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Tea Tasting centre and store - set of tea pots with oriental style and mood

Dec 21, 2014 à 05:03 AM

Tea is the most popular form of beverage in China. Chinese people, particularly those residing in Beijing, prefer tea. For this very reason thousands of tea stores are spread across the length and breadth of the city. You will find old-style chain tea stores such as Wu Yutai and Zhang Yiyuan. These tea stores offer specialized, superior quality teas. Additionally you may also find areas such as Xidan and Wangfujing offering standard teas to the visitors. Beijing is a famous for its Maliandao Tea Street. So for all those wanting to sip the most delicious tea, you know where to go. Beijing it is! Tea and Teapots Stores in Beijing Tian Fu Jituan (Ten Fu Tea, Tianfu Mingcha) This store is the largest store for tea drinkers. It has around 26 branches in Beijing. This store offers several varieties of tea. However their jasmine tea (hua cha) is a hot selling. Address: 176 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District Transportation: Subway Line 1 at Wangfujing (exit A) Phone: 010-6525-4722 Open daily 8:30am to 7:30pm. Tea Street market (Maliandao Cha Cheng) Tea lovers worldwide must know that Beijing's wholesale tea market has over 900 tea stalls. This sure is enough to prove how much tea there really is in China. From jasmine tea or green tea to the costly pu’er, you can sip any tea. Travelers can also purchase several products like tea sets here. Visitors can see demonstrations of the tea ceremony. One can also find tea flavored dumplings in this Tea Street Market. Address: Malian Dao Chayecheng, Xuanwu District Open Hours: 8.30am-6pm daily Wuyutai Tea Shop 吴裕泰 Over a hundred years old, Wuyutai has spread across several locations. It may not be as reasonable as the Tea Street Market but it is famous for the superior quality tea leaves it offers. The jasmine tea served here is excellent. Address: 186 Wanfujing Dajie Phone: 010-6525-4961 Transportation: Subway Line 1 at Wangfujing Open Hours: 8:30am-9pm daily Credit Cards: All major foreign credit cards are accepted. Zhangyiyuan Tea Shop (Zhangyiyuan Tea Co., Ltd, Zhangyiyuan Tea House, Zhang Yi Yuan, 北京张一元茶叶有限责任公司) Zhangyiyuan Tea Shop in Beijing was voted as one of Beijing’s Top Ten Franchised Brands in the year 2007. It is famous for several varieties of Chinese green teas along with other teas. Besides the scented tea, black tea and health tea, Longjing and Biluochun are also available in this popular tea shop. For those wanting to purchase colourful and elegant tea sets, this is the place to be. Address: 22 Dashalan Street, Xuanwu District (headquarter) Phone: 010-6303-4001 Address: 18 Wanming Road, Xuanwu District (branch) Phone: 010-6303-2056 Address: 173 Zhushikou West Street, Xuanwu District (branch) Phone: 010-6303-1670 Address: 53 Tanyuan Village, Chaoyang District, Beijing Phone:010-6468-5903 Transportation: Bus 110,120 or 403 Tanyuan stop the 1st floor, Guoyi Plaza, South West 3rd Ring Road, Haidian District, Beijing. Art Space Address: B108, 3.3 Fashion Plaza, 3 Sanlitun Lu, Changyang District Open Hours: 010-5136-5147 Art Space displays elegant cups and teapots designed by China Academy of Arts ceramicists. ...

Feb 20, 2015 à 11:12 AM

Chinese people are believed to have enjoyed tea drinking for more than 4,000 years. Legend has it that Yan Di, one of three rulers in ancient times, tasted all kinds of herbs to find medical cures. One day,as he was being poisoned by some herb he had ingested; a drop of water from a tea tree dripped into his mouth and he was saved. For a long time, tea was used as an herbal medicine. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, it was a religious offering. During the Spring and Autumn Period, people ate fresh tea leaves as vegetables. With the popularization of Buddhism from the Three Kingdoms to the Northern and Southern Dynasties, its refreshing effect made it a favorite among monks in Za-Zen meditation. Tinted by the cultural style of the Song Dynasty, tea culture at this time was delicate and sumptuous. New skills created many different ways to enjoy tea. The Ming Dynasty laid the foundation for tea processing, types and drinking styles that we have inherited. Good or fresh tea has a green luster in a tight shape, but poor one is loose and dull. The leaves should be dry enough to make a rustling noise in the palm. Four basic steps are: 1)Observe. Good or fresh tea has a green luster in a tight shape, but poor one is loose and dull. The leaves should be dry enough to make a rustling noise in the palm. 2. Smell. The fragrance should be pure without a charred taste or acid smell. Good tea, especially fresh one, has a natural aroma like orchid or jasmine while the poor one smells stale. 3. Taste. You can taste the leaves by chewing them carefully. Good tea leaves have a fresh mellowness. You can also infuse some to see if the leaves extend smoothly and sink slowly to the bottom. Good tea liquor is emerald green or golden. It has a tint of bitterness with a lasting sweet aftertaste. Stale liquor is malodorous and dark brown. 4. See the infused tea leaves. The infused leaves should be even without impurity. After you purchase good tea, keep it in a dry cool place, avoiding direct sunshine. An airtight container is a good choice. Avoid putting teas of different aromas too close. ...

