Post 4: A Steep in the Right Direction
“Tea began as a medicine and grew into a beverage. In China, in the eighth century, it entered the realm of poetry as one of the polite amusements. The fifteenth century saw Japan ennoble it into a religion of aestheticism, -- Teaism.” -Kakuzo Okakura, The Book of Tea
Today, in times of convenience stores and fast food restaurants, it seems that some things have lost their value to the modern person. One of these things, I believe, is the sacred art of preparing tea. Growing up, I was taught to make tea by my grandmother, who treated the beverage as a sacred art. Now, I find that most of my tea is made from a bag of cheap leaves, and steeped in too hot water from an electric kettle at work. The new assistant sometimes attempts to make tea from leaves, but her technique is inadequate. I felt as though it was time for a change.
I immediately began researching traditional tea rooms in Japan, hoping to find a place to visit with my son for a taste (literally) of proper tea culture. After a few searches and some light reading, I came across a small tea room called Room Ju-An (Ju meaning join together and An meaning tea house). They offered a tea ceremony with a knowledgeable hostess and authentic, albeit expensive, real tea.
According to the website, there are four important elements to a proper tea ceremony in Japan.
- “Wa” - peace and harmony
- “Kei” - respect
- “Sei” - purity
- “Jaku” - faith
This ceremony was not only a way to taste fine tea, but also a way to enjoy my son’s culture and learn more about the relationship between tea and faith. I was excited to go, but afraid that I would have to work overtime to convince my son to go with me. I thought he liked tea, so his reluctance somewhat confused me at first. He drank a lot of tea in England, and has drunk a lot of tea since we moved here.
I wonder if he only drinks it for rehydration and caffeine, rather than actually enjoying its taste.
However, I found a way to engage his enthusiasm. I invited the girl. Suddenly his excuses evaporated and his complaints were silenced. He did not show any true enthusiasm, but he did not come unwillingly.
When we arrived, the girl appeared very interested in the ceremony. She recounted some story of doing it with her mother, I only half listened. My son, on the other hand, paid a lot of attention to her words. I’m not sure he spoke more than ten words for the entire trip, but he left with a smile. Although, as a teenager, a ‘smile’ in his case means a slight upturn on one side of his mouth.
My need for good tea is now satiated. My son’s blossoming love life is on the up. So the only thing I have left to share is a few things I learned from the hostess at the ceremony:
Proper temperature for green tea is about 83°C. Steeping green tea at too high a temperature can result in a bitter tasting tea. If your water is too hot, place 1-2 ice cubes in with the tea as it steeps, this will save the leaves from being burned.
High quality green tea leaves can be reused 1-3 times. I was surprised to learn that high quality green tea leaves retain their flavour, if steeped correctly. So, use the right temperature and save your leaves!
Look at the color and the grade to choose proper matcha. When choosing an expensive tea like matcha green tea, you want to make sure you are getting good quality. When you read the label, make sure that the tea is ceremonial grade and made in Japan. If you can peek inside the container, make sure that the tea is a bright green. If the tea is dark or “mossy” looking, don’t buy it.
Coffee gives you jitters? Try green tea! The hostess informed us that many people have recently begun drinking green tea in the mornings rather than coffee. Green tea, depending on the type and how it is prepared, can contain as much or even more caffeine than a cup of coffee, and has less negative side-effects!
I hope you have enjoyed learning about tea as much as I have this week! Please, let me know if you CHAI these tips at home!
Love,
Lynn
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