Where did you get your tea education?

GaoShan
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Sat Jul 31, 2021 11:18 am

LeoFox wrote:
Fri Jul 30, 2021 5:08 pm
A relevant passage from a favorite of mine- here about the appreciation of paintings in a museum. Might as well be about tea.
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Thanks for this reference. I found this part especially relevant:

"Standing before a picture to which the body temperature of your vision has not yet adjusted itself, for which the crystalline lens has not yet found
the one suitable accommodation, is like singing a serenade in a fur coat behind storm windows."

The idea that only becoming familiar with a tea will help us evaluate its quality is interesting. I know that for me, listening to a piece of music from another classical tradition or reading poetry in translation with none of the conventions of English poetry leaves me completely at sea until I can understand what the artist is aiming for. I guess it's a given that the wonder of encountering the new and the judgement associated with encountering the best of a certain kind of tea/music/art are two entirely different things.
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LeoFox
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Sat Jul 31, 2021 11:38 pm

GaoShan
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Sun Aug 01, 2021 1:24 am

As always, these articles are interesting. It's kind of fascinating that a tofu machine should be used for tea, and that even after preliminary mistakes, the results should be okay. While at first one would lament the disappearance of handmade tea processing, tea manufacturing does need to evolve. Now I'm wondering which of my roasted teas have been treated like this... :)
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Bok
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Sun Aug 01, 2021 1:36 am

@GaoShan just to be clear, that machine was never involved in the making of tofu! As the article says, it’s just colloquially called like that due to the cube shape it produces…

I know of makers who use half half method, first a bit with the machine for ease of work and consistency then manually finished the rest to the desired results.

One thing to bare in mind is that without updating in processing methods, a lot of tea will simply not be made anylonger. It’s hard work and no one wants to do it anymore, incl. the farmers who wish for a “better” future for their kids.
theredbaron
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Mon Aug 02, 2021 5:18 am

Having lived in Asia for 28 years, i did it the Asian way.

I started off having visited a Chinese tea house in Singapore around '91 when i was a traveler on the overland trails, which got me hooked immediately. Equipped with John Blofeld's 'The Chinese Art of Tea' - at the time the only English language book on Chinese Tea - i explored then the tea growing areas and tea houses in China in '93 (and '95).
In '97 i was then introduced by a tea friend to my tea master - Paul Lim (Lim Ping Xiang) in Malaysia. There i really began learning about tea and i have visted him regularly.
There are many different schools of thought, methods and philospophies of drinking tea in the different Chinese diasporas and in China itself, and all of those are of course in constant discourse and development. The tea world is a vibrant and exciting culture.

I have in the past already angered some people by saying this, but blogs, internet forums and such only go that far. It is awasome that the internet enables access to tea. When i started off there was almost nothing available in the west. But there are too many echo rooms, myths and misunderstood half truths around as well. One does not get a correct frame of reference there.

After a certain point, when one wants to develop further in his/her tea drinking, there is no way around spending some extended time in Asia's tea world, get access to tea circles there, drink tea with experienced tea drinkers, and if possible find a tea master/tea teacher. Teaknowledge and -understanding isn't something that one can simply pick up in a course with certificate, it's a life long exploration, and in Chinese Asia there is a history of millenia behind that.
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Bok
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Mon Aug 02, 2021 8:36 am

Second that, although personally I’m avoiding anyone calling themselves master, or with followings of devoted groupies. I prefer the casual encounters without hierarchy, otherwise the risk of indoctrination and switching-off of critical thinking is high.
GaoShan
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Mon Aug 02, 2021 9:25 am

Bok wrote:
Sun Aug 01, 2021 1:36 am
GaoShan just to be clear, that machine was never involved in the making of tofu! As the article says, it’s just colloquially called like that due to the cube shape it produces…

I know of makers who use half half method, first a bit with the machine for ease of work and consistency then manually finished the rest to the desired results.

One thing to bare in mind is that without updating in processing methods, a lot of tea will simply not be made anylonger. It’s hard work and no one wants to do it anymore, incl. the farmers who wish for a “better” future for their kids.
Wanting a better future for your kids (and for yourself) is totally understandable. If the tea tastes as good, why complain?
GaoShan
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Mon Aug 02, 2021 9:37 am

theredbaron wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 5:18 am
Having lived in Asia for 28 years, i did it the Asian way.

I started off having visited a Chinese tea house in Singapore around '91 when i was a traveler on the overland trails, which got me hooked immediately. Equipped with John Blofeld's 'The Chinese Art of Tea' - at the time the only English language book on Chinese Tea - i explored then the tea growing areas and tea houses in China in '93 (and '95).
In '97 i was then introduced by a tea friend to my tea master - Paul Lim (Lim Ping Xiang) in Malaysia. There i really began learning about tea and i have visted him regularly.
There are many different schools of thought, methods and philospophies of drinking tea in the different Chinese diasporas and in China itself, and all of those are of course in constant discourse and development. The tea world is a vibrant and exciting culture.