Jan 12, 2015 à 04:38 PM

Tea, a drink pioneered by the Chinese, is brewed by infusing tender buds picked from tea trees in boiled water after baking. Legend has it that tea was first discovered by Emperor Shennong, who was tasting hundreds of herbal medicines to test their medicinal power in southwest China. Tea was originally used for detoxification and meant to be chewed in the mouth. Later, people began to steep it in water. Maybe because the drink has a slightly bitter taste, it was called “tu” (meaning “a bitter edible plant”) before the Qin and Han dynasties and wasn’t officially named “tea” until the Han Dynasty. In the Han Dynasty some 2,000 years ago, the Chinese already knew a lot about tea and gained a wealth of experiences, including tea species, baking skills, infusing, water selection, tea utensils and ways to use them etc, initially forming a set of tea drinking etiquette and customs. Meanwhile, along with the development of trade links with neighboring and central Asian countries, Chinese tea was among the goods envoys of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty brought to other parts of the world via “the Silk Road”. In the Tang Dynasty, rich experiences in the tea culture had been accumulated. Around 758 AD, a man named Lu Yu wrote Cha Ching (Classic of Tea), in which he summarized the knowledge and techniques about tea before and after the Tang Dynasty, including the history, production places, effects, cultivation, picking, baking and drinking etc. In the Song Dynasty, tea drinking became more popular. Tea houses were everywhere in the capital city of Bianliang and those carrying a kettle for tea making were called “tea doctors”. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, drinking tea has not only been an elegant hobby shared by high-ranking officials, scholars and ordinary people, but also been enjoyed by people across the world. Today, people all over the world are showing special interest in Chinese tea. Clearly, this is not just because the drink’s thirst-quenching and mind-refreshing effects, but also because its unique healthcare functions and the cultural profoundness in the art, etiquette and customs of tea. ...

Feb 02, 2015 à 08:00 AM

Chinese regard Tao as a complete system which is the rule and law of universe and life. Therefore, Chinese do not speak of Tao easily, which is different from Japanese who have tea ceremony for tea, ikebana for flower, incense lore for scent, kendo for sword, even judo and taekwondo for wrestling and striking. Among Chinese food culture, entertainment and other activities, it is tea ceremony that can only be qualified to Tao. Tea ceremony belongs to oriental culture. What oriental culture is different from western culture is that there is no scientific and exact definition for it. Instead, people need to be close to it and understand it through their own existence. The word “Tea Ceremony” can be dated back to the Tang Dynasty in China, e.g. “as for theory of Hong Jian which was refined extensively, tea ceremony was popularized” in The Record of What Mr. Feng Sees and Hears. Liu Zhenliang in the Tang Dynasty had put forward explicitly in Ten Virtues in Drinking Tea, “Tea brings Tao and Elegance.” The word “Tea Ceremony” has been used for over 1,000 years since the Tang Dynasty, but this entry still can not be found in reference books such as Xinhua Dictionary, Word-Ocean Dictionary and Etymology till now. So, what is tea ceremony? Mr. Zhuang Wanfang thought, tea ceremony is a kind of ceremony to teach people about the law and discipline of rite as well as moral cultivation by means of drinking tea. Mr. Zhuang Wanfang also summarized the basic spirit of Chinese tea ceremony as, “honour, beauty, harmony and respect” and explained, “cultivating morality, being honest and money saving, in order to conduct oneself in society harmoniously and honestly, and to respect and love people.” Mr. Chen Xiangbai thought, Chinese tea ceremony includes seven philosophical connotations listing as tea art, tea morality, tea rite, tea principle, tea feeling, tea science and tea ceremony guidance. The essence of Chinese tea ceremony spirit is harmony. Chinese tea ceremony is to regard tea as a process that guides individuals to move towards and finish moral cultivation, thus to realize harmonious and peace between human beings. Tea ceremony theory of Mr. Chen Xiangbai can be simplified as, “seven arts in one heart.” ...

