Beijing, China.- Surrounded by legends and due to its healing properties, tea and its drinking ceremony is one of the symbols of this country’s traditional culture. This is far from the trivial act of putting some dry leaves in hot water and then drinking it.
THE BRITISH, SUPPORTING ACTORS
Tea was brought to Europe by Dutch merchants in the 16th and 17th centuries, making it very popular, particularly among the British, who incorporated it into their daily lives, drinking it in the evenings to such an extent that many believe they they are the protagonists of this story. Actually, those from the UK are supporting actors, as this plant was cultivated and consumed in China at least a thousand years ago.
According to legend, it was Shennong, the third Chinese emperor, who demonstrated its medicinal value to his peers. Although historians have not been able to determine the existence of this character, it is clear that by the first century CE various varieties of tea were known, consumed as a vegetable, chewed, and later consumed as a drink by boiling it.
In fact, tea was already being given as a tribute in the days of King Wu. At the height of the Wei Dynasty, North and South Jin (220-598) and the nobility of the time made drinking a ceremony; and during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) it became much more complex than it is today, but it also became a practice of the humblest of families.
SWEAT IN THE FIELD, CAREFUL TASTING AT HOME
Harvested from plantations whose trees are no more than a foot tall, more than a dozen varieties of tea are grown in China today. Based on their fermentation, they are classified into the following basic categories: green, yellow, white, fully fermented black, and post-fermented black.
Harvesting is still done manually in fields that seem to be drawn on the slopes of the mountains. Not so its processing, which takes place in highly mechanized factories, leaving behind the old techniques that expose the worker to suffocating heat. From the cakes and dry leaves of yesteryear, its preparation has evolved into the convenient containers of more or less chopped leaves of the 21st century.
Before the preparation, the water is heated, the temperature of which is very important, say the Chinese. Before thermometers or contemporary programmable burners, the size of the bubbles of said liquid when boiling was used as a reference.
The current ceremony derives from the very typical working tea of the provinces of Taiwan, Fujian and Guandong. They make it clear that their purpose is to enjoy it better, separating the leaves from the broth so that the latter is not so strong that it is uncomfortable on the first infusion, or too light until it is absent on the second . They leave the pageantry of the imperial nobility of centuries past and focus on getting the most out of the tea. But every movement, the location of the utensils, the handle of the cup and its placement, or the height from which the water is poured; They all remain subjects with which they are extremely cautious.
For example, the spout of the teapot will never point at a person as that would show disrespect towards that person; The recipient’s cup should be held with three fingers of the right hand while the left remains down. When serving, make sure you only fill the cup two-thirds full; If you do it fully, the guest will know they are not really welcome. When you’ve appreciated the attention, with your left hand on your heart, tap the table twice with the index and middle fingers of your right hand. Now, if your host is an older adult or higher in rank, you’ll see three matches.
In these times of life in high gear, tea still holds a high place among the Chinese. It is not uncommon for green to be recommended in spring or summer, citing a common situation to remove the “fire within”. This term from their traditional medicine should not be misunderstood, as from their point of view it expresses the breakdown of the body’s internal balance caused by an unbalanced diet or stress.
Although coffee is gaining some ground in today’s China thanks to the foreign chains that offer it in its various options; Even among the youngest, who consume it regularly, the tea culture does not seem to be endangered. Perhaps not with the orthodoxy of his predecessors; more, inextricably linked to her life.
