisy slurping up the
middle of the tongue, to aerate it and enjoy the subtleties of the flavor. Then the
third sip is a quick downing of the remaining drink.
It is a simple ceremony. In some cases, two people will perform it, with one of
them reciting poetry. The poems don't really translate well into English, so she
will do the ceremony alone this weekend.
"In the end," said her 53-year-old husband, Austin Hodge, "it's still about making
a great cup of tea."
ENJOY YOUR TEA!!! Add whatever you desire to your tea. You may find
that some teas taste particularly nice with sugar and/or milk or lemon, while
others taste best pure.
The workshops can be attended by anyone. No basic knowledge is required.


3:00 PM to 3:30 PM
o Identifying different kinds of tea: Four Seasons Tea, Green Tea,
Fermented Tea, Oolong Tea, Raw Tea, Ripe Tea
o
Practice: participants prepare tea
o How to taste tea
o Techniques of Tea-making: picking-up of tea buds and fermentation
o Proper storage of tea leaves
3:30PM to 4:30PM
o Demonstration of Tea Ceremony
o Drinking tea in the proper atmosphere
o The benefits of drinking tea
When, Where: When: – Best day for you
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Where: LIGHT-LA – 1889 W. Woolbright Rd. Boynton Beach, FL
Miscellaneous information:
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All material and tea tools are provided. The tea, the tea tools and all the relevant
material.
The number of students is strictly limited to 12.
Reservation: please confirm your seat by calling 561 740-0544, at least one week
before the workshop.
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Back to LIGHT-LA
Issue Date: November 18, 2001 Scientific sources for this article Ask Jean Carper a
question!
The most potent health drink ever...
It's tea time, say intriguing new research findings. Recent studies in leading medical
journals declare tea a potential heart tonic, cancer blocker, fat buster, immune
stimulant, arthritis soother, virus fighter and cholesterol detoxifier. Not bad for a
lowly shrub soaked in a little hot water.
"Tea is beating all scientific expectations as the most potent health beverage ever,"
says researcher John Weisburger at the American Health Foundation. "The many
ways tea can promote health is truly astonishing."
Bottom line: Each day you should drink three to six 8-ounce cups of tea. It can be
black or green, hot or iced, decaf or not.
Here's how tea helps your health:
Saves arteries. Drinking black tea helps prevent deadly clogging of arteries and
reverses poor arterial functioning that can trigger heart attacks and strokes, two major
new studies have found. In a large 10-year study in the Netherlands, men who
consumed the amount of antioxidants called "catechins" found in three cups of black
tea were 50% less likely to die of ischemic heart disease, caused by narrowed clogged
arteries, than were men who consumed only the catechins in half a cup of tea. In
another recent test, Joseph Vita, M.D., of the Boston University School of Medicine,
had heart patients drink either plain water or four cups of black tea daily. In a month,
impaired blood vessel functioning (a risk factor for heart attack and strokes)
improved about 50% in the tea drinkers.
Inhibits cancer growth. Tea has long been tied to a lower risk of stomach, colon and
breast cancer, although the connection is not proven. Now lab studies find that tea
chemicals actually may stop cancer growth. Rutgers University researchers showed
that a compound in black tea called TF-2 caused colorectal cancer cells to "commit
suicide"; normal cells were unaffected. "The effect is quite dramatic," said Rutgers
professor Kuang Yu Chen, who speculates that the chemical might one day be made
into an anti-cancer drug.
Tames inflammation. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University gave arthritisprone mice either green tea or water. The human equivalent of four cups of green tea
daily halved the mice's risk of developing arthritis. Also intriguing: TF-2, the newly
discovered anti-cancer compound in black tea, suppresses the Cox-2 gene that triggers
inflammation, says research at Rutgers. That's the same way the drugs Vioxx and
Celebrex work. Also, in a UCLA study of 600 Chinese men and women, drinking
green tea halved the risk of chronic stomach inflammation, which can lead to cancer.
Wipes out viruses. Previous tests prove tea can neutralize germs, including some that
cause diarrhea, pneumonia, cystitis and skin infections. New research by Milton
Schiffenbauer of Pace University finds that black and green tea deactivates viruses,
including herpes. When you drink tea, he says, chances are good you will wipe out
viruses in your mouth. Flu viruses, too? Possibly. A recent Japanese study showed
that gargling with black tea boosted immunity to influenza. Recent research at
Harvard indicated that tea chemicals stimulated gamma-delta T-cells that bolster
immunity against bacteria and viruses.
Burns calories. Most surprising, green tea's antioxidant EGCG stimulates the body to
burn calories, notably fat. In a Swiss study, a daily dose of 270mg EGCG (the amount
in 2 to 3 cups of green tea) caused men to burn 4% more energy - about 80 extra
calories a day. Green tea did not increase heart rate, and the calorie burning was not
due to caffeine.
Plus: Canadian researchers block cavities in mice by replacing their water with tea.
Indian eye researchers have retarded cataracts in rats by feeding the animals tea
extract. Israeli scientists block Parkinson's-like brain damage in mice by giving them
green tea extract or pure EGCG. W
For the best benefit ... Drink both black and green tea, the regular kind sold in bags or
leaves in grocery stores. Their antioxidants are equal. But green tea boasts specialacting EGCG. Bottled tea and instant tea have few antioxidants, research shows.
Herbal teas do not have the same health properties as real tea (Camellia sinensis). Tea
with caffeine has slightly more antioxidant activity. Steep tea leaves or bags in hot
water 3 to 5 minutes to thoroughly release antioxidants. Adding milk to tea does not
block absorption of antioxidants, new Dutch research finds. Don't give much tea to
kids. Tea "chelates" iron, removing it from the body. That may help combat chronic
disease but can cause anemia in young people.
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