Dec 05, 2014 à 11:27 PM

Tea is a simple beverage, and one that has long been central to the lives of millions of people, originally in the East, and now virtually worldwide. It is said to aid meditation and self-reflection and to induce tranquillity, even perhaps inspiring imagination. There are six major types of tea in China –green tea, black tea, Oolong tea, dark tea and white tea, distinguished mainly by different methods of production. Folklore relates each type of tea to certain human characteristics. Thus it is said that green tea, simple and light, stands for scholasticism of south China; black tea, mild and reserved, is regarded as rather ladylike; Oolong tea, warm and persistent, resembles to perseverance of philosophers, dark tea, with its lingering aftertaste, symbolizes the wisdom of the elderly, and so on and so forth. China, the homeland of tea, is a leading producer and consumer, and the discovery and usage of tea has a history of four or five thousand years. Tea developed form the earliest fresh-boiled tea taken as a kind of soup, to later dried-and-preserved teas, and from simple green tea to the blending of six major kinds of tea. Drinking tea first started to become popular in the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) Dynasties, and has continued into contemporary times. The flavour of tea, which may be drunk weak or strong, contains both bitter and sweet elements. What is more, with its unique appeal, tea has broken free of its region of origin and has been transported to most parts of the world. The origin of tea is lost among history and legend. What can be roughly confirmed is that tea originated in the southwest of China. In Yunnan, and elsewhere, there are still some wild tea trees that are over 1,000 years old. It is said that the first person to discover the effects of tea was Sheng Nong –the father of agriculture and herbal medicine in China. In time immemorial, people knew very little about plants. In order to find out which plants could be eaten safely, Shen Nong tasted various kinds of plants to test them as food or medicine. After he had eaten the plants, Shen Nong observed their reactions in his stomach – he is reputed to have had a “transparent stomach”! ...

Feb 18, 2015 à 11:06 PM

The origin of tea is lost among history and legend. What can be roughly confirmed is that tea originated in the southwest of China. In Yunnan, and elsewhere, there are still some wild tea trees that are over 1,000 years old. By the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC), the function of tea to refresh the body and clear the mind had gradually replaced its function as medicine. People started drying the leaves to preserve tea. When they made tea, they put the leaves into a pot and made a kind of thick soup. The princes of the Zhou Dynasty were used to this thick soup, but due to its bitterness, it did not become widely popular. In the Han Dynasties (206 BC- AD 220), both the collecting and processing of wild tea leaves were improved. Tea became a tasty drink and was very popular amongst the nobility. In the Wei Period (220-265) and Jin Dynasties (265-420), tea came to be the drink of banquets and lubricated philosophical and metaphysical discussions. Tea’s “freshness and purity” came to be preferred to the “violence and intoxication” of wine. The last emperor of the Three-Kingdoms Period (220-280) was Sun Hao (reigned 264-280). He asked his ministers to drink six litters of wine every time he held a banquet. One minister was not good at drinking, so he secretly asked Sun if he could drink tea instead. In fact the relationship between tea and wine has always been subtle. Wine drinking is appropriate for a joyous occasion; while tea drinking is best suited to tranquillity. These two drinks differ in many aspects, but they are also the best partners because tea can counter the effects of drunkenness. In later times, the opposing aspects of tea and wine were reflected in a dialogue between them in a book called On Tea and Wine. Thus by the time of the Shu Kingdom (261-263) tea had spread to the lower reaches of Yangtze River, and by the Eastern and Western Jin Dynasties and the Northern and Southern Dynasties (265-589), rulers advocated drinking tea and eating simple food in order to restrain competition in extravagance amongst the nobility. ...

