The Presence Of Tea

All the photos are about Mingwang Hei Cha - The last tea Eric and I filled with peace

I was very delighted to host my friend, Eric to have a private tea ceremony this Tuesday afternoon. 

 The remarkable experience and feelings were incredible. The tranquility of tea was fully engaged our body and mind; the energy of tea was enlightened our soul and spirit. Nothing else but the presence of tea, the purity of tea and the peace of tea.

I was amazed by Eric's deep appreciation and connection with tea. It was very inspiring and meaningful to me. His relationship with tea infused my relationship with him on a different level. 

Thank you, Eric, for your precious presence and your precious presence with tea. The moment of the presence with you and tea only once in our lives. It is truly priceless!

And, thank you for sharing your tea ceremony experience at my club.

I spent an afternoon having a private tea session with my good friend Guitian, also referred to as “Becky.”  We went through some amazing teas, including a Phoenix Wulong newly arrived that was unreal; with a floral aroma next to none and such a strong aftertaste… this Phoenix was amazing.  BUT, we ended the day with a near ecstasy.

  I have wanted to learn more about heicha (dark tea) and was excited when she started to pull out a few.  We had 2 great Fuzhuan teas; sweet and smooth, quality Fuzhuan is a must try!  My heart started to beat fast as she started to tell me about the last one we were going to sip.  It was an exclusive tea that she got from one of her tea masters, a most gracious gift.  It’s called Mingwang Heicha (名望黑茶, 渠江薄片) from Qu Jiang, Anhua, Hunan; translated to “Famous Reputation Dark Tea, Qu River Thin Slices” this tea was also produced not far from Guitian’s home town.  Not knowing what I was doing, I told her not to waste it on me once she told me the estimated price.  Alas, she insisted and I finally gave in. 

I have only been drinking Dark teas for less than a year, and I was praying silently that I could appreciate it. 

I took the normal three sips… silence filled my ears… the music once in the background had vanished.  Three sips, perhaps less than an ounce and I could feel the Qi begin to overtake my body.  We drank on. My mind blurred and my body warmed and tingled.  The head, the neck and the hands were affected the most, but as we drank on, the warmth reached my entire body.  I think it was the 3^rd or 4^th cup where my eyelids started to feel very heavy.  All my focus was on nothing and nothing was everywhere.  We were both in a state of amazement. It felt as if my soul left my body and moved about 3 feet to the right, or left… wherever it moved it certainly was not within me.  I even became emotional, an effect I have never before experienced from tea. My words slurred and I think, but am not sure, that I was thinking out loud.

Sadly around the, I have no idea which infusion or cup, I had to stop as I would have fallen asleep and missed my bus.  It was an afternoon to remember, all her teas were superb, but that last heicha took me to the Elysian Fields. As I started to leave she offered me a small bit.  I refused; we shall share this experience the next time we sit down for tea with each other.  I am forever indebted to Guitian not only for sharing such amazing tea with me, but more importantly… sharing the experience.

-Eric Glass

The owner of The Fragrant Cup 

http://www.fragrantcup.com/

http://fragrantcup.teatra.de/

Tea Meditation

 

This cup of tea in my two hands, mindfulness held perfectly. My mind and body dwell in here and now.

Drinking tea in noble silence, the tea becomes real with our mindfulness and we are fully aware of its taste. 

We allow the silence and the calmness to penetrate our flesh and bones. We allow the energy of tea and its mindfulness to penetrate our body and mind. We drink with silence, we communicate with silence, we understand each other with silence, we appreciate with silence. The Gold of Silence talks louder than any word.

Tea is a gift of the earth, the sky, numerous living beings and much hard work.

We shall drink with mindfulness and gratitude so as to be worthy to receive it.

We shall enjoy every sip we take. Each sip is nourishing and healing. As we drink, imprint our gratitude and our love in to the natural.

We shall keep our compassion alive by sipping in such a way that we reduce the suffering of living beings.

We shall leisurely sip the joy and peace from each cup, permeate the nurturing energy, nourish mindfulness with purified spirit, 

We are present with each sip. We give our full attention to tea, to others and yourself.

We enhance relationships with purified spirit, and cultivate relationships with tea, nature, harmony.

We breathe in all the beauty and energy of the natural, and breathe out our suffering- our feelings of anger, hatred, fear, inadequacy and grief.

We take our time as we drink, holding each sip at least 10 seconds, until your entire month was purified by the tea. This aids the real taste of tea. Let us enjoy every morsel of our tea and the presence. Let us establish ourselves in the present moment, be free from yesterday and free from tomorrow. Drinking in such a way that solidity, joy and peace be possible during the time of drinking.