I have in the past already angered some people by saying this, but blogs, internet forums and such only go that far. It is awasome that the internet enables access to tea. When i started off there was almost nothing available in the west. But there are too many echo rooms, myths and misunderstood half truths around as well. One does not get a correct frame of reference there.

After a certain point, when one wants to develop further in his/her tea drinking, there is no way around spending some extended time in Asia's tea world, get access to tea circles there, drink tea with experienced tea drinkers, and if possible find a tea master/tea teacher. Teaknowledge and -understanding isn't something that one can simply pick up in a course with certificate, it's a life long exploration, and in Chinese Asia there is a history of millenia behind that.
I feared this was the case. I don't have the connections or funds to travel to Asia, certainly not for the length of time you have. I also am not sure finding a "tea master" would be right for me, although finding a circle of tea people who know more than me would be welcome. It's great that you were able to find a tea teacher who could educate you, and I hope I can find the same thing.
theredbaron
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Mon Aug 02, 2021 10:16 am

Bok wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 8:36 am
Second that, although personally I’m avoiding anyone calling themselves master, or with followings of devoted groupies. I prefer the casual encounters without hierarchy, otherwise the risk of indoctrination and switching-off of critical thinking is high.
Well, yes, definately.
Drinking tea with Paul Lim was/is more like siitting with a group of friends and talking, and laughing and drinking tea, and getting tea lessons in a very casual but meaningful way. No bows, formalities and the like.
theredbaron
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Mon Aug 02, 2021 10:22 am

GaoShan wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 9:37 am
I feared this was the case. I don't have the connections or funds to travel to Asia, certainly not for the length of time you have. I also am not sure finding a "tea master" would be right for me, although finding a circle of tea people who know more than me would be welcome. It's great that you were able to find a tea teacher who could educate you, and I hope I can find the same thing.
a few weeks or months would be more than useful. One can live/travel in many parts of Asia very cheaply, in basic guesthouses or dorms, and go from there. Connections you make automatically. For one, several members here live in Asia's tea centers, and it's not difficult at all to meet people over there. Even though there are now more westerners interested in tea, it is comparratively still very few, and i found generally that people are delighted when westerners show interest in tea, and people will be very glad to help one along the way.
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Bok
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Mon Aug 02, 2021 10:43 am

@theredbaron I think it’s not that easy. It’s easy to meet “some” tea people, but not necessarily the ones who can teach the most… that still requires a lot of work, persistence and luck. In Asia tea is something encountered daily and since childhood, yet true knowledge is still pretty rare.

So most who come here to Taiwan for example don’t get any farther than ending up in Wistaria or the Mad Tea hut… which really is just scratching the lonely planet surface of things.
theredbaron
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Mon Aug 02, 2021 10:52 am

Bok wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 10:43 am
theredbaron I think it’s not that easy. It’s easy to meet “some” tea people, but not necessarily the ones who can teach the most… that still requires a lot of work, persistence and luck. In Asia tea is something encountered daily and since childhood, yet true knowledge is still pretty rare.

So most who come here to Taiwan for example don’t get any farther than ending up in Wistaria or the Mad Tea hut… which really is just scratching the lonely planet surface of things.
I am a strong believer in luck and persistence - when one persists enough, luck will follow inevitably.
Though i can't speak for Taiwan, one of the few countries in Asia i have never been to
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Baisao
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Wed Aug 04, 2021 3:25 pm

I'm joining this late and do see that good advice has been given.

There a number of Western outfits that will provide you with a "tea master" or "tea sommelier" diploma for a hefty fee and not much else. To quote William Burroughs, "you need it like you need pernicious anemia."

My advice to anyone wanting to become adept at gfc:

1) Buy the best tea you can afford.

2) Use a gaiwan or teapot that is around 80-100ml. It doesn't have to be magic clay or famous porcelain.

3) Try a handful of teas to determine what you like, then focus on one tea, brewing daily for at least a year before branching out to other teas. The goal here is avoid blurring your experience by bringing in new teas too early.

4) Observe changes to that tea as you adjust variables: weight to volume, temperature, vessel shape, vessel material, water discipline, thermal dynamics, gestures, and your intention. Make tea mindfully, without distractions. An aroma cup helps with details.

5) Use what you have observed in step 4 to bring out characteristics you like and reduce characteristics you do not like. Try different waters.

6) Try different teas.

7) Make friends with and network within the Chinese/Taiwanese diaspora in your location. You may be able to find locals who can assist you in refining your skills. This is where you make your luck.


There are no shortcuts. You will have to put your hours in whether you travel to SE Asia or not.

For example, I would feel more comfortable flying into a hurricane if the pilot had 3000 hours on a specific aircraft than 200 hours plus some tips from Chuck Yeager.

Hours matter.
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LeoFox
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Wed Aug 04, 2021 4:03 pm

Great points, @Baisao!

Reminded me of this passage by Ezra Pound
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faj
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Wed Aug 04, 2021 5:06 pm

Baisao wrote:
Wed Aug 04, 2021 3:25 pm
then focus on one tea, brewing daily for at least a year before branching out to other teas.
I would be curious to know if you meant one type of tea (i.e. say, sencha), or really one specific tea.
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