Dec 14, 2014 à 11:39 AM

By the time Lu Yu wrote the Ch'a Ching, The Classic of Tea, in the eighth century, tea was already a fairly common drink in China. But Lu Yu's work was the single most influential aspect in developing the cultural significance of tea. Ch'a Ching was probably commissioned by a group of tea merchants, wanting to popularise the drink that was the basis of their livelihood. The Ch'a Ching itself elevates the preparation and drinking of tea to near-religious status. Like a religious ceremony, there is a set ritual, using particular implements which are endowed with individual significance, and there are guidelines on the appropriate state of mind for the tea drinker, and the atmosphere in which tea should be drunk. This similarity to religious ritual is no coincidence; the Taoist faith was central to culture in eighth century China, and with it the belief that every detail of life was an act of living that was worthy of celebration, and that one should attempt to find beauty everywhere in the world. Thus the emphasis on tranquility and harmony in the preparation and drinking of tea was recognition of its part in the masterpiece of life. An abridged version of the Ch'a Ching's description of the proper tea making process is as follows: After being plucked on a sunny day, the tea leaves must be baked over an even fire, with no wind. After baking they should be placed in a paper bag to cool. When completely cold the leaves can be ground. Then spring water should be heated to just under the boiling point and a pinch of salt added. Then bring it to a second boil, and stir only the middle portion of the liquid. Steep the ground tea leaves in this water in each cup individually and drink before it cools. The first and second cups taste the best, and more than four or five cups should not be consumed. During this time tea was baked in a cake form, and to prepare a cup of tea, a bit was shaved from the edge into boiling water to which salt had been added. Several different preparations were used to make tea, including the addition of onion, ginger, orange, or peppermint. Milk and sugar were never added to tea, although both were available and used in other foods. Different preparations of teas held different medicinal purposes, although by this time tea was primarily thought of as a beverage in spite of its believed healing properties. The tea was typically drunk from bowls or cups that had been glazed blue on the inside, which was thought to bring out the greenness of the tea. By 850 people were also beginning to prepare tea in the form of detached leaves, not compressed into bricks ( Pu-er or Tuocha teas). ...

Dec 10, 2014 à 09:48 PM

There are various legends surrounding the origins of tea. Perhaps the most famous is the Chinese story of Shen Nung, the emperor and renowned herbalist, who was boiling his drinking water when leaves from a nearby tea shrub blew into the cauldron. He tasted the resulting brew, and the beverage of tea was born. An alternative story claims that links tea drinking to the Indian prince Bodhidharma, who converted to Buddhism and in the sixth century and went to China to spread the word. He believed that it was necessary to stay awake constantly for meditation and prayer, and took to chewing leaves from the tea shrub, which acted as stimulant, helping him stay awake. (An alternative, more macabre version has Bodhidharma accidentally falling asleep, and upon waking cutting off his own eyelids in disgust at himself. He threw the eyelids away, and from them sprouted the first tea shrub). Cup of cha or ch'a Part of the problem in pinpointing the origins of tea stems from the fact that the Chinese character t'u is used in early sources to describe infusions made from several different plants, not necessarily just tea. By the third century AD though a new character, ch'a, was developed to refer specifically to tea. Ch'a is very similar in its calligraphy to t'u, and its development suggests that tea had become such a popular drink that it needed its own character. The word ch'a is now sometimes used in English to refer to China tea. ...

Jan 30, 2015 à 04:23 AM

The Art Of Drinking Tea Yum cha, or "tea lunch," is a treat for the entire family. Many Chinese families reserve Sunday mornings for this outing. It is not only an opportunity to savor the delights of dim sum, but to visit with friends as well. The Chinese call the little delicacies served at tea lunch dim sum, which translates as "touching your heart." And that indeed is what these small morsels do. The advantage of sampling them at a teahouse is the great variety available. It may take you several visits to determine your favorites. There are steamed shrimp and pork dumplings, deep-fried egg rolls and taro-root dumplings, green peppers with shrimp filling, and on and on. Dim sum is based on Cantonese dim sum, it is all good at color, fragrance, taste and shape, its characteristic is that the ingredients used are of best quality and plentiful, variety is numerous, style is novel, tastes are various, it suits the needs of every eater and four seasons. The first step in yum cha is the selection of your tea. The waiter will ask you for your choice, and you might take this opportunity to try a variety you haven’t tasted before, such as loong jaing (dragon’s well), po nay, jasmine and so on. There is no need to ask for a menu. The food will come to you on carts or on trays. Some items are on plates, some in metal or bamboo steamers; each serving contains 2 to 6 pieces, depending on the item. There are four main groups of food from which to choose. The first is made up of steamed dishes like shrimp or pork dumplings and pork buns. The second group is the variety group, such as parchment chicken, pickled mustard greens and duck or chicken feet. The third classification covers deep-fried items: egg rolls, rice rolls, pork triangles and others. The fourth group is comprised of sweet items like sponge cake, coconut jelly, and delightful custard tarts ...