Practicing tea meditation is to be truly present your relationship with tea, our friends and natural. We recognize that we can dwell happily in the present moment despite all of our sorrows and worries.

Tea meditation is practiced at a traditional Chinese KongFu tea ceremony. It is performed and drunken in noble silence. 

Please join us to meditate with tea, to reach the path to the inner peace.

Please click here to find about the details about noble silent tea ceremony at Guitian's Tea Club

Tips on how to savor a cup of tea

When tea is served in a tiny Chinese tea cup, the size of the tea cup and the amount of tea might make you feel it is barely enough for a mouthful, to be drunk in one gulp. Please don't do that.

The processing of tea is an art, the preparation of tea is an art, and drinking tea is as well. If you don't believe me, please just try the method I am going to introduce; you will find tea is much more delicious and beautiful.

When a small cup of tea is served, first admire the color of the liquor. Not only is the color a visual pleasure, but from the appearance of the liquor you can have a general idea of the amount of oxidization and the quality of the tea - all without ever having seen the tea leaves.

Second, enjoy the aroma of the liquor. The lovely fragrance fills the room to create an atmosphere connecting both the inner world of the human heart and the outer world of nature. The fresh scent of tea is filled with natural beauty, with smells of mountaintops, forests, flower gardens or the feeling just after the rain. Moreover, this is another way to recognize the variety and quality of tea.

Finally, taste the tea. Sip a little from your small cup. Take three times to finish the whole cup. Oh, one more moment please - while tasting, hold the liquor in your mouth and turn your tongue while inhaling to appreciate the full flavor of the tea. Finally, slowly swallow the tea. "Three" might be a magic number but coincidentally the Chinese character for "taste" is "品," a combination of three "口" mouths.

When and where should we drink such wonderful tea?

You should drink it when you have the time to fully appreciate it, not when you are busy or in a rush.


You should drink it when you are in a pleasant quiet room, in a little backyard shaded with apple or plum trees, in the shelter of a cool pavilion surrounded by lotus flowers, in a forest or among high and straight bamboos, in a little boat floating on a peaceful lake. It is better to avoid a public place with many children playing and crying, or chaotic and crowded situations in general because loud voices will strip tea drinking of its elegant charm and vitality.

That's why tea culture has long been associated with Qin (called guqin - the oldest instrument in China, and one of the oldest in the world), Qi (a Chinese strategy game called go in English), Shu (calligraphy), and Hua (painting). The peaceful and relaxing atmosphere is suitable for listening to refined music and inspires people to deepen their wisdom, improve their self-cultivation and create a spiritual state. In Chinese tradition, tea has long been the best accompaniment for poetry, especially group composition of linked couplets.

Again, savoring a tea is like savoring wine, or even life. We don't drink wine the way we drink water. We enjoy every sip slowly. We normally prefer to appreciate a fine wine with the right people in the right place with the right mood. We experience the pure taste of wine instead of adding milk or sweeteners.

Well, the same is true for tea.

If you feel you need to add something to your tea because the quality of the tea is not good enough, you are simply adding another flavor to cover the unpleasant taste of the tea.

For the Chinese people, their neighbors (Koreans, Japanese & Vietnamese) and others who developed a taste for tea, it is far more than just a drink. The taste and spirit of tea are deeply engraved in the national character of the Chinese people.

Let's sip a little culture, literature and beauty together!

One step closer to tea

Tea has been in my life since I was born, but we didn't become really close friends until I met the man who would become my husband. Since then, I have tried to open a window of my heart to understand more about tea. The more I learn about her, the more beauty I discover and more desire I have; the more space I give her, the bigger my world becomes and the more joy fills my life. I can't resist the beauty of tea any more. Everything about her has entirely convinced me to be close and connected.


Tea is not only a drink: her qualities are so bright and illuminate my life. She is an intimate part of a number of rich cultures; she contributes to both physical and mental health, enriches art, music and literature; she connects me to a peaceful, beautiful world and its many wonderful people.

It's important to have the right relationship with tea. When treated properly, she dances with serene grace; when treated poorly, she withholds her many benefits. As I build a relationship with her, the more she can read my mind and the more her natural beauty embraces me. I am so attracted by her. Her appearance is so distinctive, her aroma so fragrant, her touch so warm, her dance so graceful, her pose so elegant, her smile so sweet, her energy so vibrant and her vitality so unique and powerful. Her beauty extends beyond my vision or feeling: the beauty in every drop, the pleasure in every scent, in every sip. Her spirit inspires me to expand my strengths. Every gift I receive from her adds more color and meaning in my life.