I wanted to write something about what we call ‘tea soup’ in Chinese (茶湯 cha tang) - the resulting infusion of tea leaves steeped in hot water. In English this is most often, and ambiguously, referred to simply as ‘tea’, the same word being used for the drink in its various forms and stages, from leaf to cup, But in the world of Chinese tea, this ‘soup’ of infused tea liquid is pregnant with deeper meaning – it is a realisation of the interaction between people and tea leaves; the final result and achievement of the efforts of those who have planted, picked, processed and pao-ed (泡, ‘steeped’ in Chinese) the beautifully complex flavours of tea.
When we talk of ‘tea infusion’, the first thing the Chinese tea drinker thinks of is the vibrant change of colour of the steeped water, along with its accompanying flavour and aroma. Chinese tea is typically a genial affair, a hustle and bustle with friends and family, with warmth and smiles gathered together over the steam of freshly-brewed tea. This bustle begins, however, earlier than you might perhaps expect. Before the mouth, or the nose, it begins with the eyes: from the very moment the drinker lays eyes on the cup poured out and set before them at the tea table, the visual experience and anticipation of what is to come has begun.
No matter what type of tea is to be drunk, the colours which tea infuses water with induce feelings of warmth. Green tea carries flushed yellow tones; yellow tea reveals hues of fresh green. In white tea there are hints of amber, and in Oolong a spectrum from light, blond sunrise to the deep sweltering tones of a blood-orange sunset. As you would expect, the deeper the tone, the more the infusion seems to warm from within: from my experience this is especially true for teas that steep out deep reds and near jet-blacks, such as the well-known Puerh, In addition to its colour, we can also observe the clarity or turbidity of the infusion. There is something to be said of the connection between enjoying the sight of a clear infusion and the clarity of mind that comes with it when drinking.
The aroma that gradually rises from the infusion can exhibit complexity and develop with time as it steeps. The smells that are released can change from cultivar to cultivar, and are further affected by a host of environmental variants – the ‘terroir’ of the tea world. Teas can also be processed to bring out bolder flavours hidden within the leaves, an art that has been honed into a multitude of extant techniques that store and ferment tea for a greater olfactory experience. We can experience the spectrum of flavours in the infusion’s aroma through a host of techniques, including the use of cups, saucers, bowls and lids that hold the tea and draw out the layers of aromatic information on their surface or contained in the spaces within. In Chinese tea, no opportunity is to be missed, and teaware can be a great helper to pursue the finest of flavours.
Therefore, all the efforts of Chinese tea come to focus on this final product, the flavours of different varieties of tea leaf steeped out into water, the tea infusion. Sometimes we can get caught up in the beauty of our teawares, the source and origin of our water, or the careful construction of our own ‘tea place’ at home, but what sits at the centre of it all is the happiness that can be found in the production and experience of a well-balanced, carefully-crafted, and heart-warming infusion of tea. In order to truly appreciate Chinese tea, we must gain an understanding of the rich variety in different colours, smells and flavours in the infusion that makes tea, well, great.
Perhaps there will not be enough time for me to taste every different type of tea this world has to offer, to see, smell and experience every different type of tea leaf. But I am on a lifelong journey to seek out and enjoy as many as I can, and in some ways, such a prospect is even more exciting!
-the end-
written by Fang yaoyao
translated by Thomas Staniforth
以下文字為中文原文
說說茶湯
想寫一寫茶湯，因為它是茶與人交流最後的呈現形態，又因為茶把所有的美好都釋放在了一杯茶湯中。
要說茶湯，離不開茶的色，香，味。中國茶是熱鬧的茶，從哪裡開始呢？從視覺上就開始了，不論是哪一種茶，哪一支茶，它的湯色一定是暖色的，綠茶是綠中帶黃，黃茶是黃中帶綠，白茶是淺黃色，烏龍從明黃到橙紅，紅茶和黑茶自不用說。除了色澤之外，不論顏色深淺，茶湯的清澈度是我們對茶最基本的要求，在我看來，清澈透亮的茶湯實在让人心境澄明。
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