Feb 16, 2015 à 08:43 PM

Having sampled some of the tea-drinking customs through the dynasties, let us take a look at the people that drink tea. China is a country with vast territory and long history. Various ethnic groups with different geographic location, living environment, and heritage have developed the customs of tea drinking expressed in different styles during the course of time. This in turn enriched the culture of Chinese tea drinking. With a long history of over 5,000 years, there are 55 minor ethnic groups living in China now. Together the ethnic groups account for 6.7% of the total population, and cover 50 to 60% of the total area. Each ethnic group has its own unique tea drinking custom, such as gongfu tea of Fujian and Chaozhou, green tea of Jiangnan, covered tea bowl tea of Chengdu and Chongqing, morning tea of Guangzhou, nine-course tea of Kunming, "big bowl" tea of Beijing, Mongolian milk tea, etc. These all contributed to creating a rich tea culture. (And that is only China. Imagine adding also overseas tea drinking customs such as that of the British, the Japanese, or the Indian, our world's tea drinking customs are even more colourful.) Nowadays, traces of the Tang and Song dynasties tradition can still be found in the prevailing tea drinking customs of some minor ethnic groups in the southwestern border area of China. Here are the tea drinking customs of 7 ethnic groups. Again, try to think about how tea played a role in - and reflected - their lives, beliefs, and values. ...

Dec 13, 2014 à 11:59 PM

The history of tea dates back to ancient China, almost 5,000 years ago. According to legend, in 2732 B.C. Emperor Shen Nung discovered tea when leaves from a wild tree blew into his pot of boiling water. He was immediately interested in the pleasant scent of the resulting brew, and drank some. Legend says the Emperor described a warm feeling as he drank the intriguing brew, as if the liquid was investigating every part of his body. Shen Nung named the brew "ch'a", the Chinese character meaning to check or investigate. In 200 B.C. a Han Dynasty Emperor ruled that when referring to tea, a special written character must be used illustrating wooden branches, grass, and a man between the two. This written character, also pronounced "ch'a" symbolized the way tea brought humankind into balance with nature for the Chinese culture. China's Tea History The popularity of tea in China continued to grow rapidly from the 4th through the 8th century. No longer merely used for its medicinal properties, tea became valued for everyday pleasure and refreshment. Tea plantations spread throughout China, tea merchants became rich, and expensive, elegant tea wares became the banner for the wealth and status of their owners. The Chinese empire tightly controlled the preparation and cultivation of the crop. It was even specified that only young women, presumably because of their purity, were to handle the tea leaves. These young female handlers were not to eat garlic, onions, or strong spices in case the odor on their fingertips might contaminate the precious tea leaves. ...

Jan 25, 2015 à 01:55 AM

Tea, as a culture is rather broad and diversified. At one hand, it means lifestyle, custom of tea; at the other hand, it means a combined social process of learning, planting, and using tea. It is the understanding of tea, and based on this understanding, the development and the creation relating to tea. In China, and east Asia, tea incorporated the roots of ancient philosophies. We have a separate section to introduce you Tea and Chinese Philosophies Tea customs had been formed in China in Tang Dynasty in three circles: common people, monastery monks, and loyal family. While the custom of monastery monks drinking tea had been introduced to Japan, and later was developed to be a religion, Cha Dao, and the performance, Tea Ceremony, the loyal family tea custom had varied from dynasty to dynasty. Common people's tea drinking is much worth to mention since it basically ignored the forms and adopted its core - for pleasure and utility. Chinese have started to drink tea around 5000 years ago, and have preserved the habit to serve tea to guests who come to pay a visit. There is no need to ask if the guests want tea or not. Let guests sit in the living room without serving tea is a big humiliation to the guests, and it also hints the guests are not welcomed. If the host does not want guests to stay any longer, he can give a signal by asking servants or family members to "serving tea". This means the host wants the guests to leave immediately. Drink Tea is Chinese daily activities, no matter what kind of tea it is. Just like europeans drink coffee. In southern China, people have the habit to "Drink Morning Tea", "Drink Noon Tea", and "Drink Night Tea". These activities are not the same as British drinking afternoon tea. They are actually the combination of drinking tea, eating various kinds of dim sum dishes served on small plates with small quantity, or meals, plus a relaxed chat between friends and/or relatives. It has been an important social activity and has now been very popular in greater China region. ...